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Author Topic: Broiler Breeder Project  (Read 27961 times)

Clansman

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Ayrshire
Re: Broiler Breeder Project
« Reply #30 on: February 23, 2015, 03:58:48 pm »
Day 13

All looking healthy and growing fast!  :thumbsup:

The feathers are coming in fast now too.

I'm still on electric heat bulbs so they're on 24 hours light and also still on ad lib feeding.

Staying pretty close to target weight, the odd one is a bit larger but nothing to worry about yet.

« Last Edit: February 23, 2015, 04:03:05 pm by Clansman »

Q

  • Joined Apr 2013
Re: Broiler Breeder Project
« Reply #31 on: February 23, 2015, 07:26:43 pm »
 :thumbsup: Jeez they all look so grumpy  :-J
If you cant beat 'em then at least bugger 'em about a bit.

Clansman

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Ayrshire
Re: Broiler Breeder Project
« Reply #32 on: February 24, 2015, 01:46:56 pm »
I did wake them up for a pic  :innocent:

Clansman

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Ayrshire
Re: Broiler Breeder Project
« Reply #33 on: March 02, 2015, 12:06:14 pm »
Day 20

managed to sell a few more on over the weekend so i'm almost down to a manageable level  :innocent:

Some people are taking a few hens to cross with other breeds, La Bresse, Maran, Scots Grey, Wyandotte and even a Jersey Giant so that should give us a few interesting crosses to look at.

They are getting seriously chunky now, putting on lots of weight and their legs are massive.

I'm hopefully moving them outside tonight into their future home so i'll get some pics up once they're all settled.

Still have a few spare if anyone would like to try some.

Clansman

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Ayrshire
Re: Broiler Breeder Project
« Reply #34 on: March 02, 2015, 03:34:23 pm »
I've had a wee rough look at the costs of rearing these to produce hatching eggs/chicks.

Theres a bit of guess work involved so i'll err on the high side as most of us are going to be keeping them outside so they'll eat more than the Ross guide shows

I've done it for 10 female/2 males.

Purchase cost - £42

Feed cost to point of lay (22 weeks) - £75

thats based on 12 birds eating 150Kg (Ross guide says 116Kg) at roughly £50 per 100Kg of feed

From point of lay onwards I've taken the feed consumption as 200g per bird per day, guide says 169g

I'll be feeding them standard layers or breeders ration which I can buy at roughly £9 for 20Kg (£450/tonne)

I'll count their laying period as 40 weeks (for ease of calculating),  from 22 weeks of age through to 62 weeks of age.

So each bird will eat 200g per day, 1.4Kg per week, 56Kg in 40 weeks, (i'll round it up to 60Kg)

60Kg x 12 birds = 720Kg so £330

So in total we're looking at around £450 in purchase and feeding costs to 62 weeks.

The Ross target is 175 hatching eggs per female over the 40 weeks, I'll be happy with 150 and that should be fairly easy to achieve.

So 1500 hatching eggs should cost us £450 to produce (30p each)

An 80% hatch rate should be achievable and would give us 1200 chicks (38p each)

Broiler hatching eggs seem to sell for around 80p - £1 each and chicks £1.50 - £2 or more each, so plenty scope to recoup some or all of the costs by selling excess eggs and/or chicks.

I've rounded up and erred on the high side for everything so hopefully we can do it slightly cheaper than that.

I've not counted incubator or brooder costs but mine are all done in the house so the cost can come from the house heating bill :)
« Last Edit: March 02, 2015, 03:36:35 pm by Clansman »

Dave C

  • Joined Aug 2014
  • Teesdale, Co Durham
Re: Broiler Breeder Project
« Reply #35 on: March 02, 2015, 09:38:47 pm »
Will you have to keep buying in the parent stock or can you now breed you own ?

Clansman

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Ayrshire
Re: Broiler Breeder Project
« Reply #36 on: March 02, 2015, 10:10:12 pm »
The easiest way would just to buy in new ones but i'm hoping to get a few years out of these ones.

I'm only guessing here but I suspect the offspring will be quite poor breeders, if they can breed at all.  its a super fast growing machine by design so even with a restricted diet they may struggle to remain light enough to breed.

I think the feed restriction required to do it would be more than I would be willing to do.

The birds that are bred from crosses with some of the pure breeds shouldn't be as heavy or fast growing though and should be ok to use as breeding stock.

They wouldn't produce birds as fast growing as these ones will but their offspring will still have a decent size and growth rate.

Something to look at further down the line once we see how some of crosses turn out.

