Feed for the first two weeks

[barrybro]

I have seen it posted that for each 25 birds they will consume 500lbs of feed. How is that spread out during the growth cycle. I am ordering feed and don't want to get more than a couple of weeks worth. I have 250 chicks coming next wed. How much feed for two weeks.

Barry

 

[barrybro]

http://www.wfs.ca/intake_chart.html

I found the above link. I had to convert to pounds, but it looks like just over a pound per chick for the first 14 days.

Barry

 

[jaku]

Did you get 250 for your first batch?!

With that many birds, you'd be smarter getting feed in bulk, as the price drastically goes down when you buy over 500 pounds at most mills that are grinding your feed.

 

[schmism]

Quote:
in an article from backyard poultry (which you can find online) about raising meet birds for small markets it talks about one lady who does 100 bird batches.
for which she uses 1 50lb bag per week increaseing 1 bag per week till she is useing 8 bags on week 8.

so week 1 (one bag) week 2 (two bags) week 3 (three bags) etc. overall that puts her total feed at 36 bags over 8 weeks with a total feed weight of 1800lbs for 100 birds .

or 18lbs per bird over its life.

which agrees nicely with the 20lbs per bird over its life ive seen quoted many times.

(based on the above) i figure 375 lbs of feed for the first 2 weeks for 250 chicks.

I hope you plan on buying in bulk for the 4500 lbs of feed your going to need for those birds!

 

[barrybro]

I did two small batches last year. One of 10, the next 25. I had planned on doing 100 this time. We also have a pumpkin farm that has an email list. I casually mentioned that we were doing meat chickens and I was overwhelmed with orders. We have had to cut the orders off. That is why we are doing so many. I have two things going for me. One is that I have a local mill about 5 miles away that I am buying 24% protien feed for 8.75 for 50 pound bag, minimum is 500 pounds. 25 cents off for each percentage of protien that comes off down to 16%. Also 25 cents off if 2,000 pounds are purchased. The other is I have been able to get to know a very capable processor that has a mobile processing unit that comes to the farm. I am not ready to do even 50 birds in a day myself.

Barry

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Barry you should go through about... 230 pounds of feed. I would get the 24% for the first four weeks which would be 850 pounds than back them off to 22% for the last 4 weeks.

This time of year you can get away with feed storing for about 4 weeks. During the muggy summer, I get feed weekly.

The first month your going to go through about 850 pounds. The second month your going to go through about 2,550 pounds. So that extra 50 cents is going to be huge in savings. That second month buy in bulk and drop two percent on your protein.

That's a very good price on feed, that is a very good advantage. If you don't mind me asking were are you located?

 

[barrybro]

I am a about 1.5 hours south of Jaku in southwestern Michigan.

Barry

 

[barrybro]

www.harvestmoonfun.com