How do I raise meat birds for fair? Please add your advice.

[LuvinChickens]

I have recently decided to take some meat chickens to fair next year. But I have no idea what to do. Any advice is greatly appreciated, but I do have some specific questions. P.S. I would buy between 8 and 10 Cornish Cross/Broilers but only take the best 4 to fair.
1. My first question is obviously when do I get the birds. The fair is normaly around the last week in August.
2. What/how should I feed them? I think the max weight is 6lbs for the birds to make weight at fair.
3. How should I house them? Temps can be between 30 to 114+ Degrees f in the summer.
4. What else do I need to know? Anything helps.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

CX's reach 6lbs in 6-10 weeks depending on how they are raised. A brooder indoors (basement or garage maybe) would be ideal for the first few weeks where you can moniter temps carefully. Outdoors, make sure they have somewhere to cool down that's shady and maybe even a bit moist, and somewhere dry to all huddle up and stay warm if it's too cold. Something not too much bigger than they are so they share body heat.

 

[LuvinChickens]

Thank you for replying to my post! I will deffinitly keep all of this in mind when planning the coop.

 

[LuvinChickens]

My parents and I have decided to try raise a batch of 4-6 broilers before the ones for fair. Just to see if we can raise them. Can meat birds have medicated chick starter?

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

I believe that meat birds can have medicated chick starter but I wouldn' t give it to them for long. Maybe a few weeks at most. The bag may say something like "feed for the first 6 weeks" or even "for the first 8 weeks" but you have to remember that by 8 weeks those CX will be ready to process they grow so much more quickly than an egg laying chick.

 

[LuvinChickens]

So should I start them on a Medicated chick start and then at about 3 weeks switch them over to a grower/finisher feed?

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

Many brands have a starter, a grower and a finisher feed formula for different stages of development.

The feed store I'm using now has a "starter/grower" and then a "broiler finisher" for the last few weeks before butchering.