What to do? Hen too FAT to move--added photos

[obxWaMi]

It has been several months since I posted last, but...

We "rescued" two more Perdue chickens from our friend's chicken farm (not a real rescue--he gave them to us). They are about 14 weeks old. They are WAY OVERWEIGHT! Foghorn, the rooster, is 18 lbs. and despite his hefty size he still gets around the yard without any problem. Lady, the hen, is about 12-15 lbs and she seems to not be able to bear her own weight. Whe was waddling around 3 days ago with little problem, but since then all she has done is sit. We've moved her from place to place and put water near her, but she will not stand or walk. She is still eating and drinking and scratching around in the dirt around where we sit her. We've looked at her legs and they don't seem to be broken or injured. Her eyes are bright and clear, too.

We knew when we got them that their future was uncertain (since all their other hatch mates have been long "over stuffer roasters")

What should we do? Chicken dinner? Withhold/severely limit food and see if she slims down? A modified baby walker type device? Is it possible that she is ill and we shouldn't eat her if we do cull her?

BTW, Lucky, our first rescue is doing very well. She is double the age of the others and layed 3 eggs a few weeks ago (all double yolks). Don't know why she stopped laying, but we are happy to have her anyway!

--Thanks for helping,
obxWaMi (Michelle)

Here is Foghorn

here are all three-- the one in question is in the middle

here is another view

 

[WingingIt]

Check her and see if her legs have broken under her weight. I don't have any experience with it, but I know it can happen. My son raised roasters for the fair and we had one that got like that, where it wouldn't move and sadly, it died on the second day....never did figure out what was wrong with it other than being so huge. Good luck.

 

[ticker9400]

thats nice that you do rescue's, I love chickens however imo.... I would have her for dinner before she suffers... but I like to eat chickens too..

 

[Opa]

Sometimes with birds that have gotten that large their hearts cannot keep pace with the demand.

 

[Chickengal505]

Ohhhhh i love the fatties there to unmoble to be mean because you got to do every thing for them...but its kinnda sad... pick her up and make her stand you hold half the weight she holds the rest move you hands to make her walk. Kinda like teaching a baby to walk ecept here teaching her to lose weight. Its sad obesedy spred to them too...

 

[Ariel301]

As they appear to be Cornish crosses, which are meant to be killed between 8-12 weeks usually, it is probably too late. If they have been fed to make them get that huge that quick, their hearts, livers, and leg bones cannot keep up with their rapid weight gain. They suffer heart attacks, congestive heart failure, and liver failure, as well as broken legs because of their sheer mass. At that point of life, they are no longer living a quality life....all of your birds look somewhat distressed already, with their mouths gaping open. I think it's time to do with them what they were meant for.

Ohhhhh i love the fatties there to unmoble to be mean because you got to do every thing for them...but its kinnda sad... pick her up and make her stand you hold half the weight she holds the rest move you hands to make her walk. Kinda like teaching a baby to walk ecept here teaching her to lose weight. Its sad obesedy spred to them too...

No, you can't teach her to walk again, or cause her to lose weight by excercising her. She is already at the point where her body systems are beginning to fail. She will die shortly, and it would be better to give her a quick humane death than to draw it out and make her suffer for days or weeks. It's not simple obesity from overeating and not excercising, like in humans. It is that she was bred to put on a ton of meat extremely quickly, and she did just that. That kind of bird was bred to be an efficiently produced bird for eating, and when fed to produce that result, never meant to live more than a few weeks anyway.​

 

[sommrluv]

They look like little chicken tanks. Hate to meet them in a dark alley!

 

[Chickengal505]

As they appear to be Cornish crosses, which are meant to be killed between 8-12 weeks usually, it is probably too late. If they have been fed to make them get that huge that quick, their hearts, livers, and leg bones cannot keep up with their rapid weight gain. They suffer heart attacks, congestive heart failure, and liver failure, as well as broken legs because of their sheer mass. At that point of life, they are no longer living a quality life....all of your birds look somewhat distressed already, with their mouths gaping open. I think it's time to do with them what they were meant for.

Ohhhhh i love the fatties there to unmoble to be mean because you got to do every thing for them...but its kinnda sad... pick her up and make her stand you hold half the weight she holds the rest move you hands to make her walk. Kinda like teaching a baby to walk ecept here teaching her to lose weight. Its sad obesedy spred to them too...

No, you can't teach her to walk again, or cause her to lose weight by excercising her. She is already at the point where her body systems are beginning to fail. She will die shortly, and it would be better to give her a quick humane death than to draw it out and make her suffer for days or weeks. It's not simple obesity from overeating and not excercising, like in humans. It is that she was bred to put on a ton of meat extremely quickly, and she did just that. That kind of bird was bred to be an efficiently produced bird for eating, and when fed to produce that result, never meant to live more than a few weeks anyway.​

My reply...

(sniffle) What kind of pitiful being raises that kind of chicken and is completely happy... i still cry over hatchery documentrys every now and again( Thats becuase i steer clear of them im not heartless)

GRRRRRRR so sad... what people will do for a quick buck... GRRRRRRRRRR (sniffle again)​

 

[Katy]

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[greenfamilyfarms]

I know this is a bad analogy, but if you have ever seen a really (ahem) "large" person, you will notice that they behave the same way as those chickens. They cannot get up because their bodies cannot handle the weight, they eat all day, and they don't live long. Cornish Xs were not "designed" to live very long and as result, have short life spans if allowed to live past 3-4 months of age. They really suffer and don't really have a life after that age. I'm sorry.