How to feed meat birds?

[JenMT]

Hi and thankyou, thank you, thank you for responding to my ignorant newbie questions...

I bought 10 straight run red cornish meat birds on a whim at my local farm store. We ususally purchase organic chickens already frozen from our local neighbors or the Hutterites, but I'd been toying with raising some myself for a year or so. They are already one week old and I am currently feeding them Purina Flock Grower. (Hope that's okay?) I already have several laying hens, but I have no idea of what, when or how to feed a meat bird. I am mostly interested in a large roasting size bird and less of a fryer. Locally, I can purchase ready-made Purina Sunfresh and Nutrena feeds AND I have easy access to Rogue or Magill Ranch organic feeds, but I would preferr finding an organic recipe from someone here and having my local feed guy make it for me with fresh locally grown ingredients. I can also free-range the chickens daily (if I should) and I have access to whole wheat berries, alfafa pellets, bulk corn, soybean meal, etc. Any suggestions, good diet plans or websites I should see?

 

[bugflipper]

Grower is not terrible, but a starter would be better. Or even a starter/grower. Mine are allowed to free range and get in the garden when they are out of the brooder. The garden doesn't get pesticides, it is up to the poultry to keep the bugs down. In winter I plant a food plot for the deer on the garden spot and use for a manure crop the following spring after the clover and grass come up in the yard. So they have year around access to food. If you keep them penned they need a good feed like you are feeding them. I use co-op feed but a lot of areas don't have a Co-op store close by. If allowed out you can usually go with a cheap feed with low protein as a filler and let them hustle for themselves when they are in the cockeral/pullet stage. My main feed is a scratch( just seeds) forc/p and adult. If they stay in a pen I feed them breeder crumbles when adults. Just check the feed label no matter the brand. If it has words you can't decipher look somewhere else. The co-op brands use soybean meal as the protein source and a mix of vitamins and grains. They have been out before and I went to tractor supply. There were things on the label I had no clue of what they were. I ended up getting oats to make it until the co-op got more feed in.

 

[JenMT]

Thank you for the quick response...anyone else?

 

[jaku]

Broiler feed, at least 20%

 

[silkiechicken]

I would get them on a starter feed with high protein and keep them warm. They will be ready in about 8-10 weeks so you can let them range a bit but don't be concerned that they don't act much like regular chickens. They sit and eat mostly.