Cornish Cross Broilers
October 22, 2009Today we begin butchering our second batch of Cornish Cross hens. They were 9 weeks old yesterday, and one of them appears unable to walk. There seems to be no pain associated with the hen’s inability to walk, but I won’t disturb her to just have a look.
We always try to keep the broilers as calm as we can, especially during their last couple of weeks. Carting around all of that weight on, well, chicken legs, doesn’t look easy, so we minimize their activity except when we move their cage every day. That’s enough excitement for them! The rest of the time, they eat or lay around. This batch of broilers loves the back of the cage for some reason. I can always find a half dozen or more all lined up looking out. (See the one in the foreground with the comb and wattles? I wonder if we were sent a rooster too?! McMurray gave us 2 extras.)
We’ve never lost a broiler from a broken leg or sudden death (ie cardiac problems). I suspect that is because of the way we raise them and the feed they are given. Also, we watch them rather closely during the last few weeks because those chicken legs are carrying around quite a bit of breast and they are definitely ‘front heavy’. Hooter Hens. The Cornish Cross hen in the photo was 7 weeks old here and you can see how large and thick the legs are. See how splayed their legs must be to support the live weight of about 7-9 pounds per hen? Not the prettiest bird, but since they don’t move fast, you can easily pet and stroke their back feathers.
At this age, their weight becomes their own worst enemy and the Cornish birds are known to have sudden death from heart problems, or they break a leg from their own weight. Their rate of growth is very fast. Good feed-to-meat conversion rate and exceptionally tender meat is why this broiler cross has been so popular.
This coming weekend, we planned to do all of the butchering, but with one hen showing some possible problems, my husband took a day off of work so we can process 6 or so. So much for a day off of work, right?
Late afternoon update: No broken leg – Evidently just a weighted-down hen who didn’t want to stand.
I don’t miss the butchering part, but I loved my chickens. They are such fun to watch!
Janie, We’re not fond of the butchering either, but it’s a job that has to be done. We did the majority of the flock on Saturday and Sunday and when you can break up the process, it’s not too cumbersome.
Maybe you’ll get more chickens in the future?!