How hot is too hot for my Cornish Cross birds?

[Dinosaur Diva]

I have 2 young Cornish Cross babies that were given to me at a week old. They are about 11-12 weeks old now, and very large. I don't eat chickens, so they are my pets, and I tell you I LOVE them! I'm not sure yet what sex they are, so I call them Robert and Eugene, Sister Robert and Genie if they turn out to be female. They are so sweet and docile...little charmers, especially Robert. Eugene is a bit more high strung, and he/she sounds like a duck!!

Sorry, I'm gushing. I can't help it. I adore them!!

I live in the high desert in Washington state, and our summers can get pretty hot. At what point do I need to bring them inside? I keep the ground moist in their day time hangout for evaporation, and employ a water mister (for them and my other hens).

I notice today, when it got into the high 80's that they are panting. My other girls don't seem too upset by the heat yet, (I know they will be, like me, lol) but these guys are already looking like they might have a really hard time in higher temperatures.

Anyone know how heat intolerant this breed is? How hot is too hot?

Thanks!

 

[Molpet]

Eugene is a bit more high strung, and he/she sounds like a duck!

Cockerel noise

I tried keeping a pullet and shade, restricted diet, exercise was essential. During the winter the snow kept her from exercising. She passed before she was a year old

 

[Dinosaur Diva]

So I have a rooster, haha. Ok, Eugene is Eugene, and Robert will be Sister Robert.

I'm so sorry you lost your girl.

Mine are all pastured, and the two move around with their flock. They grew up with 4 Brown Leghorns and 2 Americana so they have their flock. I keep them on low protein high fiber and vegetables. I hope I can keep them for a long while. Any suggestions?

What was your girl's name? I grieve for every one of my chickens that I lose...

 

[Yardmom]

I don't know a specific temperature, but CornishX do not do well in heat.

 

[Dinosaur Diva]

I know. I'm going to watch them carefully and bring them in the AC if needed.

Thanks!

 

[Hopulence]

I'm sorry, but why are you keeping them to this point? I know you love them but they aren't meant to last past 10 weeks or so.

If you don't eat chicken, can you give them to someone who does? It's not fair to keep them much longer especially as summer approaches.

No offense intended - just my thoughts.

 

[Dinosaur Diva]

I get that, I do, but I'm going to give them as good a life as I can for as long as they are comfortable. And there is this:

Cornish chickens, like many heavy breeds, are prone to obesity. Make sure these chickens have plenty of space for exercise.

Very heavy Cornish chickens may suffer from feet and leg problems, so do make sure they’re not having to jump far off of roosts, out of nesting boxes, or out of pop hole doors.

If you raise your Cornish chickens in healthy conditions, they should live as long as any other breed. The average chicken lifespan is 5-8 years. In fact, they may even live longer than average because as poor egg producers, they are less likely to die from the reproductive illnesses that kill a large percentage of laying hens.

So, I'm not giving them up. Or giving up on them. And I'm not giving them to anyone for food. I'm pretty opposed to that.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

I get that, I do, but I'm going to give them as good a life as I can for as long as they are comfortable. And there is this:

Cornish chickens, like many heavy breeds, are prone to obesity. Make sure these chickens have plenty of space for exercise.

Very heavy Cornish chickens may suffer from feet and leg problems, so do make sure they’re not having to jump far off of roosts, out of nesting boxes, or out of pop hole doors.

If you raise your Cornish chickens in healthy conditions, they should live as long as any other breed. The average chicken lifespan is 5-8 years. In fact, they may even live longer than average because as poor egg producers, they are less likely to die from the reproductive illnesses that kill a large percentage of laying hens.

So, I'm not giving them up. Or giving up on them. And I'm not giving them to anyone for food. I'm pretty opposed to that.

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!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I notice today, when it got into the high 80's that they are panting.

Anyone know how heat intolerant this breed is? How hot is too hot?

If they are panting it is too hot now. Trust your eyes.

 

[Molpet]

Very heavy Cornish chickens may suffer from feet and leg problems, so do make sure they’re not having to jump far off of roosts, out of nesting boxes, or out of pop hole doors.

This is for standard Cornish, not Cornish cross meat birds.
My CX stopped being able to roost after a few months. I kept her to breed for a more sustainable meat bird.... so she didn't get a name. I quit naming birds anyway because it seems to attract the grim reaper one way or another.
I later had a standard dark Cornish and he could still roost at 3 yrs.....he had a name, Steve Austin the 6 million dollar chicken...named after the old TV show, 6 million dollar man... not the recent wrestler...he was the only shipped egg that hatched out of 3 shipments the post office mistreated... Spent a lot of money on him, seemed like 6 million to me LOL.... Of course he got injured after a few years and had to be put down.