Hen needs to diet...

[lpatelski]

Background info on hen: She was born 02/06/2015 so she is around 30 weeks of age. She is a Cornish Roaster hen. She is 12 pounds. I am using her in my meat bird project. When she stops laying this fall.

My questions are:
#1. How safe is it to shrink her back to a good weight so she will start in the spring at maybe 10 pounds?
#2. If she goes on a diet, will it affect her laying ability in the spring?
#3. Does anyone have a bulky low caloric hen diet recipe?
#4. When do Southern hens start to lay again...how many daylight hours?
#5 When do you start to increase the feed in prep for first eggs of the season.
#6 Feeding during the winter. How much extra feed does it take to maintain a proper weight during the colder months.

I would appreciate any or all questions being answered. I am most concerned about helping my big fat hen to maintain a healthy weight while laying eggs. It gets hot in Southern Georgia. My coop had fans running 24/7 during the 100++ temps. She was hot,but she made it through.

 

[Outpost JWB]

First, I'd like to say, I've never raised cornish roasters. But, I don't think it would be safe to put her on a weight loss diet. These meat chickens were genetically modified to get fat quick so they can mass produce. Supply and demand type thing. These chickens will get so fat so quick that their legs may not support them. Or their heart will give out. Sorry for the bad news, but it's the breed.

Your question about how many daylight hours do they need to produce an egg----it's 12 hours.

Maybe someone raising meat chickens will answer differently.

 

[lpatelski]

Yes, Cornish Roasters are made to get big and fat fast. I raised her on a limit feeding program like a Broiler breeder hen-like her parents. At 16 weeks you have to feed them normally so the reproduction system develops and they can lay eggs. After their laying season is over I think they go to the pot. I may be wrong. But I sure want to keep her in production, in my breeding program, as long as possible. These chicks are hers. I think she is doing a fine job for a big fat hen. Now if I can just keep her from laying double yolked eggs!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

People hold over CornishX all the time attempting meat bird projects. You'll just have to ration the food. Figure what you want to feed her in a day and only give her that. People usually have the meat birds separate from layers that have feed all day. To maintain a super sized large fowl 1/3 lb of feed per bird per day should be enough. Say feed in morning and enough scratch or cracked corn in late afternoon to fill crop at night with something.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Those are some really nice looking crosses you've got going. What did you put over her for that cross?

 

[lpatelski]

A purebred, Show bred, Dark Cornish roo "BamBam" is the man!

 

[Outpost JWB]

They are all beautiful.