How long does it generally take for chicks to reach market weight? How can you raise them to reach market weight quickly?
Chicks are also called young chickens. By time period, 0 to 50 days are considered young chickens. Generally, broiler farmers bring in chicks and wait until they reach market age before selling them on the market.So how long does it generally take for chicks to reach market weight? How can you raise them to reach market weight quickly?
1. How long does it generally take for chicks to reach market weight?
Broilers are generally raised for about two months before they can reach market weight. However, the time to market varies with different breeds and feeding management methods. For example:
1. White-feathered broilers
White-feathered broilers reach market weight in about 42 days, with an average live weight at market of 2.5 kg per bird. They eat a lot (4.4-4.9 kg of feed in 42 days) and grow fast (over 2.5 kg in 42 days), gaining one jin of meat from less than two jin of feed. It can be said that white-feathered broilers are the most efficient meat-producing animals.
Representative breeds: Arbor Acres (AA+), Ross (Ross308), Cobb (Cobb), etc.
2. Yellow-feathered broilers
Yellow-feathered broilers are also called “Chinese-style broilers” and “domestic broilers”. Compared with white-feathered broilers, yellow-feathered broilers can only be called “slow and small”. The native local yellow-feathered broiler breeds of our country reach market weight relatively late, generally all over 100 days, and the market weight is only 1.5 kg to 2 kg. In addition, according to growth speed, yellow-feathered broilers are divided into fast type (within 60 days), medium-speed type (60-100 days) and slow type (over 100 days).
Representative breeds: Qingjiao Ma chicken, Xinguang Yellow chicken, Xugang Yellow chicken, Wenchang chicken, Qingyuan Ma chicken, etc.
2. How can you generally raise chicks to reach market weight quickly?
1. Selecting chicks and prevention
In the early rearing period of 1-10 days of age, broilers frequently develop Salmonella and E. coli infections. Therefore, when selecting chicks, bring in chicks from a legitimate hatchery with good conditions. After bringing in the chicks, in addition to doing a good job of keeping them warm, you should also use medications reasonably for prevention. You can choose some nutritional additives, such as glucose and electrolytic multivitamins, to improve the disease resistance of the chicks. Generally, 3-5 days of medication can greatly reduce the mortality rate of the flock.
2. Feeding and disease prevention
With high dietary metabolizable energy and relatively reduced protein content, the energy requirement during the fattening period of broilers generally needs to reach 12.54 megajoules/kg, and crude protein at about 15% is sufficient. To achieve this level, animal fat often needs to be added. On one hand, it allows the chickens to eat insects, leaves, weeds, etc. in nature to save feed; on the other hand, it improves the meat flavor of the chickens, making the appearance and meat quality of the chickens brought to market better. When entering the fattening period, the range of activity and exercise of the chickens should be reduced to facilitate fattening. In addition, chicken farms should establish and improve biosecurity measures and health and epidemic prevention systems, and adhere to the policy of disease control based mainly on disinfection and epidemic prevention, supplemented by drug control.
3. Daily management
Control the rearing temperature well. In summer, when the climate is hot, chickens eat less feed, so heat must be relieved promptly and the feed formula adjusted to meet the nutritional needs of the chickens. In winter, do a good job of cold protection and warmth, strengthen daily inspections, and treat any disease found promptly.
Bringing broilers to market in a timely manner is one part of helping increase income, but before bringing broilers to market, you must first consider the market price, growth trend, etc.