Getting Broilers to loose weight??

[SaraF]

I have a week exactly before weigh-in. The chickens are all weighing 6lbs. 8oz roughly. Some a little more. Our weight limit is 7 pounds.

SIGH. I have been giving them scratch grain instead of their usual 20% protein mash for a week before last week I saw them were getting to heavy to fast. Ive weighed them everyday for 9 days.. they are gaining usually 2 oz. a day some more depending on how much they ate that day. Today I started to run them around the barn to get them to maybe loose a few ounces and strengthen their sad not so meaty legs. Any suggestions on what I can do different to keep them from gaining anymore or possible get them a little bit more in a comfort zone of 6.5 in a week?

 

[cassie]

I would not put them on scratch. I would just limit their feed. These things are not made to lose weight. They are made to gain it. Fast. IMHO your weight limit is unrealistic. But then I like to cook big chickens.

 

[stanglover2001]

Well if you want less than 7 pounds why don't you go ahead and butcher? they're already at 6.5 lbs, since 16 ounces = 1 pound. Why are you trying to keep them for one more week?

 

[stanglover2001]

Sorry, just realized you must be taking them to be processed and the processor must have a weight limit... You really think that they'll be that harsh and not process the chicken if it weighs more than 7 pounds exact? I'd be careful about running them if they're not used to it, might have a heartattack. You might want to take cassie's advice and just LIMIT the feed you give them and maybe get a lower protein percentage?

 

[Sachasmom]

I think she's trying to keep them under the weight requirement for fair?

You should see my meat chickens. I got them as month old birds at the auction for the same price as day olds. They have not acted like meat chickens since they stepped foot on the property though, they spent much of their first month escaping the pen. Over and over and over again. I finally threw my hands up in the air and said, fine, free range if thats what you want!

I don't think they know they're meat chickens, since they run with all the rest of the flock/ducks. I do think they grew a whole lot slower, of course, I didn't have to feed them obscene amounts of food either. On the plus side, meat chickens will eat anything, and they clean up all the rabbit pellets the buns spill or anything I dump out.

The down side is that they taste just like the other chickens do, still gamey and chewy.

The funny thing is everyone who comes here for other stuff always asks about them, and how did I get my Meat Chickens to DO that, since theirs all do what they are supposed to do (Sit, eat and poop)

Which of course doesn't help you keep your birds under the weight limit. Maybe just feed them some fresh greens? Fresh veggies? Are you feeding them free choice or limit feeding? I don't free feed anything, well, other than chicks still in the brooder that is. I feed mine once per day (I've been feeding the ducks twice a day, they are just insane with the amount of feed they can put away!) after that, I tell them to go find some bugs to eat!

 

[SaraF]

Thanks you all! This helps a bunch. and yes I am trying to get them under the limit for fair. if they go over for fair, i cant show, and i cant sell at auction. I'll try the fresh greens idea. They were being free fed until about 2 weeks ago. they have gotten only once a day.