Some hybrid breeds of chickens have higher rates of weight gain. One of the most popular in RUSSIA are broilers ROSS 308.
Broilers ROSS 308
The well-known early maturity of broilers depends on proper human care for them. The poultry farmer needs to ensure optimal temperature conditions in the hen house, proper feeding, etc. The final benefit depends on the quality of the work done - delicious poultry meat. But the mass of this meat also depends on which cross was chosen by the poultry breeder for breeding.
Cross Features
Cross, owned by Aviagen, is constantly developing its qualities. This allows farms and livestock breeders in more than a hundred countries around the world to receive ever greater indicators of the productivity of the breed. RUSSIA and Belarus occupy one of the leading positions in the procurement of such chickens. In broilers ROSS 308, the plumage is white. The skin is light and the comb is colored red. Like other meat chickens (COBB crosses, etc.), they are massive. Weight growth up to 2.5-2.9 kg occurs in 2.5 months, provided that the content is properly organized. Hens are depicted in the PHOTO.
The description of the cross is its advantage. ROSS 308 broilers are rapidly gaining weight by 80-90 days. In addition, meat receives its taste in a month from the birth of cross. Keeping chickens is also effective in obtaining eggs. Individuals begin to rush early. Even at a mature age up to 6 months, the carcass does not lose its qualities, so it can be used for incubating eggs.
The content of Ross 308 has its own characteristics.
The breeder should monitor daily weight gain. Cross is considered effective if its daily weight gain is in the range of 50-60 g. If the individual shows poor results, it is discarded. In farming, it is inappropriate to keep weak birds alive.
Performance characteristic
The cultivation of broiler chickens ROSS 308 is characterized by profit from meat, which is obtained after the mass of birds.
The most suitable age is 12-14 weeks. By this time, the mass of chickens should be at least 2.5 kg. Chickens of this breed can even gain more weight. Some farmers manage to get a 4.5-5 kg carcass during this period of time. But such an indicator of productivity is achieved only through the experience of farmers, which they use for production needs.
Chickens, which are sent to the slaughter, show good productivity results when cut. The yield of pure meat from one carcass reaches 75% of the total weight. Of them:
- up to 30% - breast;
- up to 15% - thigh;
- up to 15% - shin.
Producer Performance Rates Guidelines are a basic broiler breeding guide for farmers and poultry farmers, suitable for both production purposes and households. Each farmer should be guided by his standards in order to get rid of a weak livestock in a timely manner.
Why do you need to control weight gain?
Weight gain control is an important condition for profit from spent feed. The bird must undergo a daily weight gain. Day-old chickens weigh 40-50 g. This figure is increasing every day. Broiler chickens like ROSS 308 should have such an increase:
- 1 week - weight gain by 20.9 g per day;
- 2 week - 40.7 g each;
- 3 week - 64.1 g each;
- 4 weeks - 80.7 g each;
- 5 weeks - 90 g each;
- 6 week - 94 g each
Starting from 7 weeks, the average daily weight gain does not increase, and may even decrease to 75 g. Cross already in 10 weeks is able to gain up to 5 kg. But the real numbers are more modest. Maintenance at home, the quality and mode of feeding, as well as the characteristics of the care affect the weight of the chickens by 2.5-3 months. Broilers most often have a weight in the range of 3-4 kg.
Chickens like broilers ROSS 308 are actively growing. Daily weight monitoring is difficult and inconvenient. In addition, hens and roosters of this breed have different indicators of weight gain, so it is more advisable to control the weight gain by week. Novice poultry farmers will be helped by the POCC weight table declared by the manufacturer.
Age, weeks | Chicken weight, grams | Rooster Weight, grams |
2 | 472 | 487 |
3 | 900 | 950 |
4 | 1425 | 1560 |
5 | 2005 | 2280 |
6 | 2590 | 3020 |
7 | 3160 | 3700 |
8 | 3690 | 4400 |
The table of the weekly average weight level is intended for control and timely culling of birds on the farm. Under the condition that each ROSS receives high-quality feed, and the conditions of its maintenance are observed by farmers, chickens reach a weight of 5 kg in 10 weeks. These figures indicate a high profit margin for production purposes.
Growing crosses
POCC 308 broilers are best purchased from an authorized Aviagen representative. There is also an opportunity to buy ROSS from unverified persons, but it is not recommended to take them on the markets, since chickens are easily confused with other breeds of birds. The seller recommends transporting broilers to the farm as soon as possible after purchase. Young chickens are placed in brooders where they spend the next 10 days of their lives. In this place, it is necessary to provide a comfortable temperature for the chicks of 30-32 ° C.
In the first 4 weeks of life, keeping chickens is the most difficult for a farmer. The most difficult thing is to properly regulate the air temperature. They do it like this:
- Young broilers in the first 3 days of life are kept at a temperature of 30-32 ° C (litter temperature - 28-30 ° C).
- Every day, the temperature is lowered by 1 °, to a mark of 20 ° C.
- Humidity in the brooder should be 65-70% in the first 10 days. After this period, it is set within 55-60%.
- In the first week, the lights are turned off for an hour after every 22 hours. The subsequent light regime is 13-15 hours a day.
Each cross under such conditions should be actively gaining weight. We must not forget about feeding. Feeders and drinkers must always be full. They should be washed daily to remove debris and droppings. It is also important to carry out regular cleaning in the cages, because it is the cleanliness in the main place where broilers are kept that reduces the risk of infection of birds with infectious diseases, which can reduce the number of heads on the farm.
ROSS broilers have disease-resistant immunity, but only if they are properly cared for. One of the important nuances that a beginner farmer should consider is equipping the chicken coop with ventilation. Even a conventional supply and exhaust device will allow toxic fumes of manure to leave the room, replaced by fresh air masses.
Broilers ROSS 308 results 2 months. Broiler cage
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Features of the diet of crosses
Feeding broilers also has its own characteristics associated with the choice of feeding itself. The manufacturer recommends that bird owners do not use home-made mixtures of food waste, herbs, premixes, etc. Broilers are not picky about choosing food, but if the goal of poultry farming is to increase the mass of hens, you need to purchase specialized feed. It is especially important to choose the right one in the first days of a hen's life.
The diet of young animals should change as the birds mature. It is best to use this scheme:
- In the first 4 days of life, give broilers pre-starter feed.
- From 5 to 10 days - starter feed.
- From 11 days - growth.
- A few weeks before the slaughter - the finish.
Those farmers who make their own mash should pay attention to the energy value of the products, as well as the need for broilers in a large amount of amino acids, as well as fats and carbohydrates. The main thing is not to exceed the caloric intake of food. Used for such homemade feeding is ground grain, as well as sunflower and rapeseed flour. Broilers can obtain useful trace elements from chalk, shells, salt, limestone, etc.
Experienced farmers do not recommend that novice poultry breeders engage in self-cooking for chickens. Improper selection of components and their proportions can negatively affect the health of birds, as well as reduce their weight gain. Human error can make it impractical to breed crosses.
What else you should know
Anyone who decides to have broilers needs to know that feeding errors can cause signs of some diseases in birds. So, a small amount of grain mixture and an increase in the volume of green feed can lead to the fact that the hens begin to fall on their feet, so you should monitor the quality of the feed.
Feedback from poultry professionals and a general description will also be useful for beginners. Some livestock owners refuse to treat birds infected with infectious diseases. They are culled, the cultivation of such individuals is unprofitable. This saves money, as well as protects the rest of the chickens and the future egg from an infectious individual.