Feeding my meat birds

[abarkabove]

Hi! I am growing out buff orpingtons for meat. Do they need to stay on start and
grow for the full 22 weeks or can I switch them to a layer pellet at some point?

 

[Parront]

Hi! I am growing out buff orpingtons for meat. Do they need to stay on start and
grow for the full 22 weeks or can I switch them to a layer pellet at some point?

Hi, welcome to BYC!
I used to raise Orpingtons, but meat was just the extra roosters. Did you order all males to raise for meat? How old are they now?

 

[abarkabove]

Thank you! I was hatching a clutch about every 2 weeks between 4/9 - 7/16 so I have a range of ages. I was selling as straight run with the option to return cockerels. Needless to say, I have about 75 cockerels now. We're going to clump them together and do a butcher session in October and another one in January.

 

[Parront]

Thank you! I was hatching a clutch about every 2 weeks between 4/9 - 7/16 so I have a range of ages. I was selling as straight run with the option to return cockerels. Needless to say, I have about 75 cockerels now. We're going to clump them together and do a butcher session in October and another one in January.

At least someone else fed them! They are not very large dressed depending on age 2 to 3 pounds. I kept a few to 6 months, but most were processed about 14-18 weeks old. Since you have the males separate, a grower feed about 15% and lots of free-range is what I would feed them.

 

[abarkabove]

I'm reading they are ready for butcher at 22 weeks. Did you find that they were at their max weight by 14-18 weeks? The largest one we dressed out last year was about 3.8 lb.

 

[Parront]

I'm reading they are ready for butcher at 22 weeks. Did you find that they were at their max weight by 14-18 weeks? The largest one we dressed out last year was about 3.8 lb.

Just the crowing and bothering the layers. They are bigger at 6 months, but tougher, too. A 2 pound 14 week-old is fine by me and young enough to fry nice.