Feeding meat chickens

[backintime]

My CX are so calm, I can't imagine what you would have to do to them to scare them so badly they'd have a heart attack.. Shoot them out of a canon? They don't mind being picked up or moved, so even that probably wouldn't do it.

Mine completely ignore my dogs.

They did get scared enough to move a few feet when I carried a black plastic trash bag full of hay into their pen. That caused some clucking, a couple of wing flaps, and a bit of scurrying, but not more than about 5 feet.

I herd them back into their coop at night with a broom. Yes, I actually have to sweep them. They don't move so I have to push them with the broom.

It's not that they are lazy. They will run to see what I am doing and they wander around. They love to come out and supervise when I fill the duck pond. It's just that they don't get upset about anything.

So funny about the broom, I'm going to try sweeping them next time around! There were always a few lounging JUST outside the coop door when we needed to close it at night. My husband uses a boat oar to push their behinds, because, just like you said, they are hard to move. We should start a new thread and ask everyone what they use to herd and goad their broilers.

I agree the broilers are calm birds (except when charged by a full speed Belgian Malenois slamming the fence!) They didn't mind a bit when the dog used the fence to scratch her back. My broilers liked to have their chins and throats stroked. The roo's would make a little effort to peck me when I reached for their throat, but only for show, and once I started stroking their necks, they'd go into a trance and stand stock still staring into space until I stopped. Can't decide if they were enjoying it, or if I was hypnotizing them.

 

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I have them in 4 16x16 cattle panels tied together (with snow-fence along the bottom) and a tarp/tent to keep hawks out. I move it around every few days. I then put them in a shed/coop at night. So they can move around, get some grass, and not sit in their own poop.

How many birdsa do you have in that because if you dont have alot of birds in there then they are getting alot of excersive wich is making them loose there weight.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Okay, now I cannot figure what I did wrong. I fed an organic mix for meat birds except for one bag of "meat maker" (from Southern States) because I ran out of my organic & needed feed. I also added fermented grains---all organic too. I just took in 10 birds (9 weeks old) and got an average dressed weight of 3 pounds!
I didn't go back to lower protein the last few weeks---is that what I did wrong?
Any idea?

Are you sure they were Cornish Cross?

The only other thing i can think of is that several people have had problems with growth using non-GMO feed because without using soy beans it is tricky and expensive to get the protein level up high enough in a form that the birds can use. It can be done, but it isn't cheap.

 

[Yukonchick]

we just finally started getting warm weather up here in the yukon so i took down the smaller pen and quilt i had thrown over top and boy were they excited about having all that room to run around in the coop. it was funny watching them race from one end to the other and establishing the pecking order. They bounce their chests off each other like little sumu wrestlers.

 

[backintime]

Don't you love the STARE-DOWNS?

 

[chicks4fun]

So funny about the broom, I'm going to try sweeping them next time around! There were always a few lounging JUST outside the coop door when we needed to close it at night. My husband uses a boat oar to push their behinds, because, just like you said, they are hard to move. We should start a new thread and ask everyone what they use to herd and goad their broilers.

This is my son "herding" our meaties from the coral area to the coop for the night. He waves a fishing net around to keep them moving. Sometimes they would walk for a little then suddenly sit down. They were not running in fear but it kept them moving.
(and no that small tractor coop isn't theirs, it's for two smaller birds)

 

[chicks4fun]

I had 28 birds in the 16x16 area most the day. Sometimes the area was larger because I bumped one side against the garden fence. They played a little but they seemed to just lay around a lot too. The roosters don't even "fight" like real roos. They mostly just stared at each other and fluffed their neck feathers.

This picture is at 9 weeks old after I took 10 birds in to be processed.
They came from Southern States & they buy chicks from Mt Healthy hatchery.
I just read there is a slow growth white broiler (I was reading on Welp's site). I wonder if my birds could be the wrong breed but still broilers????

 

[chicks4fun]

Are you sure they were Cornish Cross?

The only other thing i can think of is that several people have had problems with growth using non-GMO feed because without using soy beans it is tricky and expensive to get the protein level up high enough in a form that the birds can use. It can be done, but it isn't cheap.

What do you use to boost the protein? I think peas and lentils are good? Any other ideas?

 

[Island Roo]

Wow - at 9 weeks my meaties (what the hatchery called cornish giants) could sit on the birds in that picture and flatten them.

Could be you got the slower guys.

What is the protein level in your organic feed. I fed fermented grains for the last couple weeks - up to 2/3 whole grains in the last week.

My grains (scratch) are fairly low in protein. Mostly wheat, oats, barley and corn.

I would just let your guys fill in a bit more.

 

[chicks4fun]

Wow - at 9 weeks my meaties (what the hatchery called cornish giants) could sit on the birds in that picture and flatten them.

LOL--- what hatchery did you buy from? I may order some again this fall. It's too hot now, plus I still have 18 birds.