Free range meat birds?

[PoultryCrazed]

I know I know you are not supposed to free range meat birds all day. But all of my 9 birds are freerange from 6 am to 8pm and I felt bad shutting them away but now they are full grown they just need to fill out a little bit escpecialy in the breast area. So i made a great safe additional coop. What should i feed them when they are put away? Corn? grain? Regular feed? High protien feed? Thank you!

 

[SJ]

Oooh, someone after my own heart. I too cage a few birds before slaughter for a time.

So what you want to research is how "Bresse" poultry is practiced. Don't be intimidated by the french with Shaded barns, elevated cages and milk and grain diets. You can improve your table by applying "Bresse" practices to your pastured poulty.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/866299/french-standards-for-raising-bresse-meat-chickens

I use these practices as guidelines. The idea being when you take an animal used to a high level of activity with its high metabolic rate (Free Range) and then cage it and feed it a diet high in calories(Corn meal milk) the animal transforms from a sleek firm athlete of the pasture to a pudgy tender roaster for the oven.

I say guidelines because not everyone has surplus milk, or a shaded barn but principals remain the same. Pamper a caged bird for a couple of weeks and eat a tender and succulent pastured animal. Easy right.

Good luck.

 

[donrae]

What breed of bird are you raising?