Cornish X - How feathered to go outside? What temp is too low?

[FunClucks]

Questions - How feathered do they need to be to go outside? What temperature is too low, and what wind conditions are too much for 3 week old Cornish X (Cornish Rocks)? I have 23 Cornish Rocks / Cornish Cross.

We've been getting weather in the 40s and 50s, then it will drop below freezing and go back up the next day, or after 2-3 days. It's bad about going below freezing at night time.

Mine are 3 weeks now, and half are feathered out on their bodies, and half only have feathers on the ends of their wings, not even any down on their bodies, just pink nakedness. All have downy yellow heads (no adult feathers there).

My 10'x30' run will be covered by either plastic or a tarp, and entirely encased in hardware cloth, but misty rain may come in from the sides if I don't take steps to prevent it, and there is no coop. I'll be putting out some sort of smaller shelter for them to huddle in at night (probably an XL dog crate or two with a 4"x6" wire grating on the bottom (tray removed) that rests on the ground, I'll cover it in house wrap and cardboard to cut down on drafts while keeping it ventilated, and I'll move it about the run daily to manage the night-time poop load).

I'll be moving the food and water to different locations as well to manage the poop load. Once it needs it, I'll add wood chips to the run - at the moment they have forest floor.

Thoughts?

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

I'm not expert but I don't think they are ready yet if they don't have good feather coverage and you are getting below freezing temps at night. I'd just work on weaning them off their heat source and move them out when they are looking more feathered and are huddling up less. Other option is moving them out now but finding a way to out a heat source in the enclosure.

The huddle box is a good idea. I used one for mine. Maybe give them one more week and see if they are more feathered? Normally you can put them out at 3 weeks but because it's February I think going with 4 weeks might be better. Again though, I'm not expert and am basing this response on the one and only time I have raised CX so far.

 

[Country Birds]

I live in a pretty cold, harsh climate and I usually move my Cornish X out of the brooder at 3 weeks. If temperatures are going to be cold at night then I put them in the brooder for the night. I do this until they are fully feathered, then they stay outside permanently. In my experience they can handle the cold way better than they can handle the heat.

 

[SourRoses]

For every breed, I wait until they are fully feathered to move them anywhere without heat.

From what I have read (no experience raising them), the Cornish X are less hardy in temperature extremes than other breeds. They weren't bred for health and longevity.

 

[FunClucks]

Thanks you guys!!!

If it was eggers, I wouldn't even consider moving them until they were fully feathered, but everyone had been telling me 3 weeks is when you put out cornish cross. The weather has just been back and forth and icky cold and rainy. I'll keep them inside for another week, and if I still have pink naked chickens I'll put a heat lamp in the covered coop/run and make sure they have a decent huddle box. They're just not rugged at all, and I don't want them to freeze. At the same time, they're only going to live for 6-8 weeks, so I'd like them to get at least some outside time. Trying to make those two months good ones.

 

[FunClucks]

We're right at 4 weeks. I have 6 naked chickens out of 23 (only wing feathers and a few in the middle of their backs, their down all wore off except for their yellow fluffy heads) so I'm still waiting to put them outside. It goes from 50s-60s for a few days down to 20s for a few days, then back up, so the dinner chickens are still inside the garage. Coop is nearly done, waiting on the tarp to come in (tried plastic, didn't work so well), and getting their feeders/waterers and huddle box/lamp set up.