Chronicles of Raising Meat Birds - Modern Broilers, Heritage and Hybrids

[NewBoots]

I shake a can and say here chickies, and they waddle like lightning strikes to me.

That made me laugh out loud! Waddling lightning bolts.

As far as feed conversion goes, I understand the importance but that won't matter when I try my cornish crosses. I'll just be raising them for our own use and to know our food had as good a life as I could manage. That's why your little white lightning bolts make me so happy.

 

[jolenesdad]

Day 22/27

Weigh day again!

The youngest are still at 38% of where they “should” be. However, the others have started an increase over where they were last week! The females are now 50% of where they should be, and males are at 65%. I was hoping once the standard weights are influenced by restricting feed that the percentages would get a little better as my birds have always been on restricted feed due to darkness.

22 day females
.66 pounds (38% of standard)

27 day females
1.5 pounds (50% of standard)

27 day males
2.06 pounds (65% of standard)

Pictures attached and the ages are fairly apparent in the mix. The largest males are looking scraggly but not too bad. They’re keeping up with their feathers and body so far it seems, but starting to fall behind.

I lost one of the younger chicks, looked a little off yesterday and dead this morning. We had a late cool front with nights in the 30s, but warming now. Stumped on that one.

Will probably hold back another few days so these littles can catch up and then let them out later this week or weekend as it will be 78-80+ from now on during the days.

Also, as a note, while there’s a much less sample size, the Cornish rock from Ideal Poultry are very consistent in size. The Cornish Cross from Hoover’s Hatchery (the younger ones) are ALL over the map, with a huge range of weights of 2-4 ounces. (Pretty significant when they’re under a pound)

 

[NewBoots]

ScarletinaVixen is raising Ideal Black Broilers and it sounds like her Broilers are doing well too. Ideal hatchery is a good distance away so I wonder if I'd have trouble shipping. Might be worth the risk.

 

[jolenesdad]

I found this interesting tidbit... and it makes a lot of sense. While reading through literature from Cobb, which these younger birds are, they say that overall temperatures during the first week of life can have a huge impact on rate of growth. These chicks were running and playing outdoors in the 60s, and Cobb says 80 degrees versus 89 drastically reduced growth by consuming energy for heat.

It will be interesting to see if my fall broilers this year that will also be raised outside with differ with warmer temperatures.

https://www.cobb-vantress.com/acade...-chicks-the-best-start-in-the-brooding-period

 

[jolenesdad]

Oh and the four week olds are finally starting to look like real meaties.

 

[RUNuts]

I found this interesting tidbit... and it makes a lot of sense. While reading through literature from Cobb, which these younger birds are, they say that overall temperatures during the first week of life can have a huge impact on rate of growth. These chicks were running and playing outdoors in the 60s, and Cobb says 80 degrees versus 89 drastically reduced growth by consuming energy for heat.

It will be interesting to see if my fall broilers this year that will also be raised outside with differ with warmer temperatures.

https://www.cobb-vantress.com/acade...-chicks-the-best-start-in-the-brooding-period

Interesting. My fall broilers did worse than the spring broilers last year. Of course, east Texas calls 89° cool in August. More grass available, but more heat stress too. Will read article tonight.

 

[NewBoots]

I found this interesting tidbit... and it makes a lot of sense. While reading through literature from Cobb, which these younger birds are, they say that overall temperatures during the first week of life can have a huge impact on rate of growth. These chicks were running and playing outdoors in the 60s, and Cobb says 80 degrees versus 89 drastically reduced growth by consuming energy for heat.

It will be interesting to see if my fall broilers this year that will also be raised outside with differ with warmer temperatures.

https://www.cobb-vantress.com/acade...-chicks-the-best-start-in-the-brooding-period

Very interesting reading. I'm not likely to be able to run such a tightly managed brooder but knowing the effects of the possible variables is good to know. Given how finely tuned the cornish x are, I wonder if that makes the variables have a bigger effect on them than heritage meat birds?

Oh and the four week olds are finally starting to look like real meaties.
View attachment 1726096

Yup, they sure are. Any idea what weight they are now? Cornish game hen size?

 

[jolenesdad]

Day 29/34

Weigh day! The girls are all catching up, and the boys holding steady at 65% of where industry standard is at their age.

Female 4 weeks
1.45 lbs (48%)


Female 5 weeks
2.1 lbs (50%)

Male 5 weeks
3 lbs (65%)


All heat is going away this week, they still get under the heat pad (some of tbem) at night, but it’s on the lowest setting. We will have a cold snap next week with a night or two back in the upper 40s, and I think at 5 and 6 weeks they’ll be fine.

Had a run in with a MASSIVE 5.5 foot long rat snake on top of their pen yesterday. My least favorite part of chickens.

They’re going out in the afternoons for an hour or two to the yard and aside from that have the large 400 square foot run from sun up to sun down. Their pen allows for 2 plus a little feet per bird and with them in it about 10-12 hours, I have to do a clean out once a week, and manually fluff, mix, and toss in new shavings where they sleep and rest.

The largest boy is gross, he doesn’t stand to poop. It’s weird, because they definitely don’t just sit around, they’re constantly scratching and pecking, but he still sits down to poop, and gets himself covered. It’ll be warm this week, so he is getting a bath. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Attached photos of the three ages.

4 week female

5 week female

5 week male

 

[NewBoots]

Those legs and feet... how could we have ever missed that they are little dinosaurs?
They seem healthy and happy. Do the cockerels act like cockerels yet? Aggression or crowing?

 

[jolenesdad]

No cockerel behavior, they ALL do bite the HECK out of my hands when I am bringing the feed back and forth. I’m going to have to work on that. But other than that no special behavior amongst them. No adult sounds whatsoever from any of them.

I will have to take a video or make a gif of some sort when they are in the grass they are RUNNING and it’s hilarious.