Why is this chick growing so fast???

[TheChickenGirl16]

Try and reduce food for her and encourage her to move around. 3 weeks isn't terrible if you can try and up her quality of life for the time being. Best of luck

Thanks!
I have already started separating her for feedings.

 

[FarmerGirl101]

Thanks!
I have already started separating her for feedings.

That's perfect!

 

[Birdinhand]

Cornish Cross was created using some mix of selective breeding and evil black magic, and the general genetic specs are as follows:

size
growth rate
feed conversion
feed consumption
health
surviveability
leg strength
egg production
life expectancy
speed
energy
intelligence
disease immunity



this means it is not good for almost anything more than factory farming

if a breed cannot survive natural selection, cannot survive on its own and reproduce to a net population gain, then it probably should NOT exist.
If the chicken breed cannot be found in the wild, it shouldn't be found in our farms or on our table

None of the current breeds of farmed chickens are found in the wild. Humans have been selectively breeding them and crossing them for thousands of years. I don’t know of a single breed that would last more than minutes on its own if placed in the wild.

 

[Birdinhand]

Thanks!
I have already started separating her for feedings.

I’ve raised hundreds of CX and for that bird to be doing this well at 3 months makes me wonder, maybe it’s not a true CX, or maybe you got lucky. Now that you’ve bonded with it, you could just see how it goes. I personally would not limit its food, they are miserable when they can’t fulfill their appetite. Whatever diet you are giving it, it seems to be staying relatively lean. If it’s not getting splayed out, sitting all the time with blisters on its chest, I’d just see how it goes. You might have lucked out. Looking back at the original pictures, it seems like it was not only mismatched, it looks like it was weeks older than the rest.

 

[FarmerGirl101]

None of the current breeds of farmed chickens are found in the wild. Humans have been selectively breeding them and crossing them for thousands of years. I don’t know of a single breed that would last more than minutes on its own if placed in the wild.

This. There are feral chickens but they aren't native to any of the areas that they reside in. There are no native, wild chicken breeds as they don't exist. Junglefowl are the wild ancestors of chickens and the only ones you could consider wild.

 

[FarmerGirl101]

I’ve raised hundreds of CX and for that bird to be doing this well at 3 months makes me wonder, maybe it’s not a true CX, or maybe you got lucky. Now that you’ve bonded with it, you could just see how it goes. I personally would not limit its food, they are miserable when they can’t fulfill their appetite. Whatever diet you are giving it, it seems to be staying relatively lean. If it’s not getting splayed out, sitting all the time with blisters on its chest, I’d just see how it goes. You might have lucked out. Looking back at the original pictures, it seems like it was not only mismatched, it looks like it was weeks older than the rest.

While I have not raised CX, I have no doubt that this is a CX. They are designed to grow large and heavy and at 14.5 pounds, there isn't really another breed option for what they could be. Plus you can already tell that her stance is getting awkward as the angles her legs are making with her body is large in every photo which is a cause for concern in my opinion as that will just keep getting worse.

 

[GirlsHuntToo]

That is definitely a Cornish X.

 

[Birdinhand]

While I have not raised CX, I have no doubt that this is a CX. They are designed to grow large and heavy and at 14.5 pounds, there isn't really another breed option for what they could be. Plus you can already tell that her stance is getting awkward as the angles her legs are making with her body is large in every photo which is a cause for concern in my opinion as that will just keep getting worse.

Maybe it’s looking especially good because it’s the only one. They tend to get pretty soiled when grown in groups. In any case, I’ve heard of people keeping them alive for prolonged periods. I don’t recommend it per se but that’s not to say if you are seeing a reasonably decent quality of live playing out, I don’t think there is a rush to have her put down, especially if she has become a pet.

 

[TheChickenGirl16]

Maybe it’s looking especially good because it’s the only one. They tend to get pretty soiled when grown in groups. In any case, I’ve heard of people keeping them alive for prolonged periods. I don’t recommend it per se but that’s not to say if you are seeing a reasonably decent quality of live playing out, I don’t think there is a rush to have her put down, especially if she has become a pet.

Thank you! That’s definitely how I see it. Right now she loves to see me come out, and stands in the coop to watch me clean it. She is so spunky, and REALLY GOOD with the chicks.
As much as I love her, though, I don’t have a lot of hope that she will make it through the Winter. So I’m thinking maybe enjoy her for the next month, and then let my friends process her before she starts to suffer. It’s probably the most humane way to do it….

 

[FarmerGirl101]

Maybe it’s looking especially good because it’s the only one. They tend to get pretty soiled when grown in groups. In any case, I’ve heard of people keeping them alive for prolonged periods. I don’t recommend it per se but that’s not to say if you are seeing a reasonably decent quality of live playing out, I don’t think there is a rush to have her put down, especially if she has become a pet.

That always is a possibility. Again, I don't raise them myself but they do look rough in a big group together in some videos I've seen. Some people also keep them in a smaller area which doesn't help anything. I think those who keep them for a while have a better setup for them than those using them for broilers since they don't over pack them so they have space. Please note, I'm not trying to be critical of anyone who has raised CX, these are just my observations on the CX that look rough and I know that there are people who do give them a good live with good room. I understand that for many, they have a smaller space since they are going to be processed at ~8 weeks.