What is a strict diet for a Cornish Cross?

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red horse ranch said:
I won't butcher her although I have no problem harvesting roosters. Do you think just grass would be enough for her to eat?
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Grass alone would not be enough but more grass, less grain, and more excersize may help. She may have a poor quality of life, since she was bred to only be alive for about a month. You can do as much as you can and give her the best life chickenly possible.
 
red horse ranch said:
I have a almost 4 month old Cornish cross that must weight 10 lbs or more. The temp got up to 103 today and she was suffering a lot from too much fat. I have put her in a grassy pen under a tree to help her stay a little cooler but I want to really limit her food. She can eat grass but what's the least other food that I should give her to make her lose weight? She's been eating an all grain all flock feed along with the other normal young pullets. I also have poultry developer in a hanging feeder inside their pen. Is there anything else I should be doing to help her?
I realize she won't be a long lived bird but I'd like to make her more comfortable if I can. There's no way we will eat her.
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At this point, given the condition and age of the Cornish cross, you have a few options. It should be noted that at this stage, there is nothing you can do to make a Cornish cross lose the weight it needs to survive much longer. Grass does not provide the nutrition and any feed you give will just cause the chicken to add more weight. It's too heavy (probably 15 pounds or more) to get exercise. You cant fight the biology/physiology of this breed; you'll never win. It was designed to put weight on and be slaughtered for meat.

So your options are:

1) Have a vet euthanize; though I think this is a sad waste of a lot of meat that can feed a large family.
2) Butcher yourself or have a family do it
3) Bring to someone to butcher.
 
Northern.Ontario said:
At this point, given the condition and age of the Cornish cross, you have a few options. It should be noted that at this stage, there is nothing you can do to make a Cornish cross lose the weight it needs to survive much longer. Grass does not provide the nutrition and any feed you give will just cause the chicken to add more weight. It's too heavy (probably 15 pounds or more) to get exercise. You cant fight the biology/physiology of this breed; you'll never win. It was designed to put weight on and be slaughtered for meat.

So your options are:

1) Have a vet euthanize; though I think this is a sad waste of a lot of meat that can feed a large family.
2) Butcher yourself or have a family do it
3) Bring to someone to butcher.
Click to expand...

My husband and I discussed our options about her. I think she would be so full of fat that the meat might not be attractive to eat. Surely all that weight isn't meat since she doesn't move around much. I wouldn't have a problem with putting her down myself. And I considered it yesterday when it was so hot and she was so miserable. You seem to think that she won't lose any weight and you might be right. But if I can keep her comfortable I will let her live as long as she can. This is just a last ditch effort to let her enjoy life a little. :(
 
red horse ranch said:
My husband and I discussed our options about her. I think she would be so full of fat that the meat might not be attractive to eat. Surely all that weight isn't meat since she doesn't move around much. I wouldn't have a problem with putting her down myself. And I considered it yesterday when it was so hot and she was so miserable. You seem to think that she won't lose any weight and you might be right. But if I can keep her comfortable I will let her live as long as she can. This is just a last ditch effort to let her enjoy life a little. :(
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Put her on the bathroom scale and see what she weighs. She may have fat but A LOT will be meat; it's what they were designed for. Unlike a heritage breed where it IS mostly fat and very little meat. The thing is, you cant tell if she is in any pain as they don't communicate those issues. In fact, they hide them very well. At that age, weight, and mobility issues, having a big heart for this breed of chicken will most likely cause the chicken pain and suffering. Just my honest opinion.
 
Hey Red Horse Ranch! I put the 8 keets under a broody the night I got them and she took to them right away. She had only been broody for 7 days. I knew I was taking a risk but so far so good. She might be "overmothering" them a bit since they are not brand new. Mr Rooster seems to be doing well so far. I have him in a run by himself so he can get to know the girls. and Bob my rooster. I can't believe a person can get so attached to a stupid bird! I have a RIR the local animal Shelter gave me. She is the nicest chicken ever but I believe has salpingitis. I have treated her with penicillin but it came back. I pick her up and think "I'm going to end this, Now" but then I can't ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and I butcher chickens all the time. Thanx for the rooster. :thumbsup
 
ShouldabeenaVET said:
Hey Red Horse Ranch! I put the 8 keets under a broody the night I got them and she took to them right away. She had only been broody for 7 days. I knew I was taking a risk but so far so good. She might be "overmothering" them a bit since they are not brand new. Mr Rooster seems to be doing well so far. I have him in a run by himself so he can get to know the girls. and Bob my rooster. I can't believe a person can get so attached to a stupid bird! I have a RIR the local animal Shelter gave me. She is the nicest chicken ever but I believe has salpingitis. I have treated her with penicillin but it came back. I pick her up and think "I'm going to end this, Now" but then I can't ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and I butcher chickens all the time. Thanx for the rooster. :thumbsup
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I saw the picture of the hen & keets on your text but my battery went dead so I couldn't answer.
That's wonderful!!! :D
It's so hard to take the life of a chicken or any animal. Even when you know it would be the best thing. :(

I hope the rooster works out for you. He's a cocky, self confident little devil but I never saw any aggression in him. :frow
 
Northern.Ontario said:
Put her on the bathroom scale and see what she weighs. She may have fat but A LOT will be meat; it's what they were designed for. Unlike a heritage breed where it IS mostly fat and very little meat. The thing is, you cant tell if she is in any pain as they don't communicate those issues. In fact, they hide them very well. At that age, weight, and mobility issues, having a big heart for this breed of chicken will most likely cause the chicken pain and suffering. Just my honest opinion.
Click to expand...

I appreciate your opinion. This is my first time (hopefully last time) with a meat bird. I did just weigh her on my bathroom scale. Not sure how accurate it is but she weighed 14 lbs on it. Wow! I knew she was heavy...
I could be convinced to harvest her but hubby is a whole different story. He said absolutely not. So we shall see which one one of us wins out. Thank you for the information. It helps to know more about a bird like her.
 

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