Growing cobb 500 broilers at home

Brooklyn BirdCobb 500

Let's start with the characteristics of cobb 500 chickens. It differs from other breeds in its natural yellow skin color, which is in constant demand from consumerslei. The bird is quite unpretentious, does not need specialized expensive care or expensive feed, while can be slaughtered in a month and a half, which makes broiler breeding an extremely profitable enterprise.

Chickens of the Cobb 500 cross are distinguished by their massive physique, large sturdy legs. Plumage of snow-white color. The neat comb and earrings have a rich red color. The head is completed by a massive beak.

Temperament broiler chickens cobb 500

Due to the fact that the content of broilers is aimed at obtaining the maximum amount of meat, it is not recommended to lodge cobb 500 in a regular poultry house with a range. The optimal conditions for high productivity will be floor maintenance without walking, or staying in cages. When the content of the birds in the cages of the mobility of the bird is sharply limited, and therefore increase the rate of weight gain.

They are rather phlegmatic, not aggressive, however, with improper maintenance, some young individuals may suffer from cannibalism. The reason for this may be excessive brightness of the lighting, or not enough full diet. In the presence of these factors, individual chicks can peck weaker tribesmen up to a lethal outcome.

Chicken broilers Cobb 500 in the pen

Cross Cobb 500 can be kept both on a small farm and in large poultry farms. When breeding poultry in a part-time farm, it should be noted that the chicks in the first days of life require intense heat and light. For a good weight gain, chicks often need to peck at food, which is not possible in the dark, so the first 14 days of coverage should be around the clock.

After this period, the "light day" is reduced to 18 hours. The temperature in the house should be in the range of 27-32 degrees. The room should be well ventilated, but without drafts, which are fatal to chicks. Particular attention should be paid to the cleanliness of the room to prevent the incidence of chickens, so before settling a new batch of young stock, it is necessary to carry out general cleaning of the poultry house, whitewashing the walls and ceiling with lime, replacing the litter and carefully washing out the feeders and trough.

The weight characteristics of the

cross. One of the differences of the cross is uniformity. That is, all the livestock to achieve a certain age has approximately the same mass. Already a month, the weight of chicks passes for 2 kg, and in one and a half birds weigh an average of 2500-2600, and in 56 days the weight of the bird is over 3 kg.

However, upon reaching the age of 80 days, the growth rate is significantly reduced, therefore, the most favorable period for slaughter chickens of this cross varies around 40-60 days, although young animals can be slaughtered after 30 days from the moment of birth.

Egg Coal

Cross was bred by crossing breeds such as Cornish chickens and Plymouthrocks. In addition to the two main varieties, several other types of domestic chickens were used to produce the Cobb 500 hybrid. As a result, the resulting cross is distinguished by excellent weight already in the first weeks of life, which allows significant savings in the maintenance of poultry.

The meat itself has a pleasant taste, ideal for diet food. Actually, thanks to the painstaking crossing in order to obtain meat breed, an excellent broiler was bred, which, of course, will most likely be born like any bird, but it’s pointless to hope for a high degree of egg production. At best, the number of eggs from under one female will be 2-3 pieces per week.

Broilers, rather than egg breeds of chickens, begin to hedge quite late, not earlier than the age of 7 months.

Catering of Cobb 500 breeds.

. Cultivation and cultivation of Czech broilers at home.

Two methods are traditionally used for breeding Czech Cobb 500 broilers.

1. Purchase of hatching eggs at large poultry farms.
2. Purchase of daily young.

There are several reasons why breeding this type of chicken in the traditional way is not possible.

1. Like most broilers, the Cobb 500 is a cross, in other words a hybrid from mixing different breeds. Qualities obtained as a result of mixing rocks are not inherited.
2. In connection with the poorly expressed maternal instinct, chickens of this species are not capable of incubating and raising their offspring.

Of course, the cost of hatching eggs will be lower, however, buying already born chicks you can clearly see quality indicators, especially since the young Cobb 500 has a high level of survival related to one of the advantages of breeding this cross.

The most important factors to consider when breeding Cobb 500 chicks.

1. Conditions of detention. Since the cultivation of broilers is the result of meat, the conditions of detention should contribute to the earliest weight gain. With excessive activity of young stock, weight gain indicators will be lower, which will reduce the profitability of poultry breeding.
2. Temperature. Birds do not tolerate stuffiness, drafts, too high or low temperatures. If the chickens are crowded in one place in the immediate vicinity of the heaters, this indicates a temperature that is not sufficiently comfortable for the chicks. When the temperature is too high, chicks become lethargic, lose their appetite, suffer from heat, so the recommended temperature for birds should be in the range of 30 degrees, the allowable fluctuations are from 27 to 33.
3. Light mode. In the first 14 days of life, it is necessary to organize round-the-clock coverage, after which it is possible to reduce the hours of light supply.
4. Full Nutrition. Mandatory presence of vitamins, trace elements and mineral supplements in the feed for chicks. Food should be sufficiently enriched with protein.
5. Observance of cleanliness in the room, where Broller chickens are kept. Despite the fact that these broilers are less susceptible to infections and diseases than other types of chickens, non-observance of cleanliness can lead to morbidity up to the death of a significant part of the population.

You can use ready-made commercial feed PC-5 for young stock to feed your babies; you can also prepare food at home. When preparing food yourself, it should be noted that greens, small shells, chalk should be added to the feed mixture.

