how to finish meaties. . . I think I did something wrong

[chicks4fun]

Okay, I sent half my flock to be butchered & they were way smaller than expected. I have cornish rock x and they were 9 weeks old. I picked the biggest birds and I ended up with small breasts and an average 3 pound bird.
Should I have feed them some type of finishing feed---kind of like cows at the end to fatten them? I heard they would be done in 6 weeks. I knew at 6 weeks they were too small---heck even at 9 weeks they are not big. I fed them meat bird feed and added some fermented grains to their diet.
What did I do wrong???
thanks for any help

 

[Sundown_Farmer]

There are a lot of variables there. We offer 21% protein feed while they are in the brooder, 19% while on pasture and slaughter at 8 weeks. Also, we grind our own feed. I find that the bagged feed just goes right through them but freshly ground feed sticks to the ribs. They are averaging 5.5 pounds at 8 weeks. We keep 60 birds in an 8x12 chicken tractor and they get almost as much feed as they can eat while there is light out and a never-ending supply of water.

How many birds did you raise? How many pounds of feed did they go through? Was feed available to them at all times during the day? Many people have no choice other than to feed before going to work and feeding again in the evening. That means the birds go empty almost all day. If that is the case it's better if you can find a bulk feeder (5-gallon bucket) that won't go empty during the day.

Good luck.

 

[PotterWatch]

I agree, we need more information about how much feed you went through (in lbs), and how many birds you were raising. We find that ours go through between 16-18lbs of feed per bird in an 8wk period and they average between 5-5.5lbs dressed.

 

[backintime]

There are a lot of variables there. We offer 21% protein feed while they are in the brooder, 19% while on pasture and slaughter at 8 weeks. Also, we grind our own feed. I find that the bagged feed just goes right through them but freshly ground feed sticks to the ribs. They are averaging 5.5 pounds at 8 weeks. We keep 60 birds in an 8x12 chicken tractor and they get almost as much feed as they can eat while there is light out and a never-ending supply of water.

How many birds did you raise? How many pounds of feed did they go through? Was feed available to them at all times during the day? Many people have no choice other than to feed before going to work and feeding again in the evening. That means the birds go empty almost all day. If that is the case it's better if you can find a bulk feeder (5-gallon bucket) that won't go empty during the day.

Good luck.

This is wonderful advice. If chicks are hungry, there's a reason. These birds are programmed for rapid growth. Offer high protein feed, and don't make them rely on "foraging" as these birds don't have the same foraging instincts as layers. If you keep feed out all the time, they will NOT consume it all and explode, they will eat when hungry (which is often!) and sometimes ignore the feeder. Many nights my broilers put themselves to bed in the coop with FEED REMAINING IN THE FEEDER. I never ever make them wait for feed. They dress out at least 5 lbs. by 7 weeks, no heart attacks, no leg collapse. DON'T STARVE THESE BIRDS!!!!!

 

[backintime]

Right on, Sundown Farmer! Seems like many folks are trying to save $$ on feed by offering kitchen scraps, scratch, significant foraging and other substitutes for high-protein feed. Think about the final cost of your meat. I feed organic -- which is TWICE THE PRICE of non-organic, and I have under $2.00 per pound of meat invested. Crappy hamburger costs more than that! If you can feedyour birds to maturity for $1 per pound of meat, why skimp? It does seems like alot of money when you're buying the sacks of feed, but when the freezer is full of wonderful meat, maybe a year's worth of chicken, hmmm, kind of puts it all back into perspective. I've raised maybe 5 batches of cornish cross, and they may peck at the ground alot, but I'd wager that 95% of their intake comes from the feed trough. I once dumped canned corn into their run (which my layers would've annihilated in 5 seconds flat) and my broilers just walked on it. These birds do not have strong natural insticts, at least not to the point of keeping up with their incredible growth rate. If you want truly cost-saving foragers, go for Freedom Rangers or a heritage breed that retains strong instincts for finding their own feed.

 

[what did I do]

I think different breeders have different crosses. Last year my CX finisher faster, more died, and they had less feathers, ans smaller hearts and lungs. This year the birds grow slower, have bigger hearts, beautiful feathers, only one has died. We are feeding the same grains but this year we ground the feed. Where as last year we fed whole grain.

Last year we got them from Big R and this year they came from Hoover Hatchery.

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

Okay, I sent half my flock to be butchered & they were way smaller than expected. I have cornish rock x and they were 9 weeks old. I picked the biggest birds and I ended up with small breasts and an average 3 pound bird.
Should I have feed them some type of finishing feed---kind of like cows at the end to fatten them? I heard they would be done in 6 weeks. I knew at 6 weeks they were too small---heck even at 9 weeks they are not big. I fed them meat bird feed and added some fermented grains to their diet.
What did I do wrong???
thanks for any help

If the chicks were Commercial Broiler chicks then the most obvious reason for their smaller weight is lack of feed intake. These birds need feed to grow and they will eat it quickly. A typical backyard broiler will consume about 2.5# of feed for every pound up to about 8 lb body weight.

Reading one of the "Fermented Feed" threads has me thinking that offering fermented feed is limiting feed.

Jim

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

I think different breeders have different crosses. Last year my CX finisher faster, more died, and they had less feathers, ans smaller hearts and lungs. This year the birds grow slower, have bigger hearts, beautiful feathers, only one has died. We are feeding the same grains but this year we ground the feed. Where as last year we fed whole grain.
Last year we got them from Big R and this year they came from Hoover Hatchery.

There is your answer. Feeding whole grains to broilers severly limits their intake and feed efficiency. These birds, regardless of hatchery, are bred to efficiently convert processed feed to muscle quickly.

 

[chicks4fun]

how many did you raise? How many pounds of feed did they go through? Was feed available to them at all times during the day? Many people have no choice other than to feed before going to work and feeding again in the evening. That means the birds go empty almost all day. If that is the case it's better if you can find a bulk feeder (5-gallon bucket) that won't go empty during the day.

Good luck.

I had 28 birds. I have to double check my total feed. They did have feed all day & water too. I work from home so I checked on them a few times a day---I worry about predators. I also gave them some whole fermented grains when I went out (the mix was of barley, oats & wheat). I sometimes added ACV to their water but not always.
I put out a few waters & a few feeders to keep them from crowding each other too. Plus with the heat I wanted as much water close by them as I read stories about birds not doing well in the heat.

 

[chicks4fun]

I think different breeders have different crosses. Last year my CX finisher faster, more died, and they had less feathers, ans smaller hearts and lungs. This year the birds grow slower, have bigger hearts, beautiful feathers, only one has died. We are feeding the same grains but this year we ground the feed. Where as last year we fed whole grain.
Last year we got them from Big R and this year they came from Hoover Hatchery.

This is interesting as I've read a few posts on other threads that people said their birds are growing slower this year. A few folks are wondering if the hatchery changed their breeding. Since I'm new to this and have never raised meat birds (layers for only 4 years) I am lost.
This batch came from Mt Healthy, via Southern States. The gentleman who works there is raising another breed but commented they are growing slower than he expected too. Given that we have two different type birds I didn't think it was the hatchery changing the breeding. He also uses a regular broiler mix from Southern States. I started out with Countryside Organics and later switched---I need to get the specifics but I fear the change wasn't good either. Too many variables for me to figure this out.