Bramham Wiltshire Horns

  • Joined Oct 2014
  • leeds
  • Bramham flock Wiltshire Horns
Re: Broiler Breeder Project
« Reply #37 on: March 09, 2015, 09:32:19 pm »
Any updates
follow on FB@BramhamWiltshireHorns

Clansman

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Ayrshire
Re: Broiler Breeder Project
« Reply #38 on: March 10, 2015, 10:24:55 am »
Not a great lot happening apart from eating and pooping  ;D

Not quite true, I've sold a few more small batches of 2-5 females.

They have been moved from their initial fishtank home in the front room out to a brooder ring in the garage and over the weekend they were moved outside to an 8 x 6 shed.

They are still confined to the shed and still on heat, 28 days old today but I managed to get the door open for most of yesterday and they enjoyed lying in the sunlight  :thumbsup:



« Last Edit: March 10, 2015, 11:00:11 am by Clansman »

Victorian Farmer

  • Guest
Re: Broiler Breeder Project
« Reply #39 on: March 10, 2015, 12:09:03 pm »
the project is working well ,Iv worked out it costs me 12 pound a hen point of lay i try to have hatching eggs from november till christmas .I then incubate for the first spring sale which is march 7 4 hens and a cock 65 pound saterday .Next sale may bank holaday i will loose all stock but the best 6 .Same whith the ewes keep the best 12 . i onley sell stock 8 weeks old so i can see the improvements if none il get eggs from a better line .
« Last Edit: March 10, 2015, 12:10:48 pm by Victorian Farmer »

Clansman

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Ayrshire
Re: Broiler Breeder Project
« Reply #40 on: March 17, 2015, 12:29:32 pm »
35 days

I've managed to sell on all the extra birds so I have just over 40 left, my plan is to end up with 20 females and 4 males.

I'm keeping a few here for some friends till they are off heat which may well be this weekend.

I moved onto grower last week and have now started restricting the feed much to their annoyance!

The certainly let you know they're not impressed!  ;D




Dave C

  • Joined Aug 2014
  • Teesdale, Co Durham
Re: Broiler Breeder Project
« Reply #41 on: March 17, 2015, 08:40:04 pm »
When off heat will they be ranging outside ?

If so will there feathers be weather proof ?

Clansman

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Ayrshire
Re: Broiler Breeder Project
« Reply #42 on: March 18, 2015, 09:26:58 am »
I need to keep them inside for now due to the lighting.

I'm going to keep their daylength down to 10 hours per day to prevent early maturity.

I will split the light up so they get a break period rather than 14 hours of darkness so they can drink and have a run about.

lights will be on for 8 hours through the day (8am-4pm) then give them 2 hours light between 11pm and 1am.

Once they reach 21 weeks of age (which is the 7th July, 16 weeks away) i'll slowly increase the lighting to 17 hours per day at which point it'll be close to the natural daylight and they can get access to the run outside.

Yes, their feathers will just be like any other chickens, they spend most of their time preening themselves just now.

No thats not true, they spend most of their time eating!  ;D
« Last Edit: March 18, 2015, 05:27:08 pm by Clansman »

Clansman

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Ayrshire
Re: Broiler Breeder Project
« Reply #43 on: April 07, 2015, 10:51:42 am »
8 weeks old tomorrow, time is flying in!  :excited:

I'm hoping to see my first eggs around the first week of July so around 3 months today  :thumbsup:

Managing to keep them in check so far but its not easy.

I now have two pens and have graded the females into large and small sizes so I can alter the feeding accordingly.

They are on a grower ration now so having to eat a little bit more compared to the starter crumb to keep them going.

Hungry things they are!!


Clansman

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Ayrshire
Re: Broiler Breeder Project
« Reply #44 on: April 22, 2015, 04:34:34 pm »
10 weeks!

Half way to eggs!  :thumbsup:

most of them are running slightly heavy now, between 1 and 4 weeks ahead of target weight but not going to hold them back too much, they're wanting to eat all the time just now and just like pigs,  act like they are starving 24/7! :)

despite them being on a HEAVILY restricted diet, some of them are over 1.5Kg (3.3lb) at 10 weeks old (They should be just over 1Kg)

None of them are fat or overweight to look at, they are just heavier than the breeding company recommends.

That might mean a slightly lower egg production to begin with but its not all about maximising egg numbers and over time we'll make these eggs up.

I've been letting them out in the run from 8am till 8pm too so they've been having a good scratch about and getting worms and grass.

Will get some pics up later, big cute fluffy bundles they are now

I could have sold the extra ones twice over, had loads of people after some this last month or so!

« Last Edit: April 23, 2015, 03:53:22 pm by Clansman »

 

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