Cornish Cross

[The Good News Farm]

Hello everyone, how much food should I give to Cornish cross boilers a day?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

With most chickens, I keep food available all day. However as meaties get closer to butcher age, it is sometimes necessary to limit their feed to avoid leg and heart problems. Still, I avoid set numbers.
When I looked at those, the chickens never seemed to be getting enough food.
It also depends on if the birds will be foraging or just sitting at the feeder all day.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't know a specific amount, it should vary as they get bigger. If you search you can find tables for that information. If you do try to feed them a specific amount you will need to make sure that every bird has a spot at the feeders. Two reasons for that actually. One is that if they don't all have equal access the bullies can eat their part and some of the others part so some don't get their fair share. Another real danger is if they can't all get to the feeders at the same time the ones in the back will be clawing and fighting to get to the front, potentially causing injuries. No matter how you feed them, you need lots of feeder space.

Another feeding method doesn't carefully measure exactly how much each one gets but feeds them on a schedule. The one I see on here most often is after a certain age food is only available for 12 hours, then all food is withdrawn for the other 12.

 

[The Good News Farm]

Ok thanks for the info but is there a specific amount per chicken or I should feed them as much as they can eat?

 

[Mountain Roost]

I keep 25 broiler per tractor and give them food once in the morning and once at sunset (enough light that they can see still). I have a good estimate of what they have been eating when I transfer them from brooder to tractor so from there I gauge it by how their crops look 15 to 20 mins after I feed them. I like to see full by not painfully stretched crops. And if they are done early and I can't see the food bulges I give them more and up the base feeding amount next time. As they grow, I will hang out and check their crops about once a week. A sign of too much food is when I move the tractor and I see small bits of undigested corn or if the ground fuzzes over with mold a few days later.

I grow my broilers to 10 pound live weight with this method and I only lose a couple chicks in the brooder each year, not on the pasture.

 

[AidKD]

There's really no set amount when you're feeding meat birds. Keep feed available for them 24/7 and they'll grow out fast.