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

[FortCluck]

Butchering the 7 meat chickens this weekend. We did have 8, but one passed away for no apparent reason. I may be butchering a cockerel too because he’s not jiving with my girls. He’s aggressively chasing them down to mate and they just do not care for him at all.

 

[RUNuts]

9 weeks on the Moyer's Imperial Broiler pullets. 5 butchered this week with average weights of 2.5# carcass weights. Looks like I didn't feed enough and am behind the growing curve by a pound.

By eye, they are a little smaller than the layers and a lot smaller than the CX would be. I fed in the morning and would feed more in the evenings if all the food was cleaned up. Apparently, I should have fed them in the evenings to get them all filled.

They are running around, trying to roost on the tractor at night and I have to shepard them into the tractor for bed time. Plenty of water is available from 3 watering spots. But the weather has been brutal this week.

Looking for ideas. I'm guessing not enough feed to be this far behind.

 

[Parront]

9 weeks on the Moyer's Imperial Broiler pullets. 5 butchered this week with average weights of 2.5# carcass weights. Looks like I didn't feed enough and am behind the growing curve by a pound.

By eye, they are a little smaller than the layers and a lot smaller than the CX would be. I fed in the morning and would feed more in the evenings if all the food was cleaned up. Apparently, I should have fed then in the evenings to get them all filled.

They are running around, trying to roost on the tractor at night and I have to shepard them into the tractor for bed time. Plenty of water is available from 3 watering spots. But the weather has been brutal this week.

Looking for ideas. I'm guessing not enough feed to be this far behind.

A feeding of cracked corn/scratch in their tractor at night might make them go in easier, and fatten them at the same time. Maybe even put them in the tractor a little sooner, so they get less exercise?

 

[FortCluck]

9 weeks on the Moyer's Imperial Broiler pullets. 5 butchered this week with average weights of 2.5# carcass weights. Looks like I didn't feed enough and am behind the growing curve by a pound.

By eye, they are a little smaller than the layers and a lot smaller than the CX would be. I fed in the morning and would feed more in the evenings if all the food was cleaned up. Apparently, I should have fed then in the evenings to get them all filled.

They are running around, trying to roost on the tractor at night and I have to shepard them into the tractor for bed time. Plenty of water is available from 3 watering spots. But the weather has been brutal this week.

Looking for ideas. I'm guessing not enough feed to be this far behind.

What was the protein percentage on your feed? How much were you feeding per day to each bird?

I do mine tomorrow so I will post what their weights are. They are 7 weeks and I’m assuming they’ll be 4#’s or more

 

[Morrigan]

9 weeks on the Moyer's Imperial Broiler pullets. 5 butchered this week with average weights of 2.5# carcass weights. Looks like I didn't feed enough and am behind the growing curve by a pound.

By eye, they are a little smaller than the layers and a lot smaller than the CX would be. I fed in the morning and would feed more in the evenings if all the food was cleaned up. Apparently, I should have fed then in the evenings to get them all filled.

They are running around, trying to roost on the tractor at night and I have to shepard them into the tractor for bed time. Plenty of water is available from 3 watering spots. But the weather has been brutal this week.

Looking for ideas. I'm guessing not enough feed to be this far behind.

When I raised my Moyer's broilers (I think they were imperials, but they could have been reds), I did not limit food with them. They are a lot smaller then CX.

Mine were raised up along with my regular chickens and I let them go pretty long. IIRC, the roosters I did somewhere around 13 weeks, and they dressed out in the 5.5 to 6+ range. I let a hen go to 16 weeks -- and she was also 6 lbs dressed. They were on 20% protein flock raiser, plus forage/fodder/table scraps. I did not find them too tough at those ages, but I like a little texture in my meat.

So, I guess I would give them all they wanted to eat, and maybe wait a few more weeks if you can, depending on how big a dressed size you are looking for.

 

[RUNuts]

I thought I was providing enough feed. At night, I'd give another couple of scoops and half would be left. They weren't ravenous, so I was thinking they were full. Ravenous in the mornings always.

Yes, these are running with the layers and are mingling well. Very few issues with the older girls and these. Healthy chickens running the yard. They are just behind the growth curve which concerns me only a little. Will grow them out more.

As to feeding in the tractor, most aren't food motivated in the evening. I will try the sunflower seeds at bedtime. The trick is to not tell the layers. They understand the meaning of the blue cup oh-so-well. Good idea, will try.

The Grower Feed is 18%. The last order went with chick starter at 20% (not my choice, shipping mix up).

I was expecting huge thighs. These are larger than the layers leg wise. Breasts are also filled out a little more. I do like the big CX chickens and appreciate the layers when harvested.

The sole cockerel is visibly larger. Plan at present is to wait 3 more weeks and harvest a few more. Guessing the cockerel will crow, so he is likely to be first. As with all things, you must try to see if you like it and learn how to do it correctly.

 

[Morrigan]

The trick is to not tell the layers.

I wish you luck. My layers can sniff out a sunflower seed at 100 paces.
minute I step out

The sole cockerel is visibly larger.

I do recall there being a pretty big size differential between the cockerels and pullets.

 

[FortCluck]

I thought I was providing enough feed. At night, I'd give another couple of scoops and half would be left. They weren't ravenous, so I was thinking they were full. Ravenous in the mornings always.

Yes, these are running with the layers and are mingling well. Very few issues with the older girls and these. Healthy chickens running the yard. They are just behind the growth curve which concerns me only a little. Will grow them out more.

As to feeding in the tractor, most aren't food motivated in the evening. I will try the sunflower seeds at bedtime. The trick is to not tell the layers. They understand the meaning of the blue cup oh-so-well. Good idea, will try.

The Grower Feed is 18%. The last order went with chick starter at 20% (not my choice, shipping mix up).

I was expecting huge thighs. These are larger than the layers leg wise. Breasts are also filled out a little more. I do like the big CX chickens and appreciate the layers when harvested.

The sole cockerel is visibly larger. Plan at present is to wait 3 more weeks and harvest a few more. Guessing the cockerel will crow, so he is likely to be first. As with all things, you must try to see if you like it and learn how to do it correctly.

I was told to feed the 24% but I’m not sure if it truly makes a difference.

 

[Parront]

I thought I was providing enough feed. At night, I'd give another couple of scoops and half would be left. They weren't ravenous, so I was thinking they were full. Ravenous in the mornings always.

Yes, these are running with the layers and are mingling well. Very few issues with the older girls and these. Healthy chickens running the yard. They are just behind the growth curve which concerns me only a little. Will grow them out more.

As to feeding in the tractor, most aren't food motivated in the evening. I will try the sunflower seeds at bedtime. The trick is to not tell the layers. They understand the meaning of the blue cup oh-so-well. Good idea, will try.

The Grower Feed is 18%. The last order went with chick starter at 20% (not my choice, shipping mix up).

I was expecting huge thighs. These are larger than the layers leg wise. Breasts are also filled out a little more. I do like the big CX chickens and appreciate the layers when harvested.

The sole cockerel is visibly larger. Plan at present is to wait 3 more weeks and harvest a few more. Guessing the cockerel will crow, so he is likely to be first. As with all things, you must try to see if you like it and learn how to do it correctly.

But, they were filling up with salad, not nice fattening corn! We all know how to put weight on, and it is not by running all day and eating salad!

 

[RUNuts]

I was told to feed the 24% but I’m not sure if it truly makes a difference.

Higher protein makes more ammonia since the nitrogen isn't converted. STINKS! But does pack on the weight.