My own Meaties Experiment

[kizanne]

I have never done meaties so this is what I currently am doing/plan on doing and I'll try to keep it up to date for others to read since I have enjoyed and learned from reading others.

I am using organic starter (from Countryside) which comes in 19% protein so for the first two weeks I am going to up the protein with mealworms. Using Welps website I have calculated the number of mealworms to up their protein level to 21%.
2 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10 Day 11 Day 12 Day 13 Day 14 Day 15 Day 16 Day 17 Day 18 Day 19 Day 20 Day 21


Cornish Cross Chicks shipped 12/7 and arrived 12/9
ordered 25 from Welp with the Cocci spray
Received 26 all alive with one that seems more tired than the rest
Placed in 4x8 Brooder with temp around 90
Used Save-A-Chick vitamin pack in water

I weighed and marked each one (marked with sharpie on the foot)

The smallest was 0.95 Ounces (the next smallest was 1.27 oz so quite a bit smaller)
The largest was 1.98 Ounces
The average was 1.58 Ounces

Each chick was shown the water, had starter (19% protein) available, After several hours a little grit each was offered mealworms about 2 apiece. This should raise the protein to 21%

 

[cornish20]

So, after they are 3 weeks old.. what do you plan to do to up their protein? From my experience, this is the time in their life that's getting ready to occur that the nutrition and growth rates sky rocket.

I'm also having a hard time believing it is more cost effective to purchase meal worms, as opposed to some simple protein supplement.

Just last week, I bought 18# of SBM to up the protein levels of one of my feeds, and think it cost me just over a dollar for the 18 pounds.

 

[NatureBoy86]

Quote:
Ive just ventured into the meat bird world, I got 10 Cornish rocks and 10 Red broilers I got them Dec.1, May I ask what is SBM.?

 

[partsRheavy]

Purchased mealworms aren't cost-effective for any poultry. It's a matter of purchasing them rather far in advance of plans to use them and rearing them out for a couple generations. There's a mealworm thread in the section about Feeding Your Flock that explains this. They are rather slow to grow but take very little time to care for..

 

[cornish20]

Quote:
Ive just ventured into the meat bird world, I got 10 Cornish rocks and 10 Red broilers I got them Dec.1, May I ask what is SBM.?

SMB= SOYBEAN MEAL... 42-44% Crude Protein, depending on where you are, and other things...

Basically, for those of you who don't know... The Soybean is cooked, and then the SOY OIL is taken out, leaving SBM.

Actually rereading my post.. I think it was just over $2 for the 18 pounds...

 

[Tracydr]

Where do you get SBM for that price? It's about $18-20$ for $50 pounds here, so that would be a lot more than what you're paying.
I think even the commodities price is more than what you're paying.

 

[kizanne]

Ok, I grow my own meal worms so I've got lots its almost free protein at this point. and is a more natural source of protein for them.
Second one of the reasons I choose organic feed is I don't want the soy.
And I may keep the mealies up for longer I have one whole bin right now scheduled to feed out to my chickens ( I raise them for my egg layers) so if they last I'll feed them out.
Third Welps page says cut back at 4.5 weeks to 18% which my feed is 19% so I'm right there.
Fourth I don't want my growth to be so explosive they have health problems so if they grow a little slower I'm ok with that
One of the reasons I started the thread was to share my experience with others as there are a few threads that share the 28% game bird but not too many organic meaties thread.


Update:

I have one that is still weak from travel may still lose her. Have been giving her sugar water but I haven't seen her eat so I'm going to boil up and egg and mash the yolk up.

I randomly weighed one and it is up 15% in body weight today but that is probably just from eating and drinking not from actual growth but we'll see.


I did take the area right under the light and put a hand full of clean shavings this morning cause as everyone says they poop like crazy.

 

[itsy]

Hey kiz - are they eating the mealworms at their size? I'm surprised they would take them. How large are the mealies you're keeping?

I'm keeping my own mealworm colony as well as a dubia roach colony for the chickens.

 

[chicken farmer 1997]

Quote:
Ive just ventured into the meat bird world, I got 10 Cornish rocks and 10 Red broilers I got them Dec.1, May I ask what is SBM.?

SMB= SOYBEAN MEAL... 42-44% Crude Protein, depending on where you are, and other things...

Basically, for those of you who don't know... The Soybean is cooked, and then the SOY OIL is taken out, leaving SBM.

Actually rereading my post.. I think it was just over $2 for the 18 pounds...

my soybean meal is 12.50 per 50 lbs. and it is 48%

 

[cornish20]

At $300 per ton... SBM equals $3/ 20 lb... Remove two zeros easy math...

The price was just less than that.. I figured up I paid .13/ per lb for it. or 2.34 for 18 pounds of SBM.

Most 'common' SBM is not 48% CP... It will vary b/w 42 and 44%- t his also depends on what part of the country you are in.



To the OP.. Why are you against Soy? All it is, is a soybean that's been cooked, and chopped up?