Cornish X has the best feed to meat convertion, but they should be processed at 2 months or earlier. If you want meat and eggs, I would go with this line of New Hampshires https://www.freedomrangerhatchery.com/shop/product/new-hampshire-gmo-free-chicken/.So I'm going to start raising meat birds in a few years, and have decided on Chanteclers. Whenever I search up how much meat birds eat, it gives me the amount for commercial birds that will be slaughtered, and when I search for dual purpose, it gives the ingredients that are needed in the feed. I need to know how much the ones I keep for breeding purposes will eat at full size. For the average chicken some sources say 4 ounces/day, some say 6 ounces, and I wonder if either of these are suitable? Roosters weigh 8-9 lbs, and hens weigh 6-7.5 lbs.
In my breediong pen, I have some Breese crossed with cornish x F2s (one rooster, and 2 hens) I feed them 1 mason pint jar of layer feed in the morning and after noon. The hens lay almost everyday with this ration. However, the 8 hens that I have free ranging have a feeder that I keep filled with feed. This bunch don't lay as much eggs as the ones on a set ration. I think they have too much fat in their ovary ducks from the all you can eat feeding.
I put the F2 breeders on ration because the rooster was 12lbs at 4 months old, they slimmed down and maintain a set weight. The hens also lay more eggs on this ration. I hatch eggs when I need more meat, the chicks from these are processed at 3 months old. They get big, but take a month longer to reach the same weight as cornish x.
They are sustainable and can live normal lives.
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