What feeders for meaties

[Tomhusker]

Planning ahead for our first go at raising meaties next spring. We will be raising 100 Cornish x that will be free ranging most of the day. The plan is to feed in the morning then open the gates, then feeding in the evening after they return.

What are the best feeders for these birds?

 

[KlopKlop]

I've not raised that many in one batch myself, but my grandma used to raise 200 or so at a pop. We built her two trough feeders using 1x6 and 1x8 lumber. The 1x8 was the bottom, 2 1x6s for the two sides and then we just used some scraps to create the two ends, plus a brace in the middle. It worked very well and was very cheap. At the end of each batch she would spray them down with pressure washer and rinse with a light bleach solution and prop them up to dry

 

[Tomhusker]

I can do that. Thanks.

 

[slingshotandLAR]

Mine are in tractors...

I use one 10 foot gutter cut in half mounted on both sides of the tractors

 

[KlopKlop]

I do have one feeder I made with some gutter scraps but I can alreDy tell it isn't going to last as long as the wood ones that have already been in service for 7 or 8 years.

 

[cafrhe]

I did my 1st 29 and made a mistake with feeders--I had a short trough and a big round feeder that we happen to have. It was fine for a few weeks, but I think I ended up allowing the bigger birds to keep smaller birds from the food and also encouraged pushing & jostling.. I then made another 2 troughs from plastic gutters--1 is 4' long and 1 is maybe 5'. That worked much better. My birds had a hoop house and free ranged during the day--we propped up one side of the house. I put screw eyes in both ends of the troughs and hung them from the hoop house with ropes.

 

[Tomhusker]

Thanks! I think I'll do a couple 10 foot troughs, made with 5" pvc cut in half. That should be plenty long.

 

[cliffoco]

I have my birds in a tractor, I have 2 x 0.5 x 8 square "container" that always refills the 8 foot long troff below. I give mine free feed, so I just pour 3 or so bags in and there good until slaughter.. Does make moving it a little heavier though. Works for 30 birds no problem.

Edit: (This is after the 3-4 week brooding time)

 

[KlopKlop]

I have my birds in a tractor, I have 2 x 0.5 x 8 square "container" that always refills the 8 foot long troff below. I give mine free feed, so I just pour 3 or so bags in and there good until slaughter.. Does make moving it a little heavier though. Works for 30 birds no problem.

 

What breed of broilers do you raise? CX?

 

[cliffoco]

I live in Canada, (ontario) and I ordered them from a local feed store. They just call them "white rocks" or "meat birds / Commercial meat bird". They grow fast, love to eat and are ready for slaughter in 7 weeks. I assume there similar to CX, admittedly these ones did get to fat to fast for my liking they don't like moving that much. When they were around the 5 week range they LOVED to roam around when I let them out and now they won't get out of the tractor.
Everyone I talked to (including the feed store owner) let's them eat 24/7. I did have 4 deaths but that is because it was 40 degrees Celsius and there water got to warm (as in HOT) while I was at work and they couldn't cool down.