12 hour feeding schedule?

[mmktdox]

Hi there, I have sixteen one week old CX. They are eating and growing like troopers but I plan to feed them on the 12 hour on, 12 hour off schedule. I can't remember how old they should be when I start this though! Can someone please refresh my memory? Thanks!

 

[mmktdox]

Me again, just found this thread. It says to start limiting feed at two weeks. That seems early to me but maybe it's a good idea. Any other suggestions?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/436974/meaties-101

 

[myhubbycallsmechickeemama]

I'm feeding fermented feed and I feed once in the morning and once in the afternoon and the feed is usually gone come evening. I started doing that when they were 2 weeks old. Prior to that I would fill their feeders before bed, too.

 

[naillikwj82]

Welp hatchery advisory is starting the 5th night. see link

http://www.welphatchery.com/cornish_rock_care.asp

 

[mmktdox]

Yikes, 5 days old! I'm behind! But I have been letting their feeders run out and I only fill two or three times a day. The feeders hold about three cups of starter and i have two of them. I find that they scratch alot of the feed out though so they're not eating 12 cups a day, a lot of it ends up in their bedding and they scratch around in it. Their feet are still small enough to scratch inside the little feeder holes! These are the feeders I"m using right now from TSC.

 

[SpiritedFarm]

I use the same feeders (I like the blue, haven't seen that one! ) I use these while they are little and I can still stand for them to be in the house.

I moved my current batch (30) to the barn yesterday. I picked up a cool feeder. It is one of the lont red ones, but intsead of feed holes, it's open but with a lont bar running the length for support. A trough I guess. But what I thought is cool, is that the bar spins so the little brats can't perch on it and poop in the feed trough!

I Have never limited food, what is the purpose?

 

[mmktdox]

The blue is nice but my local TSC only had red and green! Yes I only use these when they're small and in the house because they don't hold much and have to be refilled 2 or 3 times a day. Mine are only 16 days old so they're still in the house but they're wearing out their welcome pretty quickly. It's amazing to see how quickly they start to feather and also they're getting a bit stinky. We're going to move them to the garage today and then to a tractor around three weeks or so.

I'm no expert but my understanding is the purpose of limiting food intake is to reduce the number of losses from flip and or bad legs. The CX can grow so fast that their legs can't hold them, or they develop fluid in the body cavitiy and die from heart attacks (flip). I lost two last year out of 25, both to flip and am hoping with a combination of a 12 hour feeding schedule and getting them on grass and foraging young that I can prevent any losses. Hate to see them die before I can process you know? The 12 hour feeding schedule is only for the meat chickens though, I don't believe it's a good idea to do this for laying chicks or turkey poults.

BTW, I've been taking the feeders out of the brooder at 9pm and putting them back in around 6:30am and they're all just fine! I will move towards a full twelve hours off feed by the end of the week.

 

[Darin115]

I keep food in front of them for the first several weeks. After 4 weeks I gave them 1 gallon a day and checked each day to see how fast they ate it. When it was gone pretty quick I bumped it up to 1.5 gallons a day. I had 16 chickens. I stayed at 1.5 gallons a day until yesterday. I dropped them off at the processor about an hour ago. I lost 0. I will do it this way from now on.

If you keep food in front of them 24 hours a day you will lose some. I always did.

I started mixing in scratch (mostly cracked corn) the last 2 weeks. I will see if this added any fat when I get them back.

Darin