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

[jolenesdad]

Day 28 - Moyer Specialty Broilers

Robust White
Average weight: 1lb 2 ounces
(50% of std)

Royal Red
Average weight : 1lb
(50% of std)

Day 7 - Conventional Broiler
Avg Weight - 4 ounces (35%)

They’re currently eating about 1/10 a pound of food per day per bird.

Weekly notes:
Growing and filling in more now. The largest bird is a royal red, 1 lb 6 ounces. He is an outlier to the average, the robust White broilers look just a little larger in general than the reds.

The Robust White Broilers are developing very similarly to Cornish across. Similar feather pattern, similar lack of feather pattern. The only noticeable difference is their mobility. They’re all over the place and curious. Both breeds are voracious eaters and voracious foragers. They’re clean birds, and don’t poop as much as Cornish cross. At 4 weeks, I started seeing the poopy butts with the Cornish, and they’re nowhere to be seen yet here.

They’re active foragers, but I only am doing an hour or two supervised by me right now daily. Next week I will start afternoons out and we will see how they keep up with foraging. I’ve sectioned off about 3500 square feet of grass for them st this size for a few weeks and will go from there based on their size.

They do seem to be curious with the laying hens. I’m letting all birds be together when they’re out, and they all get along really well. I’m hoping one of my royal reds turns out to be a girl so I can keep her in the laying flock.

The Cornish cross are a week old. Still in brooder within the larger pen. I’m hoping in a week to ten days they’ll be big enough to go out with everyone.

Spoke with John from Moyers last week. They are so incredibly helpful and informative, I can not recommend them enough. I feel special and important when we chat, and like they’re invested in helping me enjoy this journey. He discussed wanting to do something to encourage more to try the birds, I’ll get info on that.

Various photos of the week included, as well as body shots of the birds. I like the last Robust whites laying down, you can see how much they feather like a Cornish. It’s incredible how different they act, though.

Would anyone be interested in a fall meat bird grow a long? Just a random thought. We could all get our birds around the same time and discuss what’s working and what’s not....

 

[LilyD]

Day 28 - Moyer Specialty Broilers

Robust White
Average weight: 1lb 2 ounces
(50% of std)

Royal Red
Average weight : 1lb
(50% of std)

Day 7 - Conventional Broiler
Avg Weight - 4 ounces (35%)

They’re currently eating about 1/10 a pound of food per day per bird.

Weekly notes:
Growing and filling in more now. The largest bird is a royal red, 1 lb 6 ounces. He is an outlier to the average, the robust White broilers look just a little larger in general than the reds.

The Robust White Broilers are developing very similarly to Cornish across. Similar feather pattern, similar lack of feather pattern. The only noticeable difference is their mobility. They’re all over the place and curious. Both breeds are voracious eaters and voracious foragers. They’re clean birds, and don’t poop as much as Cornish cross. At 4 weeks, I started seeing the poopy butts with the Cornish, and they’re nowhere to be seen yet here.

They’re active foragers, but I only am doing an hour or two supervised by me right now daily. Next week I will start afternoons out and we will see how they keep up with foraging. I’ve sectioned off about 3500 square feet of grass for them st this size for a few weeks and will go from there based on their size.

They do seem to be curious with the laying hens. I’m letting all birds be together when they’re out, and they all get along really well. I’m hoping one of my royal reds turns out to be a girl so I can keep her in the laying flock.

The Cornish cross are a week old. Still in brooder within the larger pen. I’m hoping in a week to ten days they’ll be big enough to go out with everyone.

Spoke with John from Moyers last week. They are so incredibly helpful and informative, I can not recommend them enough. I feel special and important when we chat, and like they’re invested in helping me enjoy this journey. He discussed wanting to do something to encourage more to try the birds, I’ll get info on that and post here what kind of discount and how to get it.

Various photos of the week included, as well as body shots of the birds. I like the last Robust whites laying down, you can see how much they feather like a Cornish. It’s incredible how different they act, though.

Would anyone be interested in a fall meat bird grow a long? Just a random thought. We could all get our birds around the same time and discuss what’s working and what’s not....


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Thank you it's nice to see totals and how well they work. I think I am going to keep track of weights on my Dual Purpose birds next year as I hatch out and use that as a large percentage to help me choose who stays on for the following year and who doesn't. Pick the largest rooster and the largest two hens to add back in to the mix alternating roosters one year and hens the next so I get new blood on each side every other year.

 

[LilyD]

Starting to process my Cornish X batch of 18 birds this weekend I will try and weigh them before and after processing to get accurate totals currently we are on our 5th bag of grain for these guys feeding all together 17 DP roosters who are 9 almost 10 weeks, 14 BBW Turkey poults who are 7 weeks, 8 weeks on Monday and 18 Cornish X who are 8 weeks on Monday and 3 ducklings who are a week old as of Friday lol.

