found meat bird?

[krazykatz13]

Found a white chicken just sitting on the side of a busy road yesterday. It is white and the comb is very small and pale and it can not walk. I am assuming it is a chicken that fell from a chicken truck because it is very dirty and stinky as well. Do not see any cuts but breast and abdomen are reddish blue assuming from the fall. Legs do not appear to be broken. I have her in a cage and have water and food in there with her but have not seen her eat. Don't know what to do with her or if she will make it. Any suggestions?
The chicken still can not walk but has normal poop. I really think she fell from a truck headed to the slaughter house. I am doing my best to isolate her from all of my chickens but I have adults in the chicken yard, newborns and eggs in the incubator in my guest bedroom and week old babies in my sun room so I am kind of out of space!! If this is a disease, does anyone know of anything I can do to protect my little ones? They are on one end of a very large room in a stock tank with a screen over it and she is at the other end in a wire indoor dog cage. I did not want to confine her too much since I am thinking that is why she is in the shape she is in now. I am posting pics of her for more info hopefully. The 2nd photo is the underside of her right wing which did not look this black yesterday so I am assuming it is either broken or badly bruised. The Left wing looks ok (3rd pic), but she is missing feathers and appears to still have some pin feathers. Her chest/abdomen area are not as discolored as yesterday as shown in the 4th pic. but is also missing lots of feathers. The last pic shows her feet and how she is always sitting. I really do not know what more to do for her. I did give 1/2 baby aspirin in yogurt and she drank water and ate laying mash on her own. I have also put a foam pad under her with a water proof cover to try to relieve the pressure from the bruising. Also, no sneezing, coughing, discharge, only panting a little when trying to eat or drink but I am thinking that may be due to the bruising which is under her wing and along her breast, under her neck.

 

[WinklerFarms]

That is a Cornish cross pullet there. The purplish hue isn't uncommon for them but it may be a little worse from tumbling out of a moving truck. The thin feathers on the breast are actually normal for a Cornish cross. If I were you I would keep it for a week or two and butcher it, or give it to someone who would want it to eat. It cannot be kept for very long. As it already seems to have outgrown its legs.

 

[galanie]

Those bald patches are not missing feathers but rather where the bird is actually growing larger than it's feathers were meant to cover. Yes, that is a cornish cross bird that was on it's way to be turned into chicken nuggets. And agreed, it's outgrown it's legs already so can't walk. Those of us who raise them at home try not to let them get this way but commercial houses are, to put it mildly, different.

Hope she's eating but don't let her eat tons. Water is really important for these piggies and you seem to be doing all you can for it. If you dont' want to butcher it you can keep doing what works and hope for the best. But butchering will probably be what needs doing.

 

[krazykatz13]

As I was once a vet tech, I know there are worse things than death and I know this poor girl should be put out of her misery. Any suggestions on a quick, humane way to do so that does not involve cutting the throat? I do not plan to eat her as for one I could never do that to her now and 2 I am sure the meat is all bruised up anyway. Don't want to see her flopping either as she bleeds out and I have 2 small boys who "check" on her several times a day so I want to just end it quickly without them knowing exactly what happened.

 

[WinklerFarms]

Um....shotgun is quick. Other than that the only option is to pick the brain. Not sure if they flop or not from that but I know that don't bleed

 

[LazerClaire]

Wow this makes me glad that I don't buy factory farm meat anymore. So inhumane.

 

[krazykatz13]

Decided about 2 hours ago that my 22 may do the job and cleanly. Decided to do it late so my kids would be asleep and not know. I tried to dig a hole to confine her in/bury after but my ground is so darn hard

. Came back in to check on her and clean her cage until morning when I could see better to maybe find a soft spot and she had died while I was trying to dig her hole

. Sad but glad at the same time that I did not have to do it. I know I am a softie but... I do not think I can ever buy chicken like that again after seeing her. My husband has wanted to raise our own meat birds and as I hate killing anything, I have been putting it off but now I know that at least mine will be taken care of until that time and be healthy!! Thank you all for your wonderful advice with this poor girl, you all made this so much easier for me!!

 

[galanie]

Decided about 2 hours ago that my 22 may do the job and cleanly. Decided to do it late so my kids would be asleep and not know.  I tried to dig a hole to confine her in/bury after but my ground is so darn hard .  Came back in to check on her and clean her cage until morning when I could see better to maybe find a soft spot and she had died while I was trying to dig her hole .  Sad but glad at the same time that I did not have to do it.  I know I am a softie but...  I do not think I can ever buy chicken like that again after seeing her.  My husband has wanted to raise our own meat birds and as I hate killing anything, I have been putting it off but now I know that at least mine will be taken care of until that time and be healthy!!  Thank you all for your wonderful advice with this poor girl, you all made this so much easier for me!!

That is exactly why so many people raise their own meat birds. Plus they know what they ate and when they get ready to eat them, they know that no other additives have been pumped in there. "Tastes like chicken" has a whole new meaning when you raise and eat your own. I feel sorry for that poor chicken and am also glad you didn't have to do the deed. If you raise your own just have hubby make the cut. After that, it's just meat.

 

[Bossroo]

That is exactly why so many people raise their own meat birds. Plus they know what they ate and when they get ready to eat them, they know that no other additives have been pumped in there. "Tastes like chicken" has a whole new meaning when you raise and eat your own. I feel sorry for that poor chicken and am also glad you didn't have to do the deed. If you raise your own just have hubby make the cut. After that, it's just meat.

Oh yea! ... hire the hubby as a hired gun.

Come to think about it, isn't a commercial poultry farm a hired gun ? We hire them to hatch the chicks, then to raise them up all fat and sassy, then dispatch them so that we can eat them without dirtying our own hands in all aspects of the hard part of the process .

 

[LazerClaire]

At least someone cared for her, even if it was only at the end of her life. I would like to thank you for that. ((HUGS))