They're not as big as I imagined them to be...

[Moochie]

I also realize that they're not being fed broiler food. Which is okay in my opinion, it's not hurting them and it's what I've been doing with all the birds that I raise. If I'm hatching ducks or turkeys, their chick starter will be suited for their needs like how ducklings need niacin and turkeys need more protein. Once the chick starter runs out, they're out of their baby stage, or they're consuming so much chick starter that it runs out faster then they are switched to "big chicken food". My birds will not touch pellets of any sort (I've tried) so they eat the mash which is corn and other stuff I guess. Is that all they get? No. If they only got feed I'd feel like I'm starving them. They also get fruits, vegetables, leftovers, worms, bugs, bread, potatoes, rice cake, mice (always alive because they won't touch dead ones), and baby mice, again alive baby mice that I find under things outside or if I dig in suspected mouse holes. Mice are for the laying flock though, the grow out pen where the broilers are gets fruits and vegetables.
I didn't even know broilers had their own type of feed until I asked on this thread so thank you to those actually helping and responding respectfully.

 

[Moochie]

Some are bigger than others. My mom hates KFC flavored chicken and she wants them to eat healthy and have more room so they can exercise. I just imagined them to be chunky chunky.

 

[chicken pickin]

They look pretty good. Not too small not like I was picturing while you described them. It may be that you have all girls as that is what I see in your pictures most of my girls are maybe 4lbs its all my boys thatll tip the scales lol. If you process at 8 or even at 9 weeks if they are staying on their legs they should be a decent size.

 

[Darin115]

To maximize the size of the broiler they must be on a broiler ration. Plain and simple. You complained about the size of your bird and then when people tell you what is wrong then you get upset.

I start my broilers on a turkey starter and grower. Then to a broiler ration. The higher protein adds mucle, not fat. I have raised them about every know way and the best way, in my experience, is to start on a high protein starter and then switch to a high protein broiler ration. I feed them as much as they can eat for 4 weeks. Then I limit their feed to daylight hours only for the final 4-5 weeks. I also add a little scratch in the final weeks. That is where the fat comes from.

Good luck with your birds.

Darin

 

[Moochie]

I didn't get upset about people telling me about the feed, I got upset at that user assuming things about me, if anyone else had read that and believed it they would have thought I'm some compulsive buyer with too many animals and starving them. Like a hoarder, which I am not.
Next time we raise broilers we will buy broiler feed. And I was just asking if the broiler specific feed adds fat or not, I wasn't arguing I was asking.

 

[Moochie]

They look pretty good. Not too small not like I was picturing while you described them. It may be that you have all girls as that is what I see in your pictures most of my girls are maybe 4lbs its all my boys thatll tip the scales lol. If you process at 8 or even at 9 weeks if they are staying on their legs they should be a decent size.

I have a few boys and they're the chunkier ones. By the way, how common are the red broilers? I saw one in an ad online but the person was all the way on the other side of the country so I didn't really bother looking at it, but that's the first time I've seen red broilers. Is the meat any different?

 

[NovaAman]

Hey Moochie... I am going to give you a little advice... I remember when you posted about your Papa passing... I also remember you saying that things were going to be pretty tight... SO, check this out... Flock raiser... Instead of buying a layer mash and feeding it to everyone, buy flock raiser, the costs are comparable, and pick up a bag of oyster shell. Feed both the boilers and the production birds that. Fill a dish of oyster for the egg birds so they get the calcium. You will get the higher protien you need for the broilers and you won't be damaging their livers/kidneys by feeding them feed with calcium. If you have cockerels also in your egg group, you will be doing them a favor also by not feeding the layer feed. I did it this way because I didn't have the room to store so many different feeds for the different stages of birds and for broilers also. My broilers on the flock raiser, I butchered at 8.5 weeks. The smallest topped out at just under 6 pounds, and the biggest topped out at 7. AND I did this on flockraiser.

All my birds now, the chicks through to the egg layers are still on flockraiser. I am getting another set of broilers this month, and I am going to raise them on flockraiser also.

 

[enel 1]

Well, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings I was just stating MO based on the thread,which i read from the beginning...if your birds are healthy and your fine with the way your doing things then whats was the point of the this thread? Perhaps I'm misunderstanding what you were asking...

 

[enel 1]

Ive been told I come across kinda rude,that's not my intention .Just giving you straight talk that's all...sorry to hear about your sudden loss,I didn't know this is a sensitive time for you,or I would of tried to word things differently

I apologize.

 

[larrylofts]

IF YOU WANT A CHUNKIER BIRD TRY STRAIGHT CORNISH WHEN THE BOYS WERE FEEDING SHOW BROILERS THEY SENT JUST PULLETS AND EVERY SHOW WE ENTERED IT WAS JUST PULLETS SHOWN THE LARGE BROILER HOUSES WE TALK TO THE OWNERS AND THEY SAY DIFFERENT STRAINS REACH BUCTHERING SIZE AT 52 TO 59 DAYS OF AGE WHEN GOING FOR MAX IUM GROWTH AND GAIN WE STARTED TURKEY STARTER OR GAME BIRD STARTER THEN BROILER FEED A GOOD LAYER OF SHHAVEINGS FOR THEM TO STAND ON AND ABOUT ANYTIME YOU COULD STIR THE BIRDS UP THEY POOP EAT DRINK AND GAIN THE REALY GOOD EXHIBITORS WOULD SLEEP WITH THEM STIRRING THEM EVERY TWO HOURS LIGHTS 24 HOURS