Will Cornish X live normal lives if you don't kill them ever?

[EweSheep]

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Being hungry all the time is cruel and they can be monsters sometimes. NOT all of them are that way but Cornish X;s are not raised specifically for barnyard ornaments that would peck, forge for bugs and insects, and scratch around. Most of us have chickens 3 to 5 years of age, doubt if the Cornish X would live past that.

They are like little piggies, their bodies are HUGE compare of normal sized chickens and their bones are not structurally sound or stronger. They rather loll around the feed pans, water pans and does not get very far in yard. If it comes down to it, they can peck or turn cannablastic (sp) and it is not a pretty picture. Flipping or sudden deaths happens more often in the Cornish X's than any other breeds. Sure they can mate like any other breeds but they can not do as often as the normal rooster would do. And they are not known for their egg productivity either. Gather 150 eggs probably a lifetime of the hen if she made it that far in life, at the most.

So I agree with Buster.

The Dark and Light Cornish breed are just fine, they live a long time so no worries there.

 

[Buster52]

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Good point. I suppose that old chickens can die miserable deaths. I should have added "in less than a few months of their hatching as opposed to 5 years or older, with health problems throughout their young lives".

The consistently recommended method of raising a healthy CX is by restricting its feed, and that is just to get it to butchering age. At least, according to those here who raise them most. To get them beyond that young age, it is even more important to restrict feed, as even their most ardent supporters seem to admit they can't be raised to adulthood without it. The logical conclusion is, if you don't restrict feed, most of them are not going to make it to become full adult chickens.

You can't have everything, Boss. You have your bird with the best feed conversion rate of any chicken, or any bird short of the Broad Breasted White turkey, that grows incredibly fast to a very large size in just a few weeks. Well, there is a price to be paid for that Faustian bargain.

 

[Soccer Mom]

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As you've heard here, they can be raised to live lives much longer than a matter of weeks, but here is the problem: those birds haven't been raised that way. Meaties being raised for a specific show date will already be close to death by the time they go to the show. Even more than birds being raised for home slaughter, birds destined for the broiler show are often fed high calorie/protein mashes and given B-12 to get them to eat more. I understand that it bothers you for people to eat their birds, but these aren't the birds you should be saving. Check with your local chicken rescue if you really want to save some chickens.


BTW: Their hearts don't "explode." They can have heart attacks, like any obese creature.

 

[BirchHatchery]

i only want to keep the cornish xs for a year beyound that egg production and fertilty drops. i only keep my laying flock for a year i dont keep pet chickens so i no for sure that i can obtain to raise the cornish x for year probly longer if i want. by restricting feed they become normall chickens who peck and scratch around and will free range the same as other birds. But id like to create a breed of chiken off the cornish xs that can live normal lives lay aboundence of eggs but does it in a normal rate of growth

 

[Buster52]

Personally, I think the humane thing to do is avoid eating factory farmed chickens and raise your own, or buy them from people who raise them humanely like Jeff Brunty or Jaku. A step beyond that is to not eat Cornish X at all and thus avoid contributing to the continued existence of such an animal. Raise or buy processed standard breeds instead. That would do much more than "rescuing" a bird that is already destined for the table. I figure every home grown bird I eat, I am in a sense rescuing a factory farmed bird because I, at least, did not contribute to its suffering.

 

[Brunty_Farms]

It's best to start with one from a chick. It will be way easier, but that's not what your asking. It can be done, but it's going to take you a couple of months to get them to be healthy. Start with feeding them only once a day.... but make sure they can forage on pasture for insects, grasses, and legumes. It's not unnatural to put a chicken on a diet... and no... you will not be starving it to death. It would be like putting a 400 lb man on a diet of limited carbs and plenty of wholesome protein and fresh green salads. Hell ya they are going to be hungry but isn't that the point of losing weight?

I think it's funny how pathetic people are when it comes to deciding what's best for an animals fate, but if they were placed in the same situation.... either diet or die... I think most would choose the diet. An animal is the same way, they would much rather live... the difference is... the will to live in an animal is 20 times greater than a human. I think it's kind of cool to see someone wanting to do this, but do keep in mind they run the risks just like any other obese person. Heart attack, high blood preasure, and above all... they may die.

Good luck...

 

[Buster52]

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For the animals in my care, I see it as my personal responsibility. In fact, I see it as a very serious responsibility. We were asked for our opinions, and when someone asks that, I tell them what I would do and why. I don't see what is pathetic about that.

 

[cassie]

I really question how humane it is to restrict the feed on a chicken that lives to eat, and force it to exercise when it prefers to be a coop potato just to extend its life. As for myself, I am much more interested in quality of life as opposed to quantity of life. Being hungry all the time and being forced to exercise doesn't sound much like quality of life to me.

 

[Bossroo]

The patheic part is that some project human values upon the chicken. Merely keeping custody and control of a chicken seals it's fate no matter how long one has it because that suits man's desires. Does keeping a chicken for a longer period of time make it suffer any less or just prolongs it's existance to it's inevitable fate ?

 

[SteveH]

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The short answer is no , they are not going to live years and years of problem free lives , especially if they have already been fed for the purpose they are bred for .

The CornishX is a meat chicken ; undoubtably the best at providing the maximum amount of high quality chicken meat at the lowest cost in feed , time , and space . I'm grateful they have been developed as such ; I like to eat chicken and if the Cornish X did not exist I [ and millions like me ] would not be eating chicken on a regular basis . For those who already have amassed a wealth at the expence of our environment there is the option of purchasing an acreage and pretending to live a self-sustained lifestyle ; the rest of us need to eat .