feed experiment

[KatyTheChickenLady]

The kid on here who was asking for suggestions for his science project got me to thinking. With the completion of my new chicken barn I'm going to have 4 extra pens/runs next year. I was just going to leave them empty and use for isolation pens . . . but . . .

What if I were to get 100 CX, all male, from one hatchery, put 25 in each pen and fed different feed to each pen. Say each pen had grass and plain water . . . I'm thinking:

1. 28% soy/corn meat bird grower
2. 20% Flock Raiser
3. whole grains only (maybe corn, wheat & BOSS?)
4. Scraps from a local restaurant

then maybe after that batch you could do another and feed all the same feed but vary the supplements (vitamins, ACV, probiotics etc.)

what would you do?

 

[Jared77]

As long as you documented what was in the scraps and maybe even get really crazy and include the nutritional value of them I think its a great experiement because scraps can cover a lot of things. Would definatly show how nutrition factors into development.

I think its a super cool experiment...but then I'm a biology/genetic super nerd and am VERY interested in how this plays out.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

lol, well I doubt I would actually get the nutritional content of the restaurant scraps analyzed. But it's a mexican retaurant so It would mainly be beans, rice, tortillas and cheese - fairly high protien but also higher fat content . . . would that matter in a bird that only lives 8 weeks? I don't know.

 

[Mahonri]

Sounds like a great experiment.

 

[sonew123]

Man katy! Ill be following that thread!!! Id love to get 100-but Im sticking to 50 next year

 

[SteveH]

It would mainly be beans, rice, tortillas and cheese

Bet that bunch will have some flavor !

I hope you do it , I'm interested in the results .
I feed my breeders scaps , naturals , and mower chop every day ; been considering witholding ground grain from them every other day because the CX are just too big but I'm just too soft hearted to deny them the little bit of wet mash they want so bad . One CX got at least 2 feet off the ground to grab some mash out of my bucket today because I fed several hours later than normal .​

 

[donrae]

I'm going to have 4 extra pens/runs next year. I was just going to leave them empty

*gasp, shudder*

Is this allowed? Empty pens?

Sorry, my brain can't get past that to read the rest......

*walks off muttering to self*




Thx
Rachel BB​

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

lol! oh I like you

welcome to BYC!!!!

 

[Bucky182]

Well I have 50 KK coming in about 4 days. I am planning on using starter then switching to a grower for 1/2 and a mixture of the grower and cracked corn 50/50 for one half to see what results I get. The grower is 8.45 a bag 50lb and the corn is 6.00 a bag I am interested to see if the savings in food cost will be worth it. I guess 15 bags for 25 birds so 15x8.45=126.75 vs 8.45 +6=14.45/2=7.25 x 15=108.37 or a savings of 18.37 or if it works for each batch of 50 there after a savings of @ 37.00

 

[Bossroo]

Any restaurant that allows their scraps ( just one ill customer can contaminate all scraps in a container) to be used as feed for an animal destined for food is in great jeopardy of a law suit. Even a possible threat of a law suit has gone so far as a grocery store not even giving out used vegatable boxes for someone to recycle to other uses.