Feed options

[Acre4Me]

I'm trying my best to stay local with my meat bird feed purchases but this last batch of Cornish crosses I raised were not very impressive with their weight gain. I talked to the hatchery and they recommended a higher protein on my feed but my local mills are not making a 20% plus protein chick starter. The one mill actually recommended I get my chick starter from tractor supply which I am trying not to do. Would there be a downside to getting my chick starter from tractor supply and then switching to my local Mills 19% chick meal for the middle phase of growing? I would then go to a 15% finisher feed for the last two weeks. I guess the question is is there a downside to feeding chick meal to "middle-aged birds"?

turkey starter is usually 24% protein. Game bird feed is around 28%, but harder to source in some areas.

on BYC,under “Social” there are state threads. Go to “Where am I, ....”. Then at thetop is a pinned post containing state threads. You might get some more local people to give you mill advice.

good luck

 

[NatJ]

If you need extra protein why not just supplement with dried mealworms? They contain roughly 50%+ protein per worm.

Price is a consideration too--aren't mealworms pretty expensive?

 

[Chickenfan777]

Price is a consideration too--aren't mealworms pretty expensive?

I get them from rural king 5lbs cost like $27

 

[Chickenfan777]

mealworms are very high in fat. This can spell trouble for birds, although meat birds will likely be butchered before ill effects are seen. However, it’s possible your meat chicks may have more fat on them, as they are being fed more fat.

That’s something I hadn’t really considered. My neighbor gives them about 6 worms per bird per day, I’ve helped him butcher his and they didn’t seem to have any real excessive fat. But this is my first round doing my own and I’ve kept in line with what he does. I guess I’ll find out in about 4 weeks.

 

[NatJ]

Price is a consideration too--aren't mealworms pretty expensive?

I get them from rural king 5lbs cost like $27

Sounds pretty expensive to me.
If they're 50% protein, then you're getting 2.5 pounds of protein for $27.

I can buy 50 pounds of chick starter or turkey starter that's 20% or even 24% protein. Those give 10 pounds or 12 pounds of protein, and the per-bag cost is less than you're paying for those mealworms.

Prices may be different for different people, but I decided quite a while ago that mealworms are overpriced for what you get. If I want high protein, I buy high protein chicken feed. And if I wanted higher yet, I would buy kitten food: most of those are almost 40% protein, and still a lot cheaper than mealworms.

 

[NatJ]

Would there be a downside to getting my chick starter from tractor supply and then switching to my local Mills 19% chick meal for the middle phase of growing? I would then go to a 15% finisher feed for the last two weeks. I guess the question is is there a downside to feeding chick meal to "middle-aged birds"?

Sounds good to me. Chick starter (unmedicated) is fine for all chickens, of all ages. (Laying hens would also need a source of extra calcium, such as a dish of oyster shell, but that is not a consideration for meat birds!)

I find it more economical to use the starter the whole time and as the birds grow I mix in cracked corn to down the protein to the right percentage for their age.

I've done almost the same thing, but settled on serving the starter and corn in separate feeders, so the birds could balance it for themselves. Extra protein (at the levels found in chick starter) won't hurt the chickens at all-- it just costs a bit more.

 

[iwltfum]

Extra protein (at the levels found in chick starter) won't hurt the chickens at all-- it just costs a bit more.

I certainly won't hurt, but there is something about either the corn or the decreased protein that packs on muscle and fat in a way that higher protein feeds don't seem to do. The way I understand it, when fed higher protein, the birds grow more skeletally and once you decrease the protein levels with added corn, their skeletal growth slows and their muscles start bulking. So, at risk of being repetitive, the idea is you change over once your birds have the "right" frame (which of course is subjective based on what you're looking for) and you transfer as much power as you can in the last 2-4weeks to building the meat that will ultimately be eaten. I've noticed a significant increase in the weight of my broilers after starting experimenting with this method of feeding.

 

[NatJ]

Interesting. I always assumed that extra corn in grower/finisher feeds was just a cheaper way to provide calories and make the birds fat. I had no idea it affected muscle growth that way.

 

[Chickenfan777]

Sounds pretty expensive to me.
If they're 50% protein, then you're getting 2.5 pounds of protein for $27.

I can buy 50 pounds of chick starter or turkey starter that's 20% or even 24% protein. Those give 10 pounds or 12 pounds of protein, and the per-bag cost is less than you're paying for those mealworms.

Prices may be different for different people, but I decided quite a while ago that mealworms are overpriced for what you get. If I want high protein, I buy high protein chicken feed. And if I wanted higher yet, I would buy kitten food: most of those are almost 40% protein, and still a lot cheaper than mealworms.

Well I only raise 10 chickens at a a time and only add it as a supplement to my feed which is 20% so a 5lb bag lasts me a long time. But then again I like seeing them go after the worms and have fun pecking for them. Cost isn’t really my concern. To each their own though.

 

[NatJ]

But then again I like seeing them go after the worms and have fun pecking for them. Cost isn’t really my concern. To each their own though.

Sounds like mealworms are a good choice for you.

OP was talking about 500 pounds of food for one batch of meat birds, and also about which feeds were more expensive than others, so I assume cost is important in that case