The New Chicken
By Jeff Mattocks
What does he mean by “New Chicken”? Well, the chickens we raise today are different from when I was a young man. Today’s chickens grow faster, lay more eggs, and do many things we never thought of 50 years ago. In our modern age of agriculture, a Cornish cross meat chicken has the capability to grow to 5.2 pounds liveweight in 42 days. This yields the market ideal chicken weight at 4 pounds. 40 years ago, raising a chicken to this size would have taken 10 to 12 weeks. We now have laying hen breeds capable of three hundred or more eggs in one year of laying. These same hens may be managed to lay for up to seventy continuous weeks. Again, back in the days of my youth a good laying hen might provide two hundred eggs in a year. The world has changed and the chickens have changed with it. Bigger, faster, more, and cheaper to raise and maintain.
Managing and feeding the modern chicken breeds is different from it was all those years ago. As a child, I used to carry out bags of feed for people on Saturday mornings and through the summers working at the family feed mill. Those feeds were not formulated the same as what the chickens of today need to thrive. Back then a basic corn, soy, oats broiler feed at 18% was enough. There was not a focus on amino acids that there is today. Today a modern genetics broiler should have a 23% starter feed. This starter feed should have 1.3% lysine, .55% methionine and .85% threonine. To really see the true genetics potential of the bird’s growth. Then having a step-down feeding program to a Grower feed at 19% protein, 1.1% lysine, .52% methionine, and .83% threonine. Then moving on to a Finisher feed at 17% protein, 1.0% lysine, .50% methionine, and .80% threonine. All this information is published and is readily available from the genetics companies developing the breeds.
For layers, the modern breeds of sex link breeds require multiple complex feed formulations to achieve optimum health and productivity. A pullet coming into laying should have an 18% - 19% protein feed with 1.1% lysine, .45% methionine, and .82% threonine. Then after she peaks in production and is maintaining peak production will gradually transition to a Phase 2 diet. A Phase 2 diet would be 17% protein, 1% lysine, .42% methionine, and .80% threonine. She will stay on this level of nutrition until the flock average of jumbo-sized eggs reaches 5 – 7%. At this time, the protein level of the feed will gradually drop by ½ percentage point. To maintain the proper eggs size in the optimum sellable range of large and extra large you will continue to gradually decrease protein. Depending on the flock productivity, egg size, and body weight, you may end up feeding as low as 14% protein feed.
Managing modern poultry breeds for health, production and profitability requires more management than it did years ago. You need to decide if you are just raising chickens or chickens are to be a profitable enterprise for your farm and family. No one said it would be easy. It is all possible with a little focus, dedication, and perseverance. You decide whether you are profitable or not. Do not blame the chickens. It all starts with management. In the end it is your farm, your chickens, and your money.
