I'm posting it here hoping to get some insight from those members who do keep the "meat" breeds.
We were given a pair of half-broiler chicks (hybrid). The female is doing fine, but the male seems to have gained quite a lot of weight (they are free-ranging, however in the yard only, which means they only really have regular pellets and corn to eat). Poor thing hardly walks, he seems to have trouble making strong, confident steps, it's like his legs are weak in the joints or something.
He was hatched at the end of May, so he's about 5 months old now.
Have you seen this before and what to do? Is it possible to keep him on a diet (provided we confine him to some certain area)?
Apologies in advance but he is not food.
We were given a pair of half-broiler chicks (hybrid). The female is doing fine, but the male seems to have gained quite a lot of weight (they are free-ranging, however in the yard only, which means they only really have regular pellets and corn to eat). Poor thing hardly walks, he seems to have trouble making strong, confident steps, it's like his legs are weak in the joints or something.
He was hatched at the end of May, so he's about 5 months old now.
Have you seen this before and what to do? Is it possible to keep him on a diet (provided we confine him to some certain area)?
Apologies in advance but he is not food.