My Cornish rooster just dropped dead. :-(

[GreenriverChicks]

Sorry about your bird, Robbie

[TomK]

Im real sorry to hear this...and shocked at the mass loss by WLLady as well...I'm looking to get meat chicks in spring and would like some guidance on mitigating losses from this issue...

[Killerbunny]

Talk to jones boy (Andy) he didn't lose any of his.

[Robbie]

Thanks Greenriver and TomK. It's always a risk when there's only one rooster, I knew this, but it's still a bummer! But in hindsight it's really for the best as I did want to hatch out a few cornish to keep the line going. It's been a good lesson for me, I will make sure that my roosters are fit for breeding next time.
I do know that the white cornish cross are highly prone to keeling over but I've never heard that the pure breed is prone as well. TomK I've never raised the white cornish but my neighbour used to and had good luck with them. The trick she found was to raise them when the weather was good (late spring, not too hot, not too cold) restrict their feed to twice a day and have them free range as much as possible. She didn't raise them too big, and would selectively slaughter "as needed"- she didn't try to grow them up all at once to a specific slaughter date. If she thought one was starting to go down on its legs that was dinner no matter what size. She did lose the odd one now and then, but she usually got most to survive.

[Robbie]

KB thanks I'll ask JB where he got his stock from.

[Rollkeeg877]

thats to bad, i had two of my araucana roosters choke on something and both times i hung them by their legs and patted them on the chest while massaging their throat and what ever as choking them came up and they were fine after, did his face by chance go blue when he was still alive.

[Robbie]

Rollkeeg thanks, I don't remember seeing anything weird about his colour . He did have a small pea comb and wattles, so there wasn't much there to change colour. It happened so fast- it didn't look like he was choking, but he was definitely on his back when he died. He looked perfectly healthy and then within the minute or so it took me to get some scratch out of the barn, he was dying. He didn't struggle.

[kenya]

Sorry for your loss, poor little guy, it can happen to any breed of chicken you just never know.

[Home Grown Poultry]

Im very Sorry for your loss Robbie! I witnessed my jersey giant die this way. he was walking around eating then bamn flipped on his back and done. it blew my friggin mind and I just couldnt believe it. he was however very tasty. he was my only jg and I wasnt breeding them, just part of a bunch of birds I picked up. poor guy!

did you keep any other roosters Robbie? how are they doing?

[Robbie]

Thanks Kenya I didn't know all breeds were susceptible. Gawd, thanks, I have one Buckeye rooster. His favourite hen is a Cornish and I have high hopes for their offspring!