What is the best way to Get Broilers to a good weight without the use of artificial light ?

[ChickenWhisperer26]

I am currently raising 100 meat birds and they are now 4 weeks and 3 days. just weighed them and they are 300 to 350 grams under what they should be. i am feeding them on a 23% protein starter feed.

what can I do to put more weight on them?

Thanks in advance

 

[Acre4Me]

Is this your first time raising broilers? Is this your first batch of broilers from a new source? Just wondering if the weight difference is being determined based on your experience, and what your experience has been.

do the broilers have access to first light all the way to last light of the day? This maximizes their time to eat. Are they given all day access to feed? Is their only food the feed that you provide, or are you expecting them to free range for a portion of the day to supplement their feed?

we’ve gotten some huge broilers in 7.5 weeks, with no supplemental light, but all day feed access. Penned, but with water and feed spread apart and elevated somewhat so they generally have to get up and walk between water and food and stand to eat. I think the source and strain of the broilers has some impact. We feed a meat bird feed (I think 22%). Males are bigger than females.

 

[ChickenWhisperer26]

My first time doing broilers. They get food free choice from sun up to sundown. I feed them 23% starter and let out to free range. Some times i give them bread also. I belive their strain is Cobb 500.

Any thing that i could do or improve on ?

 

[Acre4Me]

My first time doing broilers. They get food free choice from sun up to sundown. I feed them 23% starter and let out to free range. Some times i give them bread also. I belive their strain is Cobb 500.

Any thing that i could do or improve on ?

All grower feed (no treats like bread). Keep them a bit more confined, so they are eating the high protein feed more readily. Allowing them space to move around is fine, but not so much space they are trying to eat random items of various nutritional value because the feed is too far away.

I've not had Cobb 500, but it is a fast growing meat hybrid meant to optimize the feed to meat ratio, so their feed is going to give you the biggest bang in the shortest period of time.

We grew some meat hybrids, using feed only. Here they are right at 8 weeks of age. Sorry, no weights bc my spouse was too quick. However, with skinned double breasts - it gives us about 3-4 meals for our family from a double breast! We ordered all males with this batch (of 8 birds). Males were bigger than females (we got straight run the year before).

 

[ChickenWhisperer26]

Thanks for your help

I have changed their feeding to 100% Meat bird starter (23% protein) and have reduced their pen size to a space that is comfortable but not enough to run and lose weight. weighed them today and they are between 850 to 1000 Grams.

how much feed did you go through roughly from start to finish on your broilers ? and how many broilers were you rasing on that amount of feed?

Thanks for all your help

 

[Acre4Me]

Thanks for your help

I have changed their feeding to 100% Meat bird starter (23% protein) and have reduced their pen size to a space that is comfortable but not enough to run and lose weight. weighed them today and they are between 850 to 1000 Grams.

how much feed did you go through roughly from start to finish on your broilers ? and how many broilers were you rasing on that amount of feed?

Thanks for all your help

We did go through a lot of feed (as compared to regular chickens), but I don’t have an exact number. The first year we did 12 chickens. They were needing feed refills each day after They hit 4 weeks old. The second batch we started with 12 or 13, but a mishap ended the lives of several midway through the growing phase, so we only processed 8. Perhaps 3 bags of feed for the last batch.