How do I put weight on my birds!!!???

[MamaPoult]

Hey everyone, I really need your help. So I originally bought 30 Jersey Giants a few months ago. When I picked them up they were 1 month old. The birds were in awful shape. Very malnourished, sickly and very aggressive. They had the worst case of Coccidiosis I have ever seen. I finally got them over their illness a week later. I am free feeding them since they are for meat. I have realized the individual I purchased them completely boned me over and sold me 7 Australorps, 8 JG's and 15 Lavender Orpingtons. I cannot put weight on these birds! This is our winters worth of meat! Does anyone have any tips on how to fatten them up. They are 4 months now and like maybe 2 pounds. Guys I am so let down. I am feeding raw goat milk since I am backed up on that. It is 80 degrees and corn makes my birds hot so I am not feeding that. I would highly appreciate any tips you may have we're just trying to provide for our family. Thank you.

 

[MamaPoult]

Anyone?

 

[tripletfeb]

The breeds you have are not meant to be meat birds. Yes, the Jersey's will get big but that takes a long time, months and months. My only suggestion for you as far as feed is to feed them a meat bird food if you aren't already. That might get more weight on them. Other than that, you got screwed. Sorry

 

[MamaPoult]

The breeds you have are not meant to be meat birds. Yes, the Jersey's will get big but that takes a long time, months and months. My only suggestion for you as far as feed is to feed them a meat bird food if you aren't already. That might get more weight on them. Other than that, you got screwed. Sorry

Thank you for the reply! I know I don't have the right breeds but it was all I could get my hands on. Ok I'll try that. Thanks!

 

[tripletfeb]

Thank you for the reply! I know I don't have the right breeds but it was all I could get my hands on. Ok I'll try that. Thanks!

Your pullets will lay eggs when they get old enough. They need oyster shell on the side, for calcium. When they start laying that is

 

[MamaPoult]

Your pullets will lay eggs when they get old enough. They need oyster shell on the side, for calcium. When they start laying that is

Oh yeah. These are for meat for I won't be keeping them for long.

 

[tripletfeb]

I understand they are for meat. How long until you plan on butchering?

 

[MamaPoult]

Beginning of September. I want expecting monster birds but i had to do something!

 

[paintedChix]

What are you "free feeding" them? Are they in a coop & run? A tractor on grass that's moved daily? In a "wheelie coop" (or another type?) that they are let into pasture w/ poultry netting? Free range on pasture? In your backyard? What outside sources of feed do they have? Do you have a garden?

How to add weight between now & September?

Could be as simple as putting them out where they can graze - get different vitamin/minerals they may have missed when 1st hatched & nutritionally deprived. Grasses, weeds, flowers/herbs & bugs.

Can you get extra scraps/produce from a local restaurant, deli, coffee shop, grocery store or food pantry (even donated foods can "go bad" for consumption & is thrown out)?

Get seeds - alfalfa, boss, oats, barley, wheat, green peas (cheapest - bagged peas & lentils from grocery store). Start w/ 1-2 cups in a bucket - straight or mixed. Add enough hot water to cover them & let soak over night. Drain that water (offer to chickens, use in compost or water garden). Soak again in hot water. Maybe a 3rd day. Once sprouted, feed them to your birds. If you find it takes 3 days to sprout - use 3 buckets. After that 1st feeding, you'll find that you can feed sprouted seed every day. This is not replacing regular feed, it is a supplement ESPECIALLY if they are confined to a coop & run. You could also do fodder but even the least expensive set up can be pricey. I had issues w/ mold. Found just 2-3 day sprouting worked better for me.

Sometimes fermenting the feed you are using is good. I don't know much about that. Lots of info here on BYC.

How many cockerels vs how many pullets? Have you actually weighed them? The Orps may weigh less than the Aussies but look bigger. They have looser/softer feathers. It's really surprising!

The weight you gave, since they were malnourished & sick, sounds about right, though.

Were the 3 breeds you got from them bred from their own stock or did they purchase & grow out hatchery stock? If bred, did you see the parent stock - if so how big are they?

****
I've asked a lot of questions!!
****

Usually a HUGE difference in both Australorps & Orpingtons (ive only had a handful of JG/Ameraucana crosses & they were demolished 2 days before a planned butcher date - dogs jumped our farm fence. Not familiar w/ purebreds - other than being told they can take up to 9-12 months to develop the meat to match their frame) from hatcheries vs a breeding program that the breeder is aiming for meat.

A breeder has to consistently upgrade their breeding stock in order to maintain weights for meat. Tracking their weight vs age is helpful. Sometimes changing feeds. A lot of dual purpose breeds do better on a grazing/pasture or free range system, but not nessarily all.

