How to prevent Cornish x from overheating?

[Xouie]

It’s 85F outside here, and temperatures are supposed to get into the low 90s this week. Pie, our 5 week old CX, was looking extremely uncomfortable in the coop. Fans worked for the other hens but Pie just kept panting harder and harder. I’ve read some horror stories about the mature CX overheating so I’m really worried. Pie’s butchering date isn’t for another week and a half and we don’t want to move it forward. How can I cool her off — preferably in a way other than her sitting in the living room for 5 days? She’s so unhappy!

 

[Molpet]

Frozen jug of water, she will cuddle next to it

 

[Xouie]

Frozen jug of water, she will cuddle next to it

I put a cold pack in with her while the water bottle chills. She’s already calming down — preening, less panting. Thanks!

 

[Molpet]

I put a cold pack in with her while the water bottle chills. She’s already calming down — preening, less panting. Thanks!

How is she today?

 

[Xouie]

How is she today?

Doing good today, thanks. The ice packs really helped yesterday. I’m leaving her outside and checking every 30 minutes or so. It’s cooler today, but forecast for 90-95F temps the next few days. During the hottest times we’ll bring her inside with the AC on and the ice bottle trick again. Maybe some ice in the waterers for all the hens too.

 

[aart]

Might give a dose of electrolytes.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-hot-weather-spiel.75893/

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I went thru those temps all this summer (N FL Panhandle), even fully grown, a CornishX in otherwise good health can tolerate it. My first one went to 21 weeks before I butchered, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th are now closer to 26 weeks, and were all out free ranging today.

Shade, air movement, plenty of water. Electrolytes are good insurance. If they can dust bath in a deep bed of soil - even a few inches depth can make a big change in temp - that will help. Floating ice blocks in their water will also assist. Worse to worse, assuming humidity is not otherwise a problem, you can make a simple swamp cooler. Box. Fan. Ice block. tube to direct cool air flow.

 

[aart]

a CornishX in otherwise good health can tolerate it. My first one went to 21 weeks before I butchered, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th are now closer to 26 weeks, and were all out free ranging today.

Why wait so long to slaughter CX?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Why wait so long to slaughter CX?

Was hoping to get some genetics out of him - its my first flock, and due to COVID, I had almost no choice in breeds/birds - he was one of my only males. In spite of restricted diet, I allowed him to over eat, and he became too big to do his duty, and put my smaller birds (like the comets, 1/4 his weight) at risk. Since I'm not looking for pure breeds, almost anything I could have gotten out of him would have been better than starting over next spring...

Thankfully not all of my Rainbows appear to have been properly sexed, so he's been replaced with a bird much closer to the size of the other hens. His brother still crows like mad to warn the flock of danger, but doesn't seem nearly so interested in the girls.

 

[Xouie]

I learned something interesting today. We brought Pie into the house because of the high temps again. She promptly knocked over her water dish, wetting the pine shavings in her bin. Then she proceeded to.... well.... wallow. It was like a dust bath on an epic scale. She rolled around, sang to herself, and threw damp shavings EVERYWHERE. The living room looked like Armageddon. But she was definitely cool and content all afternoon. The quail have made their mud wallow already, but I’m thinking about putting a bin of damp shavings in with the chickens tomorrow.