Freedom Ranger experience and feed #s

[moonsynth]

I've just kept feed available at all times in two 30lb feeders, so I felt like I couldn't let it get wet because it might not get eaten right away. How do you judge how much to give them each day if you want it to be gone that day? Just trial and error? If it's raining all day, like yesterday, do you still keep the food out? Do you give grit?

Sorry I'm hijacking your post, but you are doing things similarly to me so you seem like a good person to ask my questions to. Thanks so much!

 

[Poultry Enthusiast]

I raised 26 FRs last year to about 11.5 weeks. I think the feed efficiency drops after about week 7. I couldn't prove that for FR, but it does on Cornish X.

 

[valdalefarm]

Yes, I was just kind of gauging how much feed to give by trial and error. I did want them to run out for a bit of the day, and so if there was a day when I checked early I'd see they might have a bit left. But for me, feeding this much wound up being more costly than expected. With a self-feeder you might indeed want some covering so you don't have wet in it. I had originally been leaning towards a self-feeder, but then I figured I have to go check on the birds once a day anyway, and it does allow rationing feed if needed and perhaps encouraging more foraging.

 

[moonsynth]

Thanks for all the info. Do you give grit? I put some out recently to see if they would take it. It took them a week to eat maybe a cup and a half. For 50 chickens, that seems like not much grit per chicken. I've read many people think they get enough grit from the ground, always being on fresh pasture. What do you think?

 

[valdalefarm]

We gave no grit, and when we processed them and opened up the gizzards, you could see that they found plenty on their own.

 

[moonsynth]

OK thanks!

 

[Saltysteele]

i've often wondered about what part roughage plays, in as far as slowing down the food through them and allowing them to absorb more.

ours did not free range, but their gizzards were full of hay. (we did not keep track of feed fed, just kept their feeder full).

with beef, too little hay/roughage and the corn goes straight through them. up the roughage fed, and there is much less waste (corn in poop)

like i said, just wondering what point the fiber would play in a meat chicken, and if that may have helped your conversion rate.

 

[valdalefarm]

Now that you mention it, along with the grit there was quite a bit of grass in the gizzards when we cleaned, so I guess they did forage some! I also wonder if getting them outside on grass earlier would help a lot - we had wanted to get them out at 3 weeks, but as things had it didn't get them out til 4.