finishing meat birds

[cw]

i have a chance to finish my cornish cross hens on peaches and creame sweet corn
this is good and fresh corn that was just a little on the small side for market, i have already butchered 25 roos and have only the hens left so i will have something to compare too as far as taste, i am wondering if there is a diff,
i posted a topic a few months ago about an old man that said the overall poroduct will be better if i can finish them on on corn,(i was guessing dent or feed corn as green sweet corn would be too expensive)
1 thing for sure they are haveing no problem eating it,

 

[Mahonri]

Go for it... but be certain to return and report.

 

[cw]

o i wll, my best guess is there will be more fat on the carcuss

 

[purelypoultry]

the females cornish cross broilers usually have more breast meat and less fat.

He definitely was talking about dent corn because it is what chickens are fed.

 

[al6517]

I prefer to lay off the corn as a primary finisher because of the time frame to finish verses the fat content. I like to use a very high protein game bird finisher at least 28% and I only mix in a small amount of corn I do like a little fat under the skin, it makes roasting the bird better. Too much corn fed as a finisher just piles up around the heart and other organs mostly and seems to be a waste. Alot of old timers like corn because back in the day that was easy and economical to feed.

AL

 

[Neil Grassbaugh]

At 12 to 15 % moisture #2 feed corn is about 8% CRUDE PROTEIN.

Sweet corn has a much higher percentage moisture so in order to get the the needed nutrients they would have to eat more volume than they are willing to. And the protein may, or may not, be made up of enough of the two critical amino acids. I can find no information re amino acids in sweet corn.

The birds would loose condition if fed to much of this. I would consider using it only on a supplemental basis.

 

[al6517]

Quote:
You are right !!!! As I stated earlier Corn is really not a very good finisher option Protein provides muscle I.E. meat, corn provides fat and little of it. I do finish my hogs on corn because they convert corn better and the fat on hogs is benificial and desirable for me.

AL

 

[Mosti]

Excuse me, maybe a silly ques is coming up but... at what age do you mean start finishing the birds off, last 5 days or so before killing?

 

[cw]

today was the last day on the corn for a total of 5 days, i will slaghter them tomarrow, i dont see any diff. they nor dropped weight or gained it as i could tell, everyone talks about the ears , they got the silks, and shucks as well, they also got free choice, so i will post on the finish product on wed. the 5th

 

[cw]

ok ive proceesed them, there was no differnce in what i could find, other then the females seemed a little more oily, but nothing to amount to nothin, though i noticed they did eat the silk along with the corn