(Courtesy of Meyer Hatchery, which is based in Polk, Ohio)
Many things can affect the growth of your meat chickens including:
- Feed: Feed a high-quality feed formulated for meat chickens. For Cornish, we recommend a Broiler Starter (21-22% protein) for the first 3 weeks then switching to a Broiler Grower (18% protein), feeding 12 hours on and 12 hours off. More details on feeding recommendations based on breed can be found here.
- Overcrowding: A minimum of 2 square feet of coop or tractor space is recommended per bird for optimal growth. Make sure to allow at least 6 inches of feeder space for each bird to ensure all get an equal amount of feed. Have multiple water sources available and ensure they are always full of fresh, clean water.
- Breed and Sex: Cornish males typically give you the most meat/fastest growth. Ordering straight run (unsexed) is a nice option to provide a mix of slightly smaller females and larger males. Breeds like Rangers can reach the same size as Cornish but take several more weeks of growth. Heritage/layer breed males can take 16+ weeks to grow to a sizable table bird.
- Disease/Parasites: Keep a clean brooder/coop to avoid internal and external parasites. Prevention is key, birds that recover from diseases like Coccidia can have lifelong growth issues. Vaccinate your meat chicks against Marek’s Disease.
- Coop/Tractor Location: Provide your birds with a comfortable coop or tractor, avoid temperature extremes and try to avoid predator exposure. Stress/excessive wing flapping can cause growth rate issues and green muscle disease.
- Season: An outside temperature of around 70F is the best for growth. Birds that are cold are stressed and use more energy to stay warm. Birds that are too warm will lay around and not eat as much.
- General Husbandry: It’s important to keep your brooder/coop clean and dry. For example, high levels of ammonia from dirty bedding can cause decreased feed efficiency and tissue damage.
The Chicken Health Handbook and your local university extension are wealth of information. If you have issues with your birds and need further assistance, please check out these great resources.
