Broilers in cages?

[jzigbe]

Hi,
At present I am raising Japanese Quail successfully in cages [thanks to all the information I got from these forums].



I now want to raise broilers in cages as I don't have too much space in my backyard. Is that possible?
Any advise? Thanks.

 

[foreverlearning]

That's fine. They require more room each and because of restricted space and thus movement you will have to restrict their feed at 3 weeks for their bodies to catch up to the growth and to prevent ascities. They go threw just as much if not more water then the quail. Remember that when they run out of water they stop growing. Good luck and keep us posted on your broiler project!

 

[jzigbe]

Thanks, foreverlearning!
I use half inch wire mesh on the floors for the quail. Will that do for the broilers or will I need a bigger mesh size for their poop to pass through?

 

[foreverlearning]

It depends. For broilers on dry feed they seem to have loose stool and the half inch would work great. When they are on fermented feed they seem to have large firm stools so I would suggest 1"x1/2" rabbit cage wire and possibly a hose. The bennifit to the fermented feed is less feed waste and they asorb more nutrients from the feed itself. It is pretty simple to do as well.

 

[sonjab314]

I intend to put my meaties on wire and this is also my first year with them. I have a large rabbit hutch that Ive converted just for this purpose.