My chickens.....my friends??? Pics of my meat friends on pg. 13

[miss_thenorth]

I have raised meat birds for years and i always keep the feeder full. I keep my birds in 100' of electric netting, and move regularly. I find having continuous feed availabe is better for them, as they feed when needed. Whereas, if you set them up for only eating three times a day, you are setting them up for pigging out, which will cause problems. My birds have always been healthy, and I will continue to do it this way. I would argue that it is not good. Every one has their preferences on how to raise their meat birds.

 

[freemotion]

My guess is that your birds do well with continuous feeding because they are outside on grass and can eat that as well. Birds in close confinement will eat only the grain and have growth problems.

Of course, this is not from any personal experience! But I am so glad to hear that free-ranging them really impacts the health of these hybrid eating machines. I just might try them one day.

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

I have raised meat birds for years and i always keep the feeder full. I keep my birds in 100' of electric netting, and move regularly. I find having continuous feed availabe is better for them, as they feed when needed. Whereas, if you set them up for only eating three times a day, you are setting them up for pigging out, which will cause problems. My birds have always been healthy, and I will continue to do it this way. I would argue that it is not good. Every one has their preferences on how to raise their meat birds.

I'm guessing we are doing essentially the same thing.
ALl the free ranging dictates the amount of grain they eat for sure.

 

[Beekissed]

What's with keeping on the lights for broilers? I'd never heard of that component. I'll be free ranging and feeding my broilers along with my free range flock, so I won't be doing continuous feeding or lights of any kind.

I don't really care about finishing them out quickly, I just want a tender, meaty chicken that I can freeze or can for winter food.

I expect they will eat more than my layers but they will still get the same rations. I've read that it is the increased protein in large amounts that causes the health problems, so I would prefer to have healthy birds to eat, even if they are leaner and without the yellow fat.

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

What's with keeping on the lights for broilers? I'd never heard of that component. I'll be free ranging and feeding my broilers along with my free range flock, so I won't be doing continuous feeding or lights of any kind.

I don't really care about finishing them out quickly, I just want a tender, meaty chicken that I can freeze or can for winter food.

I expect they will eat more than my layers but they will still get the same rations. I've read that it is the increased protein in large amounts that causes the health problems, so I would prefer to have healthy birds to eat, even if they are leaner and without the yellow fat.

I have no real idea why commercial plants keep them on all the time.
To me, it spells out unhealthy.
Animals need rest just as much as humans do, so we practice lights out at night, even for our layer babies, from the very start.
This year, I am praying for a few broodies when I get the meat chicks, so we will not have to even use the heat lamps.

If your meaties get lots of sunshine and forage, you will get the yellow fat.
However, they do not get the great globs of cavity fat that the laters get.

 

[rebecca100]

I could be wrong, but I think that the light are to help keep them from piling. They look for ways to kill themselves and a few thousand could pile and kill a bunch pretty quickly.

 

[Farmfresh]

One thing that is a LARGE part of me using the continuous feed system is the labor aspect. My broilers are NOT right outside of my house. I raise them about a 10 minute drive from my home at my D1's house. Her house is between mine and work so it is easy to stop twice a day if necessary and check on my animals, but it would be VERY VERY labor/gasoline intensive if I had to offer them feedings instead of using a continuous feed system.

I have been raising meat birds in this way for around 20 years and the only losses I have EVER had were either from starve out within the first two days of receiving the broilers, a VERY few squashed chicks from their crowding siblings during the first weeks and a few isolated instances of heat related death when the summer temps spiked around here to over 100 for several days. The later is why I now raise my broilers to finish in the cooler months of the fall.

The "stockman's eye" is important with these birds. You really need to pay attention to them. If they start getting extra lazy or having leg problems changes are needed. I monitor them at LEAST daily and spend a little time watching them when I come to care for them. This eliminates a lot of problems all by itself.

Also I butcher the majority of my meaties between 4 and 6 pounds. If I decide to carry a few to roasting size I select the most vibrant healthy straight legged birds to grow up. The worst birds are butchered first.

 

[SKR8PN]

Anyone else getting meat chickens this year?

My cousin and I are going together to raise about 75 meaties this summer. He has a little more acreage and already has a house and enclosure for them. We just finished piping water to his hen house.
The meaties he raised last summer had continuous feed AND water. Water is the most important part. At 7 weeks he had a couple that couldn't walk. They grow soooo stinking fast!

Oy! Continuous Feed? Not good, cause they do not need it.
3 feedings per day and none at night, and if they can't free range, then tractored is next best.
Otherwise, giving them chopped grass and weeds helps lots.
Ours could still run a good distance at 8 weeks, and we had no health issues at all.
Oh, also, at night, its lights out for a good 8 hours as well.

I should say they have access to continuous feed, they don't always eat it. Full access to clean water is critical. The enclosure has a good crop of grass that should last the entire 7-8 weeks, if not, we can rake up clippings to add to the pen. We also plan on cracked corn the last week or so when we are finishing them off. Also NO lights. When it gets dark, they go nighty-night.
Last year we butchered at 7 weeks 2 days, and the average weight per bird was approx. 7lbs.

 

[Buster]

Definitely! The other year we had two mother cats who shared the same 'nesting' area and they had over twenty kittens between them, from 6 different litters, varying in ages.

i think i would have just moved out and left the place to the cats! that's a whole lot of cats!

I have 53 on my place.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

Definitely! The other year we had two mother cats who shared the same 'nesting' area and they had over twenty kittens between them, from 6 different litters, varying in ages.

i think i would have just moved out and left the place to the cats! that's a whole lot of cats!

I have 53 on my place.

ok seriously. now i'm your groupie. wow! thats alotta cats and you have us beat! but now i have something to strive for.....

;-)