I need your 'secrets' :) for 4-H meaties

[Cindiloohoo]

HEHE don't quote me on anything...I'm reading and learning as well. I want to raise some meat birds this spring too. Just tried to get you a starting point but I do know the gamebird feed is higher protein, and you are very welcome for what my advice is worth

 

[jaku]

Quote:
Those are the basics? Haha, I've never heard any of those besides leaving the light on. And believe me, you WON'T have to remind them to eat! As for what to feed... define "around here." You're best off buying mill ground feed. You'll literally save 50% with mill ground, and you'll get better food. With mill ground feed, you can see the actual ingredients, as opposed to scary looking grey crumble. With 50 birds, you're going to be going through about 1000 pounds of food, so that 50% is a huge difference. Go with 20% protein broiler feed, and you'll be fine from day one until butchering.

 

[WingingIt]

We're doing roasters for our first time this year and I attended a meeting/seminar that a local 'expert' put on. His DDs had won championships for several years (are grown and in college now, so no longer competing here). He said the radio is good, but it's not to keep them awake, it's to get them used to noise. The barn where we show will be much noisier than it is here at our home, and by the time we go to show their livers are burned up pretty much (from eating and gaining so much so fast) that any shock can literally kill them, so you want them used to noise. The 'stirring' that he mentioned was just to be sure and stir the shavings every day to keep them from getting sores and red spots on their chests from lying on poop. He fed his 25% protein feed until a month before the show and then dropped them back down to 20% at that time. He said that if you want to give them treats he'd give them scrambled eggs, NOT sugar in any form because that will give them added fat, which is not what you want. He offered to come out and rank/rate them for anyone, too. He won't tell you how yours are compared to other people's, but he'll tell you which of your birds are the best out of your pen.

Ours eat pretty much non-stop, I can't see a reason to wake them up, personally. They don't sleep for long stretches and when they are awake, they ARE eating. Lots.

Not sure that helps, but it's what I learned there.

 

[Bossroo]

Here is a great article from Hubbard on managing broiler breeding flocks. It's amazing how they have everything down to a science.

http://www.hubbardbreeders.com/managementguides/index.php?id=3
This is curtesy from Jeff of Brunty Farms. Follow what the real pros of the chicken world do from over 50 years of scientific research and you will do just fine.

 

[chellebyerly]

Jaku, around here is Jasper Texas.

well I live about 20 miles from Jasper, but its close enough. I live on the North end of the county.

and dang- honestly, if I got it mill grained, storage would be a problem. I dont have that many trash cans. LOL

I didnt want to have to buy 50 birds, but they refused to let me get away with just buying one 'group' I had to buy 2 groups of 25- one for each boy.



wingingit, okay, the radio makes sense. cause I have heard of them just dying at the show. matter of fact, we are supposed to bring an alternate incase one dies. of course, with 4 kids running around here, plus all the dogs, and hogs and such, they will likely have a heart attack at the show because its too quiet! LOL

and it does make sense the 'stirring' but I have also been told they will get too fat to even want to eat. LOL not exactly what I would classify as 'true animal husbandry' and really want my kids to learn, but I guess its the way it is. I'd heard the 'wake them up' and ' go out adn make them GET up' from quite a few people. One family of about 4 kids was tellin how each of them had their alarm set for differnt hours of the night because that was their 'time' to wake the birds.. or maybe their parents just liked to torture them (I was thinking it was a good idea and still do, even if I dont need to ;-) but I'm kinda into that torture thing too... LOL )

And I had wondered about the sugary stuff, I mean, it makes fat on us, and we actually work or walk at least, LOL so on a stationary bird, you'd think it would really give them fat pockets.

Do you keep a light on them at all times? how old are yours so far? Are you feeding game bird starter? or do you have a special feed for chickens?

Thanks so much bossroo I will check them out

 

[redhen]

Interesting..thanks for the info!

 

[Overeasyplz]

OP, you are going to have to keep us updated! I am interested in how this is all going to turn out!

 

[chellebyerly]

sure will overeasyplz!

I'll keep y'all updated

and you need to teach me something about these dadgum rabbits. LOL I bred a few months ago to get the hang of it, make sure I didnt kill any babies. Those 7 are doing great. (only one doe took)- when breeding date came for the full bloods I had (I got 'took' on the first 3 rabbits I bought from a 'reputable' 4-Her...So I bred the two questionable does.) anyway, my 3 full blood californians refused to breed. LOL I think one of them took. I PRAY I get at least 6 GOOD bunnies, so both boys can show. that was MORE money invested that wont come to fruition... LOL But at least we will eat good I reckon...

