Protien percentage for meat birds.....

[cjeanean]

what percent protien should I feed cornish crosses, and for how long??? I'm not planning to feed medicated feed, just whatever protien percent is necessary for meat birds. Thanks everyone!

 

[greentree]

I fed mine the Purina Flock Raiser, also called Meat Builder, the whole 6-8 weeks. It is 20% protein.

The Purina poultry website is pretty informative!

Nancy

 

[greyfields]

Anything 20% plus will work. You will find broiler starter/finisher with is around 22% which you feed to them the entire time without having to switch. This means the birds never have a 'hiccup' while adjusting to a new feed.

I would avoid a 28% ration since this could cause the growth rate to be too much, and Cornish Crosses have enough problems without pushing them to their upper limit.

I also use Purina simply because of the Sun-Fresh recipe (no animal byproducts) which I find my customer's are satisfied with. In general, though, I don't think Purina will ever be as good as a locally milled product. Their lines tend to be to general as well. Just read the labeling on Flock Raiser. It almost sounds like an all-breed catch-all rather than something designed for broilers.

I also have to supplement my waterfowl with brewer's yeast for niacin, since the Flock Raiser doesn't meet the minimum required ammount for growing birds.