How hot is too hot for my Cornish Cross birds?

[2ndTink]

There was another poster recently who was wanting to keep CX chicks as pets, I'm not sure what the outcome there was. @HenriettaPizzaNolan is correct, we're not being negative or doubting, we just want you to have as much good info as possible to make a good decision. If you truly have Cornish Cross chicks, they are not meant to be kept alive. I accidentally bought one, it was my first year with chickens and I really really wanted a white chicken. I went to the feed store and they had 1 white chick in with the RIR chicks, the guy at the store didn't know what it was, so I bought it a RIR and a BR. Within a few days we figured out what she was. She was a HUGE girl, we kept her and cared for her the best we could but she got too heavy for her legs at 18 or 19 weeks old and could no longer walk. We had no choice but to butcher her as it would be inhumane to have left her suffering like that. When we butchered her we found bad bruising inside her hocks. I had purchased a solar fan to blow on her favorite resting spot to try and help with the hear, but she really didn't do well in any heat.

You might be lucky and they will stay healthy for a long time, but please do have a plan so that if they begin to suffer you can do the right thing by them. There are others on here who have tried keeping CX as pets, we are here to support and inform the best that we can. Please do a search and read the other posts as well just to get as much information as possible.

 

[Dinosaur Diva]

Most of what you posted there is really good advice. But I will say, don't get your hopes up about these chickens living 5-8 years. Regular Cornish chickens can of course (NOT the same as Cornish X), but I've never heard of Cornish X chickens living much more than a year. I'm not trying to rude, just realistic.

I'm typically of the mindset that I do not think it's humane to keep CX past butchering age. Mainly because they just weren't intended to and they just develop so many issues. I hate to see animals suffer. However, it seems you're willing to put in work to modify things for them so they can live a little longer, so that is a good sign. Here is an article someone on BYC wrote about keeping two CX as pets. It might be helpful to you so you know how to manage them. But as you will notice, even with their management, the birds only lived to be 8 months old.

I'm not going to tell you what to do. That's up to you. It seems like you're set on raising them and I don't exactly blame you because it's not too hard to fall in love with the Cornish X's docile and kind nature. They are just nice birds from my experience. But the one thing I will say is, it's important to mentally prepare yourself for when their time comes. There will inevitably come a time when their legs or heart have issues, or they are just not doing well for whatever reason. It's good to plan ahead for that situation. How will you dispatch them when the time comes? If you know you won't be able to, it's best to find a friend or neighbor who is comfortable with doing this and ask them ahead of time. If you do not plan for this, you could cause them to suffer for longer than they should.

I'm sorry, this comment probably comes off as negative. I just want to be upfront with you though. There are a lot of people on social media who have short videos of "I saved a meat bird from slaughter" and they get all the likes and praise, but no one sees the reality of what you really would have to do to keep one of these meat birds long-term. There's just so much unrealistic stuff out there on the internet so I just wanted to make sure you get some truth here at BYC.

Good luck with your birds!

I do appreciate your advice, and I know this is all true. I won't let them suffer. I suppose when I read about them living longer I was confusing them for Cornish hens. I am prepared for their demise. So far they are doing pretty well. They love their sisters and enjoy resting in the cool clover.

I will arrange for a neighbor to dispatch, because you guessed right, I simply can't do it. I'm not afraid of death, and sometimes it is better than forcing life, but I'm a sissy.

I will make their lives as heavenly as I can until that time comes.

Thank you for your honesty.

Blessings.

 

[Dinosaur Diva]

There was another poster recently who was wanting to keep CX chicks as pets, I'm not sure what the outcome there was. @HenriettaPizzaNolan is correct, we're not being negative or doubting, we just want you to have as much good info as possible to make a good decision. If you truly have Cornish Cross chicks, they are not meant to be kept alive. I accidentally bought one, it was my first year with chickens and I really really wanted a white chicken. I went to the feed store and they had 1 white chick in with the RIR chicks, the guy at the store didn't know what it was, so I bought it a RIR and a BR. Within a few days we figured out what she was. She was a HUGE girl, we kept her and cared for her the best we could but she got too heavy for her legs at 18 or 19 weeks old and could no longer walk. We had no choice but to butcher her as it would be inhumane to have left her suffering like that. When we butchered her we found bad bruising inside her hocks. I had purchased a solar fan to blow on her favorite resting spot to try and help with the hear, but she really didn't do well in any heat.

