Economics of rasing meat chickens

[dancingbear]

The losses will vary, depending on a lot of things. Birds from one hatchery may do better than birds from a different one. Weather matters, as does food and heat. If they are warm and dry, with proper food the first 2 weeks, or until they're well feathered, they do ok. If you overfeed, you're more likely to start losing them to congestive heart failure as they get bigger. Many recommend 12 hrs with food, 12 hrs without. Mine (except one really disastrous batch) did well with just not having lights after dark, so they couldn't see to eat until morning, and they'd sleep while it was dark, like normal chickens. The disastrous batch, we had a killer heat wave, 9 dropped dead from the heat, while the dual-purp and mixed breed birds were just fine.

They don't need vaccines, they aren't going to live that long. You don't need a $1,000 pre-built coop, you can make one yourself, for cheap. Maybe post a request for photos of meat bird housing that folks have made out of this and that. You'll get some great ideas that way.

Never let them run out of water, don't let them get chilled, or overheated, start restricting food at about 2 weeks or so, you probably won't lose very many. I like to start all my birds with poultry vitamin supplement in the water, 1/2 tsp. per gallon. A little acidophilus powder in the feed the first week helps, too, so they have good intestinal flora. Make sure they get the right feed, don't skimp on the protein. I never feed medicated feed myself, but that's up to the individual.

I no longer raise broilers, but if I still were, that's how I'd be doing it.

 

[jaku]

On loss, 25% is very high. I figure UP TO 10%. Realistically, I lost about that with my first batch, and the losses dramatically decrease as you figure them out in later batches. In my current batch of 78, I've lost 4- and of those, two of them I culled because they were laying around not moving, and I didn't want to take the chance that they had something that could spread to the rest. So, actually I've really only "lost" two.

 

[angel1]

Howdy all,
I ordered 75 cornish x rocks and got them in about 1 1/2 weeks ago. I didn't lose any and it took me a bit to get the temp just right in my brooder box. My brooder is made with plywood with a 40 watt light bulb in it. I keep it in the house. However, it soon begun to stink to high heaven! So I thought that I would split the 10 x 10 ft building that I had my future egg layers in (barred rocks). So my son and I threw up some chicken fence inside the building. I put 3 heat lamps in there. Now the hatchery that I bought mine from told me to ONLY feed them 2 z a day and don't feed them ANYTHING after 2 pm. OK...I did that.........and right off the bat lost 4 chicks. I called my mother and told her the situation and told her what the hatchery told me. Now I have never fed ANY of my chicks or chickens that low of feed but being that my mother is 85 and we always grew chickens then she'd know better and me what I needed to do. She told me to KEEP feed out there 24 hours a day. Before I could get out there and fill their containers completely to the brim...I lost 3 more!!! I've never done meat chickens before now and right about now I am PO'ed because someone who SHOULD have known better told me wrong! I'll know better next time. Come to think of it. There MAY NOT be a next time. I am SERIOUSLY thinking about if I can find out the cross ththe hatcheries are crossing that I can just get that breed and hatch my own...atleast for a few years? I think it'd fill a few freezers for a while. does anyone know the crosses that the hatcheries uses? I know it's cornish on one side. male or female? and maybe white rocks? male or females? anyone know? Thanks...

 

[maf2008]

What about the smaller "peanut sized" The last batch I had (my first test batch of 25) We had lots of 12 lbs meaties lbs and most dressed about 7.5/9 lbs ... What about all of the "smaller runts" should I keep some until later? will genetic proove they will not grow? Or, keep until larger?

I was going to keep a few smaller pullets to cross breed with white rock roosters and dark cornish roosters ( I KNOW they will not be as big) for a test breeding and a few extra meaties... what will I get? any ideas of what to do with the 3/5 lb runts at age 10 weeks?

 

[louloubean]

you can build a pretty cheap hoop house for your meaties, check out the chicken tractor design section of this site.

personally, i am going to stick with dual purpose birds, getting more bang for my buck.

 

[card5640]

I was a first timer this summer,I built a cheap coop and it was light enough for me to drag around the yard w/ 6 birds. Something got one so I had five, they cost me 32$ to raise that included having someone kill them and I got 27 lbs of meat. SO 27lbs of meat for 32$ I think is a good deal andit only took 7 weeks. Cheaper than what I pay at our farmers market for organic bird. I plan on doing 15 in the spring and fall next year. I had one rooster only and he weighed 9.5 pounds, we ate him last weekend and it was delicious. GO FOR IT