Grown-up chickens broilers Cobb 500

At first, chickens can be given a boiled egg, cottage cheese. Feed the first days should be easily digestible, taking into account the characteristics of the immature digestive system. With the addition of cereals to the diet, it should be borne in mind that with an increased content of wheat in food, the level of assimilation of potassium with phosphorus decreases, which requires additional replenishment.

Feed the chickens a lot and often. In the first week of life, the chicks are fed 7-8 times a day, reducing the number of feedings by two times every subsequent week, until the bird reaches one month of age, when food can be given twice a day - in the morning and evening.

Diseases of the Cross

Cobb 500 have low susceptibility to disease and good survival rates, but they can also be susceptible to various diseases, usually affecting chickens. Here are some of the most common diseases that broilers can undergo.

1. Dyspepsia. Most often, the disease is caused by an overdue or inappropriate food that the chicks cannot digest due to an underdeveloped digestive system and the lack of necessary enzymes. The disease strikes chickens at first after birth. Dyspepsia causes severe poisoning of the body, which manifests itself in the form of white or yellow liquid feces with undigested food particles against the background of weakness and lack of appetite.
2. Bronchopneumonia. May occur on the background of hypothermia. You can determine the severity of breathing with an open beak, wheezing when breathing, stretching the neck. Treatment must be prescribed by a veterinarian, otherwise the death of a sick bird is possible.
3. Marek's Disease. The incidence of its broilers can reach up to 85%.Symptoms include lameness, drooping wings and tail, twisting of the neck, and sometimes complete or partial visual impairment. An accurate diagnosis can only be made by a veterinarian.
4. Avitaminosis. Due to the rapid growth, the lack of vitamins in broilers can be felt much more acutely than in non-meat breeding chickens. To prevent beriberi, the diet of poultry should be enriched with additional vitamins when feeding poultry with non-specialized feed, where the composition already contains the required amount of necessary substances.
5. Enteritis. Inflammation of the digestive tract. Chickens of early age are exposed, treatment is carried out by preparations of an antibacterial spectrum of action.
6. Aspergillosis. A disease caused by a fungus affects the respiratory tract. As a rule, aspergillosis occurs in violation of conditions of detention, which contributes to the reproduction of the fungus.
7. Salmonellosis. A disease that is dangerous not only for chickens, but also for humans. In the case of infection with salmonellosis, sick individuals are subject to slaughter without the use of food.

Advantages and disadvantages of

Summing up, we can single out the following advantages of the Cobb 500 cross.

1. Rapid weight gain in an extremely short time, allowing for the slaughter of broilers already at the age of 30 days.
2. Yellow skin pigmentation.
3. Low feed costs.
4. High survival factor.
5. Suitable for breeding in the conditions of large poultry farms, and for small farms.
6. Low susceptibility to common chicken diseases.
7. Uniformity of individuals of the same age of both sexes.

The disadvantages of broilers of this species include the lack of possibility of breeding in the traditional way for birds and intolerance of cold, which significantly increases the energy consumption in the process of growing in some regions in more severe climatic zones.

Broilers Cobb 500 in the open air

Age, days	Liveweight, kg	Flow feed, c / d	feed consumption from the beginning of feeding, c / finish
0	0.042	0	0
1	0.052	14	14
2	0.066	14	28
3	0.082	15	43
4	0.100	16	59
5	0.120	22	81
6	0.142	25	106
7	0.166	28	134
8	0.193	31	165
9	0.223	35	200
10	0.256	39	239
11	0.293	44	283
12		49	332
13		55	387
14	0.334 0.379 0.427 0.478	61	448
15		68	516
16	0.532	75	591
17		83	674
18	0.589 0.649 0.712	91	765
19		99	864
20		106	970
21	0.778 0.846 0.916	112	1082
22		118	1200
23		123	1323
24	0.988 1.062 1.137	128	1451
25		133	1584
26		137	1721
27	1.213 1.290 1.368	141	1862
28		145	2007
29		149	2156
30	1.447 1.527 1.608	153	2309
31		157	2466
32		160	2626
33	1.690 1.773 1.857	163	2789
34		166	2955
35	1,942	169	3124
36

Below is a table that clearly shows the ratio of weight and feed consumption for broiler chicken.

Cobb 500 Broilers can be an excellent option for both small farms and industrial poultry farms, as these birds do not need long-term feeding for optimal weight gain, which is very effective in terms of cost-benefit ratio.

You can grow 2-3 generations of the Cobb 500 even in a small area during the summer season, whose meat has excellent taste and attractive presentation, taking advantage of the high demand from consumers.

Anton: The business is troublesome, but very profitable, I do not regret the time spent( and it takes a lot of it).Contained cellular way. He received the first batch of chickens using an incubator( hen).It turned out well, because it strictly adhered to the recommendations. The second batch of 150 pieces purchased at the poultry farm after the first sale.
Growing well, in compound feeds, weight gain controlled, weighing 10% of the number of birds. Weight increased only slightly behind the standard.
The cells were assembled by themselves from scrap materials, but according to the description in the specific literature. I bought only special drinkers.
In general, I finish bragging and summarize: it is worth working, because you get not only high-quality meat, but also a good income. Here, now I have already ordered the first batch for this year for the end of February( there is no time to mess with the incubator now) and I will take up this business closely.

Kostya Ufimtsev: Diluted broilers for meat. Pleased with the result: a huge amount of very tasty meat. Enough for their own food and for sale. The main thing is to follow the rules of breeding and everything will turn out. Journal about birds