Efficiency of Growing Broilers to a Heavier Weight

THE vast growth of our nation’s broiler industry in the last two decades has been geared to the production of a three pound bird which now can be grown in about nine weeks on seven pounds of feed. With the faster growing, more efficient broiler of today, a study was conducted to determine if production efficiency could be increased by rearing the birds to a heavier weight. It is believed that a good market can be developed for heavy broilers or light roasters if their production can be shown to be economical. Little work has been reported on this phase of broiler production. Using birds that required approximately 10½ weeks and 8½ pounds of feed to reach a 3-pound body size, Heady et al. (1956) have shown how optimal market weights depend upon the ratio of broiler prices to feed costs. Smith (1959), in a more recent study,…