What can I use to prevent heart attacks.

[johnscalido]

I have recently delved into the unknown and mysterious world of raising cornish crosses. I bought myself almost 300 birds from a local hatchery. 10 have died so far. I want to grow them until they reach 9 pounds but I am afraid that they will die of heart attacks before that. Has anyone grown there birds this big before and are there any remedies or preventative measures I can use or put in place to prevent them from dying before they reach 9 pounds.

 

[gritsar]

I myself have 18 cornish crosses right now that are rescues from the commercial houses.
I've read of putting a half an aspirin in the water, but sorry I don't recall the details.
I think the single most important thing you can do for large birds (not just meaties, as I also have LF brahmas) in this heat is to avoid stirring them up during the heat of the day. This time of year I do all my chicken tending first thing in the morning and late in the evening, right before dark. During the heat of the day I allow them to just lay around, dustbathe, find their own comfort zones.
I'm bumping this thread. Perhaps someone has some more constructive advice for you. Good luck.

 

[Ang]

How old are the birds when they died? Do you live in a hot climate? If so, do you have enough ventilation for them? Do they have enough space? There are lots of reasons a cornish x will die besides heart failure. Give us some details and we can help you figure it out. And 9lbs is a pretty big bird. We normally butcher at about 12 weeks and our largest ones will dress out to be about 7.5 lbs. I am curious to see how much you are feeding them and how old they are.

 

[DTRM30]

I don't know about preventing heart failure - but wow - I hope you have a REALLY big freezer !