CX feed rates

[AlbionWood]

I'm raising a batch of 24 CX and trying to manage their feed intake to keep them healthy. This is our third batch; we did well the first year, but the second time around we overfed and got ascites.

Following some advice on the "Meat Birds 101" thread, I found this chart of feed rates:
http://www.homesteadorganics.ca/meat-chickens_fr.aspx

Based on that, I calculated the following rates for my 24 birds:
Age (weeks) Type of feed Feed consumption (lbs weekly per bird) Live body weight, lb. lbs/d/24 birds Week starting
1 starter 0.29 0.33 1.0 16-Apr
2 starter 0.62 0.79 2.1 23-Apr
3 starter 1.02 1.43 3.5 30-Apr
4 grower 1.48 2.26 5.1 7-May
5 grower 1.87 3.21 6.4 14-May
6 grower 2.36 4.21 8.1 21-May
7 finisher 2.6 5.2 8.9 28-May
8 finisher 2.86 6.14 9.8 4-Jun
9 finisher 3.11 7.03 10.7 11-Jun

According to this, I should be feeding only about 6.4 pounds per day right now. I feed them 3 pounds at a time, and they clean it all up within a few minutes. They range around the yard (they are being raised by a Marans hen who taught them to forage) but don't get much from it. Yesterday they got 3 feedings, so closer to 9 pounds. I'm feeding them All-Flock, 18% protein.

It seems to me this schedule is underfeeding a little at this stage, so I am concerned about slowing growth too much. But I also do not want a repeat of the ascites and leg problems that showed up when I did not manage the feed well enough.

Does anyone else have a schedule of feed rate like this for comparison?

 

[foreverlearning]

Throw out all feed schedules because you are free ranging! The free ranging will reduce if not stop completely leg issues because they are moving. Move over to fermented feed or moist feed to reduce waste or you are literally throwing feed away on the ground. Give them enough at each feeding to take 20-30 min to clean up and that is their perfect amount of feed. Feed twice a day. The acities is caused by two things, not enough heat (some still require it even after fully feathered) and overeating while not moving around. I have cured it by having a space with a heat lamp outside so the ones that need it can get to it. You can also drain it with a needle. Good luck!

 

[AlbionWood]

Hmmm, I had not heard that about lack of heat leading to ascites. I thought the bigger problem with CX was too much heat...

These have not seen a heat lamp since the day they got here. We put them under a broody Marans and she covered all 24. (We intended to split them between two hens, but one quit brooding shortly before the chicks arrived.) Of course they quickly outgrew her, but she still was able to warm them up, even into the third week.

If I only feed them twice a day for 20 minutes, that will probably get me back pretty close to the feed schedule in that table. They eat up 3 lbs in about 15 minutes.

 

[foreverlearning]

On my first batch of meaties I figured it out. There weren't any studies at the time to confirm it but I tried anyway. I took 2 and drained them and the other 2 were put under heat. I had 57 meaties so 4 coming down with it the first time was not so bad. Both treatments worked really well and by having the heat lamp (off to one side only) and free ranging with twice daily feedings have kept all of my other batches from getting it. Lack of movement really is the killer for them.

 

[AlbionWood]

The batch that had ascites was raised by heritage hens and were free ranging as well. They moved about the yard quite well until about Week 5 or 6, and even after that still moved around some. The problem was overfeeding and using high-protein feed for too long. I agree that lack of movement is key, but if they are overfed they won't move, so the two things are related.