Raising meat birds?

It depends upon what type of meat bird you have. If you have a hybrid type, (Cornish Roaster, Cornish Game Hens, Jumbo Cornish X Rocks) that was created for factory commercial meat production to be ready for slaughter at 8 weeks, they will eat you out of house and home. Frankly, they’re a freak of nature (actually science) and do not produce after their own kind.

If you have heritage breed meat birds/dual purpose birds, like Buff Orpingtons, Plymouth Rocks, Jersey Giants, etc., it takes them longer to get to slaughter (anytime between 22-30 wks. or up to a year), but the food consumption rate is more acclimated for the homestead environment.

Are they getting enough grit? Without the grit they won’t be able to digest properly.

Is the protein level high enough? The hybrids have high protein demands, while a traditonal/heirloom breed doesn’t demand such a high level of protein in their food supply, though if you separate the ones designated for “meat” then you could feed them a higher protein ration to get them bigger quicker, perhaps instead of keeping them mixed in the rest of the flock.

Do they have enough water? Chickens drink more than they eat.

So, other than the general recommendations of enough grit and water, feed requirements depend upon what kind of meat birds you own. I don’t think I was very helpful, huh?

Are you part of the Backyard Chicken forum? I know you could definitely get an answer there.

Rachel

We just butchered our first batch last week.  We had 9.  This time we’re doing 15.  We have the cornish/rock cross.  They may be a freak of nature, but it’s a whole lot better than buying chicken in the store.  We raise ours Joel Salatin’s way.  We built the coop like his (only smaller) and move it every day.  They are on lush pasture and are strong and healthy.  We feed them a natural (not organic) Purina Flock Raiser feed.  We have a feeder that holds, I don’t know, a gallon, maybe?  We filled it probably 2/3 full a day when they got big. 

HTH

Misty,

My children raise meat birds (Cornish X) for 4h and last year 46 of them went through about 100 lbs of feed per week!!  Now we have Freedom Rangers for our own consumption and they eat quite a bit less — arounds 25ish lbs per week.  They are in a moveable pen so they do graze some but not quiet like a free range chicken.  At any rate they eat ALOT.  Its so hot here right now I don’t know if this is normal behaviour or not.