OH and thats another question... kinda gory I reckon, but if I have a bird that is 7 weeks, or even 5 or 6 weeks and it dies, and its still warm, I mean, not been dead long... (cause I have to go out there every few hours anyway...) do you go ahead and butcher them? you fiqure it died of a heart attack right?? cause best case senerio, I am looking at having at least 44 birds that I will have to butcher the week after the show. (each kid will take in 3 and I had to buy 50.) I aint gonna let them go to waste! But what about those that ... almost make it...?? LOL

 

[WingingIt]

We do have a light on them at all times. We get locally milled feed (but we sort of go in with other 4H'ers so we can all buy several bags instead of having to buy a whole mill run at once each) that's what they call their 'show' feed, higher protein....they say it should average out to roughly 25-28% protein. We have their feed and water up on bricks so that they have to get up to get to it. I sort of figured it would help their muscle building at least some if they had to at least STAND to eat.....lol. Ours are almost 2 months old now and the last time we weighed one (about two weeks ago) it weighed almost 8 pounds, if that helps you at all.

Oh - and we were told the same thing about them dying at the shows. They actually have a rule here that they have to be alive when brought into the judging ring - if they die once they are IN the ring, that's OK.

 

[seymojo536]

I know you guys do things a little differently down there in Texas but as a long time 4H advisor of our poultry club, I am really surprised at the attitudes you are experiencing. Keeping secrets???? There are no secrets to raising and showing broilers. In 4H it is supposed to be about the kids learning how to care for and show an animal, not who won.
Not to be noisy but just exactly how much do your grand champions sell for? Money can make people do weird stuff.

My advice to you is to contact the local extension office and ask for a copy of the show rules. Also get the name of the person in charge of the poultry department at your fair.
Not knowing exactly what you are shooting for it will be hard to recommend any tactics.

I do know around here that each fair/show can have different guidelines when it comes to the broiler classes.
That's why it is important to know exactly what the show rules are. At eight weeks our birds are pushing 10 lbs. We show a 7 lb bird at 6 1/2 weeks old.

For our fair we must weigh in 4 birds and show 3. That's to 1. ensure the kid has 3 for the ring and 2. These birds can change conformation overnight. good to have a backup.
Total pen weight cannot be over 28 lbs. they get points deducted for each tenth of a lb under 28 lbs. Over 28 you can show but are not eligible for class/champion placings.
All birds must be hatched on or after a certain date. We were having issues with some that were stuffing their birds to get them big early then starving them to keep them under 7 lbs. So we moved the hatch date back to make it a little more fair to all and for the birds' welfare.

Generally you are not looking for the biggest birds but you want birds that are exact duplicates of each other with no defects(ie no blisters or bruises). Uniformity is what wins around here. 3 birds that are so alike in conformation and size that blindfolded, the judge cannot tell them apart.

Start with a 30% gamebird starter. feed until you have fed 4 lbs to each bird. then switch to a 20- 22% grower. About a week before the show we like to switch to a finishing feed that carries a little more fat% to put the covering on the meat. Ignore any advice about extra stuff like what you are hearing from those "experts'. Butter my foot, stick with a good commerical feed and your birds will get everthing they need.

You should add an inch of shaving each week as they are growing and remove any wet bedding immediately. This will help to reduce the chance of blisters on the breast or any foot problems.

At about 3 weeks of age we go to a 12 hr on and 12 hour off fedding schedule. This is to keep them active and interested in eating. The birds will consume more feed overall by this method than if you keep feed in front of them at all times. Water before them at all times, change it at least twice a day and keep it clean. If you wouldn't drink it they won't either.

About 2 weeks before the show, we start to pick the birds that are showing some promise, 1st round is by weight. all pullets and smaller birds will go into a seperate pen and get additional feed. The keepers are tagged and group by conformation. We do this again one week before and cut the keeper group down again. Usually wind up with 8 - 10 birds for selecting our pen of 4 from. Find someone who knows what a good broiler should feel like and learn to recognize the shape and size of a blue ribbon breast.

There is a ton of stuff I could tell you but for now go get the rules and let us know what there are and we will be happy to help wherever we can.
Not all 4H people are as you have met, most are more than willing to help. Keep looking and you will find them.