 

[RUNuts]

Interested in fall grow along yes, but travel plans are not finalized. Time will tell.

Ideal is sending discounts out on their broilers and it has been tempting. Down to 3 birds from last fall in the freezer. Have 23 straight runs growing at the moment with cockerel harvest mid September. So it won't be before then for me.

Interesting idea. Cheers

 

[Newyorkrita]

Day 28 - Moyer Specialty Broilers

Robust White
Average weight: 1lb 2 ounces
(50% of std)

Royal Red
Average weight : 1lb
(50% of std)

Day 7 - Conventional Broiler
Avg Weight - 4 ounces (35%)

They’re currently eating about 1/10 a pound of food per day per bird.

Weekly notes:
Growing and filling in more now. The largest bird is a royal red, 1 lb 6 ounces. He is an outlier to the average, the robust White broilers look just a little larger in general than the reds.

The Robust White Broilers are developing very similarly to Cornish across. Similar feather pattern, similar lack of feather pattern. The only noticeable difference is their mobility. They’re all over the place and curious. Both breeds are voracious eaters and voracious foragers. They’re clean birds, and don’t poop as much as Cornish cross. At 4 weeks, I started seeing the poopy butts with the Cornish, and they’re nowhere to be seen yet here.

They’re active foragers, but I only am doing an hour or two supervised by me right now daily. Next week I will start afternoons out and we will see how they keep up with foraging. I’ve sectioned off about 3500 square feet of grass for them st this size for a few weeks and will go from there based on their size.

They do seem to be curious with the laying hens. I’m letting all birds be together when they’re out, and they all get along really well. I’m hoping one of my royal reds turns out to be a girl so I can keep her in the laying flock.

The Cornish cross are a week old. Still in brooder within the larger pen. I’m hoping in a week to ten days they’ll be big enough to go out with everyone.

Spoke with John from Moyers last week. They are so incredibly helpful and informative, I can not recommend them enough. I feel special and important when we chat, and like they’re invested in helping me enjoy this journey. He discussed wanting to do something to encourage more to try the birds, I’ll get info on that and post here what kind of discount and how to get it.

Various photos of the week included, as well as body shots of the birds. I like the last Robust whites laying down, you can see how much they feather like a Cornish. It’s incredible how different they act, though.

Would anyone be interested in a fall meat bird grow a long? Just a random thought. We could all get our birds around the same time and discuss what’s working and what’s not....


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Excellent report and I love all those pictures.

 

[jolenesdad]

Starting to process my Cornish X batch of 18 birds this weekend I will try and weigh them before and after processing to get accurate totals currently we are on our 5th bag of grain for these guys feeding all together 17 DP roosters who are 9 almost 10 weeks, 14 BBW Turkey poults who are 7 weeks, 8 weeks on Monday and 18 Cornish X who are 8 weeks on Monday and 3 ducklings who are a week old as of Friday lol.

Good luck lily!

That’s incredible about the feed.

I’m very intrigued by the fact that I think we may find out that pasture, slower grown birds have a much better feed conversion than expected. It’s a commercial industry talking point that slower growing birds aren’t realistic because of the additional feed and all the environmental and actual costs of those feed, but I don’t think I buy it. I think it’s just the time they don’t want... time is money.

 

[Parront]

Day 28 - Moyer Specialty Broilers

Robust White
Average weight: 1lb 2 ounces
(50% of std)

Royal Red
Average weight : 1lb
(50% of std)

Day 7 - Conventional Broiler
Avg Weight - 4 ounces (35%)

They’re currently eating about 1/10 a pound of food per day per bird.

Weekly notes:
Growing and filling in more now. The largest bird is a royal red, 1 lb 6 ounces. He is an outlier to the average, the robust White broilers look just a little larger in general than the reds.

The Robust White Broilers are developing very similarly to Cornish across. Similar feather pattern, similar lack of feather pattern. The only noticeable difference is their mobility. They’re all over the place and curious. Both breeds are voracious eaters and voracious foragers. They’re clean birds, and don’t poop as much as Cornish cross. At 4 weeks, I started seeing the poopy butts with the Cornish, and they’re nowhere to be seen yet here.

They’re active foragers, but I only am doing an hour or two supervised by me right now daily. Next week I will start afternoons out and we will see how they keep up with foraging. I’ve sectioned off about 3500 square feet of grass for them st this size for a few weeks and will go from there based on their size.

They do seem to be curious with the laying hens. I’m letting all birds be together when they’re out, and they all get along really well. I’m hoping one of my royal reds turns out to be a girl so I can keep her in the laying flock.

