How much feed do you feed your pastured poultry and how often?

[randyandmegs]

This is my first batch of Cornish X. I have 90 in my Salatin style pen. I use a five foot long pvc trough type feeder. I took some advice on here and stopped feeding them 24/7. I move them in the morning to a fresh patch of clover and grasses and let them pick over that fresh green stuff for about an hour then put 4 scoops of feed in to which it's a feeding frenzy. During the day I add in left over blueberries, cucumbers. Late evening I fill up the feed trough again. Just wondering if Im feeding enough or too much or what???? I could weigh my feed if that would help if someone knows how much feed in weight should be fed. Just dont know how to tell how much I need to be feeding them to keep them gowing out right without over feeding and having those problems.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

 

[JohnL11935]

My meat birds are isolated from feed from about 7:30 in the evening till 5:30 in the morning. Throughout the day they have access to all the feed they can consume. Having a feeding frenzy in the morning is normal - especially for the CC's

Its sounds to me like you are under feeding your birds. I wouldn't worry about weighing your feed - just provide them with enough throughout the day so they only run out in the evening.

Hope this helps.

 

[bigredfeather]

I would agree with John11935. They should have access to feed all day. You may need to add another feeder to keep them all fed. In my expirience, with the way you are doing it right now, you will have some of the more dominant birds keeping on tract with weight gain, and the less dominant ones will be much smaller. The dominant ones eat all the food up before the others have a chance. By the time you refeed, the same ones are hungry again, and the same thing happens again. This just happened to me. I doubled my feeder space and everything was good again. I doubt any of them would starve and die, but you will have some smaller birds.

What diameter PVC are you using for a feeder? I ask because I am wanting to make a PVC feeder, and was wondering what size others use.

 

[capjim]

I feed my gang of CX twice a day..about 10~11 hrs apart. At nite..here about 1130..they're locked down due to wandering dogs and other critters, including owls. Morning does result in the feeding frenzy which settles out in about 5 minutes when they have all found the "right" place at the trough. They have water all day and nite. Right now they are at 5 1/2 weeks and are getting abt 50oz per day and just a little bit of cracked corn which will be increased 2 wks before the "end". Butcher time is expected to be at 8~9 wks and weight will average, based on my experience, about 7 lbs in their little vacumn packed jackets.

 

[Bossroo]

Remember to incrementally increase the feed volume daily so as not to level off the chicks' growth rate.

 

[eKo_birdies]

how much will the average cornish X eat before slaugher? (sorry, i know this has been said many times, i just can't find the posts now

) is it around 20 lbs or something of that nature? or is my memory waaaaay off?

 

[randyandmegs]

Quote:
6" Pvc was used. I got the idea from this blog.... http://rachelprickett.wordpress.com/

 

[crperdue]

I use vinyl rain gutters. They are super cheap compared to large diameter PVC.
They are nice and long so alot of birds can feed at once.

 

[Dogfish]

I use bucket feeders made out of 5 gallon buckets. 25lbs of food (a bucket full) lasts 25 birds about 2 days during the last few weeks. For that many birds, three buckets