Difficult question about broilers and food

[Sobek]

If I were to feed broilers 1/3 of their feed worms.
How many worms do you think 6,000 chickens eat in a month

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I think you have a lot of research ahead of you. I assume you want to up their animal protein.
It isn't the quantity of worms but the weight. Are you talking nightcrawlers, red wrigglers, mealworms, superworms, etc. or what?
A mini mealworm won't be the same as a large superworm.
Also, feeding worms, crickets, meat, fish, etc. - as good as that is - will not be as consistent from bird to bird in a flock of thousands as a complete poultry feed.
Some chickens will gobble them up and the more timid chickens may get few if any.
Without doing the math, I'd guess about 5 to 10 million depending on what kind of worms.

 

[Sobek]

Honestly, at first I thought you might be trolling us, I was so confounded by the number. It sure would be nice to have some more humane commercial chicken farms out there. Good luck!

Thanks! That's what I'm trying to accomplish. I'm absolutely in LOVE with my chickens and I want to refocus some of that energy because chickens whether they are for food or not should live happy lives!

 

[Sobek]

6,000 chickens? Are you planning a commercial chicken farm?

No this is to feed my backyard flock Imagine that.. that would be my heaven... I'm joking yes I'm planning a commercial farm for our family owned slaughter houses. I want to improve the quality and health of the birds they are selling by providing our own poultry

 

[townchicks]

No this is to feed my backyard flock Imagine that.. that would be my heaven... I'm joking yes I'm planning a commercial farm for our family owned slaughter houses. I want to improve the quality and health of the birds they are selling by providing our own poultry

Honestly, at first I thought you might be trolling us, I was so confounded by the number. It sure would be nice to have some more humane commercial chicken farms out there. Good luck!

 

[Sobek]

Honestly, at first I thought you might be trolling us, I was so confounded by the number. It sure would be nice to have some more humane commercial chicken farms out there. Good luck!

All of the chickens we get are SICK. I'm surprised people buy them??? I walk in there and I see chickens with feathers torn off... Chickens with fowl pox, chickens half dead. 4 of my chickens came from the shop and 4-5 of them (one died) were sick. e.coli, fowl pox, Pseudomonas, worms it was crazy. I really want to send everyone a picture of these chickens because they look horrible.

 

[Sobek]

Id need 20k pounds a month

 

[Sobek]

I think you have a lot of research ahead of you. I assume you want to up their animal protein.
It isn't the quantity of worms but the weight. Are you talking nightcrawlers, red wrigglers, mealworms, superworms, etc. or what?
A mini mealworm won't be the same as a large superworm.
Also, feeding worms, crickets, meat, fish, etc. will not be consistent like a complete poultry feed.
Some chickens will gobble them up and the more timid chickens may get few if any.
Without doing the math, I'd guess about 5 to 10 million depending on what kind of worms.

5 million worms :x 5 MILLLION

 

[DiYMama540]

That's a lot of worms...slaughter house business is going to have to expand to worm farming also! Best of luck with the businesses!

 

[Sobek]

It's so sad. I was a vegetarian for years, just because of the horrible way meat animals are raised. At least now it is possible to buy free range ( whatever that really means) chicken, and of course I have my own girls for eggs.

Yeah I'm just really worried about having to cull a flock when they stop producing eggs to keep our chicks growing. I know I will fall in love with all of those birds. I think I would just have to donate the meat that way I can know I'm doing something good for my community