I know that my own birds were closer to 20 weeks old & some were no- where near 8# (would be around 3-4# processed - maybe). Some actually weighed out @ 10-12 #s, but they WERE NOT fleshed out. They had long, thick legs, big boned frames & not a lot of meat. Those were crosses of Ameraucana/Brahma. Beautiful birds, but not meat birds.

Even other Heritage bred, dual purpose breeder produced birds do not have the same type of fleshed out meat as Cornish cross, and now the multitudes of other meat bird hybrids... The other hybrids often take quite a bit longer then cornish cross to be 5# birds, too.

 

[MamaPoult]

What are you "free feeding" them?

They are on chick starter right now. I looked into Broiler Grower and it doesn't look that much different but I might switch.

Are they in a coop & run? A tractor on grass that's moved daily? In a "wheelie coop" (or another type?) that they are let into pasture w/ poultry netting? Free range on pasture? In your backyard? What outside sources of feed do they have? Do you have a garden?

So they are in coop/run. We plan to build a tractor for them in the next week bc it is getting a bit crowded. The think is, I do not have any grass or yard. We live in tundra so it's mossy stuff of our gravel pad or clay and we dont have a lot of worms.

How to add weight between now & September?

Could be as simple as putting them out where they can graze - get different vitamin/minerals they may have missed when 1st hatched & nutritionally deprived. Grasses, weeds, flowers/herbs & bugs.

Can you get extra scraps/produce from a local restaurant, deli, coffee shop, grocery store or food pantry (even donated foods can "go bad" for consumption & is thrown out)?

I could try! Good thought!

Get seeds - alfalfa, boss, oats, barley, wheat, green peas (cheapest - bagged peas & lentils from grocery store). Start w/ 1-2 cups in a bucket - straight or mixed. Add enough hot water to cover them & let soak over night. Drain that water (offer to chickens, use in compost or water garden). Soak again in hot water. Maybe a 3rd day. Once sprouted, feed them to your birds. If you find it takes 3 days to sprout - use 3 buckets. After that 1st feeding, you'll find that you can feed sprouted seed every day. This is not replacing regular feed, it is a supplement ESPECIALLY if they are confined to a coop & run. You could also do fodder but even the least expensive set up can be pricey. I had issues w/ mold. Found just 2-3 day sprouting worked better for me.

Ahh very helpful! Thank you so much!

Sometimes fermenting the feed you are using is good. I don't know much about that. Lots of info here on BYC.

Ok!

How many cockerels vs how many pullets? Have you actually weighed them? The Orps may weigh less than the Aussies but look bigger. They have looser/softer feathers. It's really surprising!

So it's about half and half. I weighed them today and they were almost all 3 pounds.

The weight you gave, since they were malnourished & sick, sounds about right, though.

Were the 3 breeds you got from them bred from their own stock or did they purchase & grow out hatchery stock? If bred, did you see the parent stock - if so how big are they?

These are from his personal flock. I did not see the parents. My dad was the one to pick them up.

****
I've asked a lot of questions!!
****

Usually a HUGE difference in both Australorps & Orpingtons (ive only had a handful of JG/Ameraucana crosses & they were demolished 2 days before a planned butcher date - dogs jumped our farm fence. Not familiar w/ purebreds - other than being told they can take up to 9-12 months to develop the meat to match their frame) from hatcheries vs a breeding program that the breeder is aiming for meat.

Oh I am so sorry!! That is horrible!

A breeder has to consistently upgrade their breeding stock in order to maintain weights for meat. Tracking their weight vs age is helpful. Sometimes changing feeds. A lot of dual purpose breeds do better on a grazing/pasture or free range system, but not nessarily all.

Got it. Yeah he said they'd be great for meat. I had my doubts but it was all I could source!

I know that my own birds were closer to 20 weeks old & some were no- where near 8# (would be around 3-4# processed - maybe). Some actually weighed out @ 10-12 #s, but they WERE NOT fleshed out. They had long, thick legs, big boned frames & not a lot of meat. Those were crosses of Ameraucana/Brahma. Beautiful birds, but not meat birds.

I understand. They sound really pretty! I actually bought 12 brahmas and am loving them!

Even other Heritage bred, dual purpose breeder produced birds do not have the same type of fleshed out meat as Cornish cross, and now the multitudes of other meat bird hybrids... The other hybrids often take quite a bit longer then cornish cross to be 5# birds, too.

I have raised Freedom Rangers before. They are huge and taste great but we're trying to get away from feed store hybrid birds for personal reasons. But I was very impressed with those!


So with all of that being said, thank you so so much for taking the time to type all that out and I will definitely use that advice! I really appreciate it! Unfortunately I will have to kill all of these birds sooner than planned. I have done a lot of research and realized just today my whole meat flock has Mareks. I am really devastated because we have 300$ plus feed expense in these things and I got completely boned over. So thank you so much and I actually will use the advice so thank you.