Broilers and rabbits?

[CindyinSD]

If you feed them 24/7, I’m afraid many of them will die. Lots of folks here feed them 12 hours on, 12 hours off, and that seems to work for them. For the first 2 weeks it’s probably okay to feed 24/7. I use heat-emitting bulbs for reptiles so it’s dark at night and they don’t eat in the dark anyway. They’re pretty pricey, though. A red bulb would be okay if you find they need heat. If they seem swollen and lethargic, you’ll want to cut them back by either switching to a regular chick developer feed or offering feed only in daylight hours or both. Make absolutely sure they always have potable water. It can be easy to forget if you use a nipple waterer, but they drink more than you might think, even when they’re very small.

If I were in a race to see how big my birds could grow by fair time, I’d feed them 12 hours a day and monitor them for ascites (swollen abdominal cavity—resembling fat little ticks, ready to pop) and lethargy. As long as they’re able to move around and don’t look swollen and miserable, you’re probably okay, but if they get to the point that you feel guilty that you’re doing this to another living creature, you need to cut back on their eating time and/or switch to a lower protein food.

They will lay about, especially on hot days. All chickens will, and that’s normal. You’ll quickly notice if they’ve gotten too fat too fast, though. It will make moving the tractor without squashing them nearly impossible. They can also start having leg problems. Plus you’re likely to find one or two stiff little corpses when you check on them.

Technically you move the tractor once a day, before you go in to fill the feeder (if it’s a walk-in one), so you don’t have to walk through poop. In practice I move it when it looks to me like they need fresh grass, which is more often as they get bigger.

You just have to continually assess the condition of your birds. Since this is a contest, you want them to grow as fast as they can without being in danger of dying from over-eating. You’ll have to tweak it as you go, which may be the point of the contest—to help learn about balancing speed of growth with the health of the birds? People seem to like fairly inactive birds for the table because the meat is more tender, so there’s that to consider as well. It’s kind of a dance, I guess, balancing one thing against another to get your perfect result.

 

[hereford_girl_01]

If you feed them 24/7, I’m afraid many of them will die. Lots of folks here feed them 12 hours on, 12 hours off, and that seems to work for them. For the first 2 weeks it’s probably okay to feed 24/7. I use heat-emitting bulbs for reptiles so it’s dark at night and they don’t eat in the dark anyway. They’re pretty pricey, though. A red bulb would be okay if you find they need heat. If they seem swollen and lethargic, you’ll want to cut them back by either switching to a regular chick developer feed or offering feed only in daylight hours or both. Make absolutely sure they always have potable water. It can be easy to forget if you use a nipple waterer, but they drink more than you might think, even when they’re very small.

If I were in a race to see how big my birds could grow by fair time, I’d feed them 12 hours a day and monitor them for ascites (swollen abdominal cavity—resembling fat little ticks, ready to pop) and lethargy. As long as they’re able to move around and don’t look swollen and miserable, you’re probably okay, but if they get to the point that you feel guilty that you’re doing this to another living creature, you need to cut back on their eating time and/or switch to a lower protein food.

They will lay about, especially on hot days. All chickens will, and that’s normal. You’ll quickly notice if they’ve gotten too fat too fast, though. It will make moving the tractor without squashing them nearly impossible. They can also start having leg problems. Plus you’re likely to find one or two stiff little corpses when you check on them.

Technically you move the tractor once a day, before you go in to fill the feeder (if it’s a walk-in one), so you don’t have to walk through poop. In practice I move it when it looks to me like they need fresh grass, which is more often as they get bigger.

You just have to continually assess the condition of your birds. Since this is a contest, you want them to grow as fast as they can without being in danger of dying from over-eating. You’ll have to tweak it as you go, which may be the point of the contest—to help learn about balancing speed of growth with the health of the birds? People seem to like fairly inactive birds for the table because the meat is more tender, so there’s that to consider as well. It’s kind of a dance, I guess, balancing one thing against another to get your perfect result.

Thank you! I think this year will just be a trial. I live on a cattle ranch though and I show steers in our performance program so at least I have a little experience with feeding market animals.

 

[CindyinSD]

Cool! I have pet cows (not for profit). Scottish Highlands. Sounds like a great place to live!

 

[wyoDreamer]

I fed twice a day and scattered BOSS in the bedding to keep them busy. If the tractor is big enough, separate the food and water as much as possible so they have to walk. Meat is muscle and muscle develops by using it, it will not be tough if you let it rest. I let teh meat rest for 3 days after butchering the birds at 14 weeks. They are tender and delicious.
I used a momma-heating pad for the first 4 weeks. By week 3, they were sleeping on top of the flattened cave, and by week 4 they were feathered nicely. You are going to get more points for a pretty white bird without any poop staining and completely feathered.

 

[black_fleet]

I have mine in a tractor. I kept this batch outside in a big watering troth, under the tractor, in the back yard for two weeks, with heat lights. They didn’t like the lights despite nighttime temps in the 50s. They chose to lie in the areas away from them, so I turned them off except one at night, which they shunned. Go figure. It was pretty warm in there, though. Not 90*, but warm to me. I had it tarped front and back during brooding and for a few days afterward, at night. This is the tractor:
View attachment 1862994
With red broilers... View attachment 1862970
and white.

Some of the white ones actually use the roosts, mostly to get to the feeders when I hang them up against the ridge pole. I’ve found pullets IN the feeders.

I love your tractor!

 

[CindyinSD]

I love your tractor!

It’s a Suskovich tractor. I have three, two with nesting boxes (my own inconveniently heavy modification ). If you’re interested, I got the plans from Stress-Free Chicken Tractors by John Suskovich. They are that rare thing: really good plans with very few confusing bits. He’s got a YouTube channel, too. Very helpful.

 

[hereford_girl_01]

I fed twice a day and scattered BOSS in the bedding to keep them busy. If the tractor is big enough, separate the food and water as much as possible so they have to walk. Meat is muscle and muscle develops by using it, it will not be tough if you let it rest. I let teh meat rest for 3 days after butchering the birds at 14 weeks. They are tender and delicious.
I used a momma-heating pad for the first 4 weeks. By week 3, they were sleeping on top of the flattened cave, and by week 4 they were feathered nicely. You are going to get more points for a pretty white bird without any poop staining and completely feathered.

Thank you!! What’s a momma-heating pad?

 

[hereford_girl_01]

Cool! I have pet cows (not for profit). Scottish Highlands. Sounds like a great place to live!

Those are pretty! None of those here lol, more of a small farm or petting zoo type of cow. I enjoy it, I’m not much for the city life lol.

 

[bil&sal]

just feed them twice a day until 8 weeks then once in morning only what thy eat and give big area thy will move all around and half at night this is what I do and at twelves to fifteen weeks butcher time my get free roaming at late afternoon