You might be lucky and they will stay healthy for a long time, but please do have a plan so that if they begin to suffer you can do the right thing by them. There are others on here who have tried keeping CX as pets, we are here to support and inform the best that we can. Please do a search and read the other posts as well just to get as much information as possible.

I just replied to HenriettaPizzaNolan about all this. I am prepared to help them with their demise. I can't do it, but I will make an arrangement. I think I had a pipe dream that I could keep them going for a long time. I hope I can keep them for a while yet, but I won't let them suffer. I do appreciate your honesty.

Blessings.

 

[Dinosaur Diva]

Most of what you posted there is really good advice. But I will say, don't get your hopes up about these chickens living 5-8 years. Regular Cornish chickens can of course (NOT the same as Cornish X), but I've never heard of Cornish X chickens living much more than a year. I'm not trying to rude, just realistic.

I'm typically of the mindset that I do not think it's humane to keep CX past butchering age. Mainly because they just weren't intended to and they just develop so many issues. I hate to see animals suffer. However, it seems you're willing to put in work to modify things for them so they can live a little longer, so that is a good sign. Here is an article someone on BYC wrote about keeping two CX as pets. It might be helpful to you so you know how to manage them. But as you will notice, even with their management, the birds only lived to be 8 months old.

I'm not going to tell you what to do. That's up to you. It seems like you're set on raising them and I don't exactly blame you because it's not too hard to fall in love with the Cornish X's docile and kind nature. They are just nice birds from my experience. But the one thing I will say is, it's important to mentally prepare yourself for when their time comes. There will inevitably come a time when their legs or heart have issues, or they are just not doing well for whatever reason. It's good to plan ahead for that situation. How will you dispatch them when the time comes? If you know you won't be able to, it's best to find a friend or neighbor who is comfortable with doing this and ask them ahead of time. If you do not plan for this, you could cause them to suffer for longer than they should.

I'm sorry, this comment probably comes off as negative. I just want to be upfront with you though. There are a lot of people on social media who have short videos of "I saved a meat bird from slaughter" and they get all the likes and praise, but no one sees the reality of what you really would have to do to keep one of these meat birds long-term. There's just so much unrealistic stuff out there on the internet so I just wanted to make sure you get some truth here at BYC.

Good luck with your birds!

I did read the post about keeping Cornish X as pets that you recommended. At the bottom, there is an RIP. Those birds only lived 8 months.

I'm prepared.

Thank you again.

 

[2ndTink]

I am very happy that you will give them the absolute best life any little CX could hope for. Thank you for hearing us ❤

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

I do appreciate your advice, and I know this is all true. I won't let them suffer. I suppose when I read about them living longer I was confusing them for Cornish hens. I am prepared for their demise. So far they are doing pretty well. They love their sisters and enjoy resting in the cool clover.

I will arrange for a neighbor to dispatch, because you guessed right, I simply can't do it. I'm not afraid of death, and sometimes it is better than forcing life, but I'm a sissy.

I will make their lives as heavenly as I can until that time comes.

Thank you for your honesty.

Blessings.

You seem like a good person. Kudos to you for making what I think is a good choice here. It sounds like they will have a really nice life with you until their time comes! So even though it's sad that their lives won't be as long as many chickens' live are, they will have good ones as long as they aren't kept past their time. That's something to feel good about.

Feel free to keep a record on here of how they are doing! I'd love to hear how things go, as I've never kept CX past 8 weeks myself (even though it's tempting sometimes to keep one lol).

 

[Dinosaur Diva]

I must say, my heart is a little broken today, having to realize that I will have to let them go. I love all of my birds, but I have never loved like this. Especially Sister Robert.

I do thank you both so much for educating me. I would have gone on blissfully and then be crushed when I realized they were really suffering.

 

[2ndTink]

I understand the heartbreak, I'm not an expert in any chicken area, I've learned a few things the hard way, and thankfully many other things through the education of this community.

 

[Dinosaur Diva]

Sister Robert

 

[FunClucks]

Sister Robert

They really are the sweetest birds, very docile and curious. I would love to have a flock of these without the health issues, but that's not how they're bred. Enjoy your time with your CX. Maybe you can take comfort in knowing that most CX make it to 4 or 8 weeks, where you are giving them 3x that and more, at least. And they will enjoy life with you greatly for as long as possible.