The Cornish cross are a week old. Still in brooder within the larger pen. I’m hoping in a week to ten days they’ll be big enough to go out with everyone.

Spoke with John from Moyers last week. They are so incredibly helpful and informative, I can not recommend them enough. I feel special and important when we chat, and like they’re invested in helping me enjoy this journey. He discussed wanting to do something to encourage more to try the birds, I’ll get info on that and post here what kind of discount and how to get it.

Various photos of the week included, as well as body shots of the birds. I like the last Robust whites laying down, you can see how much they feather like a Cornish. It’s incredible how different they act, though.

Would anyone be interested in a fall meat bird grow a long? Just a random thought. We could all get our birds around the same time and discuss what’s working and what’s not....


View attachment 1811900 View attachment 1811901 View attachment 1811902 View attachment 1811903 View attachment 1811904 View attachment 1811911 View attachment 1811912 View attachment 1811913 View attachment 1811914 View attachment 1811915 View attachment 1811917 View attachment 1811918

The whites look a lot like Cornish-X -- the way they are just sitting looks so typical! Great write up. The Moyer's look like they would work for me here in mile-high Prescott, AZ.

 

[Parront]

Good luck lily!

That’s incredible about the feed.

I’m very intrigued by the fact that I think we may find out that pasture, slower grown birds have a much better feed conversion than expected. It’s a commercial industry talking point that slower growing birds aren’t realistic because of the additional feed and all the environmental and actual costs of those feed, but I don’t think I buy it. I think it’s just the time they don’t want... time is money.

I am willing to spend another 2 weeks for a good result. I think that goes for a lot of back-yarders. I know I liked to grow them a little larger and roast them when I did some Cornish-X years back.

 

[LilyD]

Good luck lily!

That’s incredible about the feed.

I’m very intrigued by the fact that I think we may find out that pasture, slower grown birds have a much better feed conversion than expected. It’s a commercial industry talking point that slower growing birds aren’t realistic because of the additional feed and all the environmental and actual costs of those feed, but I don’t think I buy it. I think it’s just the time they don’t want... time is money.

I can tell you tonight when I got home to feed with the storm impending on the horizon the mosquitoes were as big as bombers and my dp birds were very much interested in catching a couple hundred of them before bed lol. The Cornish X birds do try on occasion but they prefer the slower types of food over things with wings. Turkeys on the other hand will eat anything that isn't nailed down lol.

 

[jolenesdad]

Day 35 (5 weeks old)
Royal Red Broiler:
Avg- 1.8 lbs (62%)

Robust White Broiler:
2 lbs (60%)

Day 14 (2 weeks old)
Cornish Cross:
Oops. Forgot to weigh.

They have increased feed consumption this week quite a bit but have also started daily pasture access.

Notes:
The birds now get let out by 10 and and closed up around dusk. They freely mix with the laying hens and the 9/10 week old teenagers.

They are JUST as active as my dual purpose birds, and that’s no exaggeration. I am FLOORED that their bodies are developing in such a “meat bird” fashion (see feathering photos attached) yet they run and play and go ALL over the place. So far no losses but I’m concerned with their size and openly ranging and birds of prey. They do follow the hens lead, so we will cross our fingers. I’m looking out the window right now at a swallow tailed kite and just hoping the birds are just big enough to not prove too irresistible.

The Robust white LOOK like Cornish but act ABSOLUTELY nothing like them so far. Still running and flapping and ranging. The Robust white seem to have a little more consistency in size, with two extreme outliers on the small side. I included a photo of the birds around a feeder with the smallest bird that clearly looks like a dwarf, and is otherwise totally healthy.

The royal red have a larger span from smaller to larger, with the largest bird still being a red. The feet of the Robust white are universally larger than the reds. I’m assuming this is to account for the breast growth that will be happening soon.the range is interesting because they are all males and the more consistent robust are straight run.

As a general rule the Royal Red are a tad more active than the Robust, and very independent. I do think they encourage the Robust white to move more. I’m opening another field to them with a lot of trees so they can move farther and also has more options for shade. While mowing today I was pleased to see multiple groups seeking shade and cool with the laying hens, over 100 feet from their pen. They find all the cool spots and we are under a heat advisory and I don’t e en need to spread out the waters. They find it or come back.

Both breeds are friendlier than just a food-motivated-friendly of the Cornish.

The Cornish cross are two weeks old. I’ll be putting them on the ground this week in the side pen to the rest of the meat birds, hoping they can integrate after another week or two. Thrilled to still have all 15! It will be SO interesting to see if they move with these birds.


Here are some various photos through the week...

“Body shots” at 5 weeks:

Comparison feathering photos:

“Dwarf” Robust white:

Additional weekly photos: