how much do meat birds eat

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — If you’re a backyard flock raiser, you know the chicken math drill. You start with three hens and soon you have thirty. But, have you heard about the broiler edition of chicken math? Add up the right nutrition and management for broiler chickens to reach mature weight in six to ten weeks.

“Broiler chickens are growing in popularity because they are quick and easy to raise,” says Patrick Biggs, Ph.D., a flock nutritionist for Purina Animal Nutrition. “To provide everything meat birds need to thrive, we’ve developed Purina® Meat Bird Feed. This complete feed provides all 38 nutrients broiler chickens require to start strong and grow strong – no need to supplement.”

When paired with the right management, Purina® Meat Bird Feed can help broiler chickens reach mature weight efficiently.

“Broiler chickens are uniquely bred for fast growth and finish, and the most popular breeds are the Cornish Rock and Cornish Cross,” says Biggs. “These breeds are great at converting feed into muscle weight. Typically, they are raised to approximately 6 pounds and are processed between 6 and 8 weeks of age. Heritage breeds are also popular but take about 16 weeks to reach harvest.”

• Weeks 1-3: During this time follow similar management to layer chicks. Provide 2 to 4 inches of feeder space and up to 2 square feet of floor space per chick. Cover the brooder floor with 3-4 inches of litter for absorption, such as pine shavings. This keeps birds warm and channels their energy into growing. • Weeks 4-processing: Move broilers to a heated coop to provide more space. Provide 6 to 10 inches of feeder space and at least 4 square feet of space per chicken. If free ranging birds, offer 5 to 10 square feet of outdoor space per bird. Raise meat birds separately from other backyard poultry to help reduce stress and the risk of disease transmission. Consider lighting your coop to increase feed consumption. One 40-watt bulb, hung about 6 ft. above the chicks, is needed for each 200 sq. ft. of pen space .

“Keep food and water in front of the birds at all times while they are growing. Meat birds are not as agile as they mature,” says Biggs. “Clean the brooder and coop daily, more often than you would with layer breeds.

Broiler chicks can triple their hatch weight in the first seven days and gain as much as 1.5-2 pounds in the last week. Broilers should be fed a high-protein diet to help support this rapid growth.

• 22 percent protein to support fast growth • All 38 unique nutrients broilers need every day • A proper calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of 2:1 to help keep birds healthy and mobile • Antioxidants and probiotics for digestive health

“A crumble formula, like Purina® Meat Bird Feed, is easier to eat and digest,” says Biggs. “On average, each bird will consume around 10 pounds of feed during the first 6 weeks. They will eat between 3 and 4 pounds of feed a week after 6 weeks. They may be small, but they are voracious eaters.”

To learn more about Purina® Meat Bird Feed, visit www.purinamills.com/chicken-feed or connect with Purina Poultry on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram.

“As the birds grow, always have food and water in front of them.” When meat birds get older, their agility decreases, claims Biggs. Every day, or more frequently than you would with layer breeds, clean the brooder and coop.

• Weeks 1-3: Handle them in a manner akin to that of layer chicks during this period. Give each chick two to four inches of space for the feeder and up to two square feet of floor area. For absorption, cover the brooder floor with three to four inches of litter, such as pine shavings. This keeps birds warm and channels their energy into growing. • Week 4 of processing: To give the broilers more room, relocate them to a heated coop. Give each chicken at least 4 square feet of space and 6 to 10 inches of feeder space. Provide each bird with 5 to 10 square feet of outdoor space if they are free-ranging. Separately raise meat birds from other backyard fowl to lessen stress and the chance of disease transmission. Consider lighting your coop to increase feed consumption. One 40-watt bulb, hung about 6 ft. above the chicks, is needed for each 200 sq. ft. of pen space .

According to Patrick Biggs, Ph.D., “broiler chickens are growing in popularity because they are quick and easy to raise.” D. , a flock nutritionist for Purina Animal Nutrition. “We created Purina® Meat Bird Feed to give meat birds everything they need to thrive. There is no need for supplements because this complete feed contains all 38 nutrients broiler chickens need to start and grow strong. ”.

To learn more about Purina® Meat Bird Feed, visit www.purinamills.com/chicken-feed or connect with Purina Poultry on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram.

Purina® Meat Bird Feed can effectively assist broiler chickens in reaching mature weight when used in conjunction with proper management.

You can use a “feed conversion rate” of roughly two because our feed is nutrient dense and extremely efficient, with no dust loss. 5 to 1 in favorable weather, more like 3:1 in unfavorable weather That means, for example, that you could raise a bird to a butcher weight of seven pounds. (Thats live weight. ) It will eat about 7 x 2. 5 lbs. of feed, or about 15-18 lbs. of feed in its lifetime. The worst case would be 21 lbs. , the best case, 15 lbs.

Figures based on the various alternative breeds are not as well studied and less reliable because of the many differences in management inherent in pasture-based systems in different areas, different climates and so on. The best numbers we have found so far are from a SARE grant cited here: https://projects.sare.org/project-reports/fnc09-771/

This blog post is being republished because, every spring, we get a lot of inquiries concerning the amount of meat that birds will consume. This article assists you in arriving at a decision based on the breed and your objectives.

In the event that they are housed indoors, the conversion is closer to 2:1, or 14 lbs. (You can’t rely primarily on the grass for their growth.) Its more like salad. They enjoy eating it, and it makes them happier and healthier, but it doesn’t add much weight to them. A smaller bird will naturally eat less and be ready sooner if that’s your preference.

The main finding of their study was that the Rangers would have to live longer. While they consumed roughly the same amount of food each day as the Cornish, they did so over longer periods of time, so by the time they were harvested, they had eaten roughly 30% more. They discovered that if a Cornish bird utilized fifteen to eighteen pounds of feed (see above), a Ranger might eat from 19. 5 lbs. to 27 lbs. They are not set in stone; rather, they are the result of extrapolation from their data, which I calculated using their figures. I think those numbers might be a little high. It is likely that fewer Rangers will be harvested than Cornish, so the lower figure is more accurate. But you can expect a significant range in mileage due to factors like weather, management style, and feed quality.

FAQ

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