Texas

[jnntefend]

What's the best food to fatten my Cornish rocks?

Chick starter. They will fatten themselves with no additional help, I promise. And heir bodies really need the chick starter.

 

[jnntefend]

Welcometo the newpeople, and congratulations on your strong start, GFamily!

 

[jnntefend]

Good grief, Sorry about all the typos. I hurt my foot putting in the fence a couple days ago, and I have some yummy painkillers making it hard to type well.

 

[Kilsharion]

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Add in some kefir/yogurt if you want. The probiotics will help ensure they get the most nutritional bang for the buck. And, if you are giving them scratch, you can mix up your own or use a fine cracked scratch and add mealworms.

The additional proteins ensure that you aren't getting just fat - it encourages muscle production. You could also look into fermenting your feed; but, that's a whole other kettle of fish and does take more time than just putting crumbles in the feed bin.

 

[Cockle-Dood]

Good grief, Sorry about all the typos. I hurt my foot putting in the fence a couple days ago, and I have some yummy painkillers making it hard to type well.

I love yummy pain killers!! lol!

 

[jnntefend]

Yardbird, Just be careful trying to fatten them. I have had one die from getting too big too fast, and that was just from chick starter. They really, really (dare I say really) don't need help getting fat.

That said, active yogurt is always a good idea, but only once a week or so.

 

[Kilsharion]

Yardbird, Just be careful trying to fatten them. I have had one die from getting too big too fast, and that was just from chick starter. They really, really (dare I say really) don't need help getting fat.

That said, active yogurt is always a good idea, but only once a week or so.

This is one of the reasons I stressed protein intake vs carbohydrate intake.

A broiler in the range of 0-3 weeks needs a protein intake of 23% with an ME/kg intake of 3200 (compared to layer/DP requirement of 2850). They also need 1300mg/kg choline and significantly more amino acids at that age. The Leucine requirements are also significantly higher. Additionally, Lysine requirements for meat birds is significantly higher (1.10) than that for dual purpose or layers (0.85) and the Isoleucine differs by about the same amount (.80 for meat, .60 for DP/layers). Honestly, a game bird feed is almost ideal for these three weeks if you are not fermenting starter feeds.

Once they reach the age of 3-6 weeks, their protein intake can drop to 20% and their amino acid requirements are reduced as well - yet still higher than the standard starter feed. Their ME/kg remains the same.

In the range of 6-8 weeks they should be fed 18-20% protein...most stick with the 20%. The ME/kg requirements are still 3200. The amino acid requirements have dropped, again; and, are nearing the levels found in chick starter feeds.

What that indicates is that they need the extra protein. They need increased amino acids to help in digesting and converting their foods properly and effectively, and their macro and trace minerals and vitamins differ rather significantly from that of chick starter. By using the same ME requirement with the variation in proteins and amino acids, you are improving the growth rate over time, maximizing the meat development (vs fat) and providing a healthier result.

This dietary differentiation is not present in feeding solely chick starter feeds and could be one of the reasons some have experienced difficulty with their meat birds when feeding chick starter feeds only. Just my speculation (re: starter feeds only); but, the rest of it is from a few of the poultry dietary requirements studies I've accessed over the last few months in developing my feed. I have pulled the information from Auburn, Texas A&M, NC State and Perdue. I admit freely that I have never raised meat birds, preferring dual purpose. So, all of this information is based on studies and their results rather than my own, anecdotal experience.

 

[Little Wing]

im crossing my fingers i might have and egg when i get home! Tuite (or mama-red) has found the nesting spots i put together, so im just hoping!!

@ Little WIng - she has also decided to mother-hen the 6 week old keets i have in there as well. when they are are out walking around the keets will stay in her shadow the entire time, couped them up last nite and the keets were the last one to go in, you would thought something was eating them alive by the way there were acting when they got seperated from their mama-red!

@chicklette - Did the yokie hen lay in nesting boxes with the your others? those two are pretty much loners in the group, but get along just fine with the others!

Tuyet is about 2 years old. She should still lay well. It may take her a little while to get used to things.

Gas to Houston and back - $20
Laying Hen - $15
Mama to new baby keets - Priceless

 

[Cockle-Dood]

Tuyet is about 2 years old. She should still lay well. It may take her a little while to get used to things.

Gas to Houston and back - $20
Laying Hen - $15
Mama to new baby keets - Priceless

i agree! totally worth it!

 

[yinepu]

Yinepu congrats on your hubby making it home!!!!!!! Tell him all of us from fentress thank him for his service and are so happy he came home!!!!

I told him.. he say "hi & thanks!"

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I did.. he's so happy to be back here in the States

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yeah I do.. y'all are great!

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no worries.. i just couldn't resist pickin on ya!

Yinepu, so glad your husband is home, but really sorry about the injury. My younger brother is in Afghanistan right now on his second tour. He got to come home for 2 weeks when my father died on March 6. He tried to make it home in time to see Dad before he died but as you know those kind of trips home mean flying standby. He got home the next day. I think he will extend his tour, so he will over there as much as a year longer.

I hope you two get to spend lots of quality time together, and not reading BYC!!!

I hope your brother makes it home safe and sound.. sorry he couldn' be there to see his dad one more time though.

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you know we're gonna want pics!

Yardbird, Just be careful trying to fatten them. I have had one die from getting too big too fast, and that was just from chick starter. They really, really (dare I say really) don't need help getting fat.

That said, active yogurt is always a good idea, but only once a week or so.

yeah.. getting too big (heavy) too fast can kill them pretty quick.. either that or they lay there with bowed broken legs and can't move...

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For meaties you really need to go with lower protein. The problem is they gain weight too fast (muscle AND fat).. which puts a stress on their hearts and legs

Feeding too high protein content feed to meat birds can cause "flip".. which is preventable to an extent by lowering protein content to 18% (give or take a smidge).. some bloodlines can handle higher protein content (23-24%) better than others.. so it's always a good idea to limit protein to the "broiler" rations once the birds are at 3 pounds body weight .. most are formulated at 20% or less.. I think ours runs 16 or 18%