PLEASE STUDY THIS IT WILL HELP YOU TO UNDERSTAND THE CHICKEN MANAGEMENT.
We have three main species of Broilers not breed/company.
1. Ross 308 (Agrited & Sayid)
2. Cobb 500 ( Olams, Zartech, NPG, Cascada
3. ARBOR ACRE (Amo, Chi , Fidan)
Each of these species have their advantages and disadvantages in term of Growth rate in term of Weeks, FCR (Feed Conversion Rate), Response to Heat and Cool whether, etc. Don't be deceived, all hatchery's and company's will say there birds are best for all season and growth well with good weight at 5-6 weeks, it's not true. Infact 70% of those distributing birds to you from the company, I mean Your Agents, Middle man, Veterinary outlet where you book DOC (Day Old Chick) don't know these differences, don't blame the company, blame yourself for not knowing what you are into.
Ross 308 (Agrited & Sayid) has the highest FCR and they grow rapidly week by week add weight day by day, at 5 weeks they spread their legs in k-shape, they don't grow tall, they grow fat mostly. You can manage to keep them up till 7 weeks after 7 weeks you are just wasting your money trying to feed them for them to add more weight, you will just loose, they are good for 6 weeks business
They don't like Heat, they can manage cold environment, heat stress kills them more than CRD's.
The Ross 308 don't need rationing of food from day old till 6 weeks, they need none stop feeding cause any food they eat they have the highest ability to convert it to meat & Fat. From 6 week up if you still want to leave them in your farm you can now be rationing their food for once In a day or twice in a day till you sell them off, don't keep them beyond 7 weeks in your farm cause they will be consuming your money with no much weight gain, they even die of their two much weight and fat, and are improved for 6 weeks consumption and sells.
2. The COBB 500( Olams, Zartech, NPG, Cascada), they attain good weight at 7,8,9 weeks that the period when they add good weight cause from 1-6 weeks they will just be growing little meat/fat, they grow mostly tall at 1-6 weeks, grows more feathers than ROSS 308.
If you are feeding the Cobb 500 birds morning afternoon & night non stop and at 4 weeks you start Rationing there feed to once in a day or morning and night twice, you are wasting your time, it is at 5-8,9 weeks they need plenty food and non stop feeding cause that's when they add good weight. It's better you ration their food from day old till 4 weeks and save money for the 5-8,9 weeks when they need the food, that is to give them food once in a day or twice in a day from week 1 till 4 weeks and give them food 3-4 times a day from week 5-8,9 for better result that if you don't have big capital to give them non stop feed from day old till 8,9 weeks.
If you want to know more about these species and the 3rd one ARBOR ACRE ((Amo, Chi, Fidan) their advantages, disadvantages, superiority to other.
Characteristics based on percentage
Note: The below Statistics might not be 100% accurate but based on research's, evaluation, experiment, the following were. Deduced. This is strictly on experiment and observation.
Note: Am not condemning any company/breed or Marketing any company/breed.
1. Height
COBB 500. 80%
ROSS 308. 60%
ARBOR ACRE 70%
MARSHALL. 85%
2. Maximum Weight at 7 weeks
COBB 500. 75%
ROSS 308. 90%
ARBOR ACRE 80%
MARSHALL. 60%
3. Immunity/ Response to Treatment
COBB 500. 75%
ROSS 308. 75%
ARBOR ACRE 90%
MARSHALL. 80%
4. Adaptation to all weather(Dry & Rainy)
COBB 500. 65%
ROSS 308. 60%
ARBOR ACRE 70%
MARSHALL. 70%
5. Feed conversion
COBB 500. 75%
ROSS 308. 85%
ARBOR ACRE 80%
MARSHALL. 65%
6. Best for frozen chicken or 6-7 weeks sales
COBB 500. 75%
ROSS 308. 100%
ARBOR ACRE 80%
MARSHALL. 60%
7. Bird uniformity
COBB 500. 70%
ROSS 308. 80%
ARBOR ACRE 75%
MARSHALL. 60%
Now we are going add all percent each breed got in the 7 statistics (over 700%)
COBB
80+75+75+65+75+70+75= 515/700 (%)
ROSS 308 60+90+75+60+85+100+80= 530/700 (%)
ARBOR 70+80+90+70+80+80+75= 545/700 (%)
MARSH 85+60+80+70+65+60+60= 500/700 (%)
Best bird for Broilers Rating based on our overall Statistics
1. ARBOR ACRE 1ST Position
2. ROSS 308. 2nd Position
3. COBB 500. 3rd Position
4. Marshall. 4th position
Ross 308 is the best for 6 weeks business when you give them the best, follow by Abror Acre, then Cobb 500, and last but not the least Marshall.
8. Performance and sustainability after 6 weeks, Arbor Acre First, Cobb 500 2nd, Marshall and last but not the is Ross 308
Marketing and selling, Ross 308 1st, Abror Acre Second, Cobb 3rd and Marshall 4th
Just chose what works for you and understand them
If you dont understand species manager then don't go into poultry
WHICH BROILER SPECIE IS BEST?
If you’re a poultry farmer, understanding the specie of birds is the best way to avoid most of the problems with stunted growth, Newcastle infection, height and weight challenges and general carcass quality.
We’ve heard from farmers countless times that their broilers don’t do very well as the other stocks they raised. It is possible too that they are from the same hatchery but what happens why they don’t grow at the same rate?
First, note that unless you are getting your chicks directly from the hatchery, they can be compromised. Forget the carton, delivery agents or suppliers can change your chicks for other chicks.
Secondly, general management practice is another determinant of your broilers performance.
Now Let’s Get the Real Gist.
We’ve heard people say too that all broilers are the same it doesn’t matter which one you go for. That is a pure lie. All broilers are not the same unless you don’t care to know the different species of broilers and their growth and weight performance. They may look alike but the differences are always very clear in their growth performance and overall health.
We’ll be discussing the 3 major types of broilers species.
Note: there are numerous species of broilers including Ross 308, Marshall Broilers, Cob 500/700, Arbor Acre, Hubbard and Anak, but we’ll be discussing the 3 major ones in this post.
Abhor Acre Specie of Broilers
Ross 308 and 708 Species
Cobb 500 and 700 Species
Note:Cobb 700 and Ross 708 are improved and advance specie, they are not yet in Nigeria but are in some country still undergoing development and researches, it is anticipated that the Cobb 700 and Ross 708 will achieve in 4 weeks whatever Cobb 500 and Ross 308 Achieves at 6weeks due to some genetic upgrade and improvement.
Although the result for all broilers remains meat, they perform differently and meet their target meat value at different stages. Understanding this simple truth will help you always have the best experience as a broiler farmer.
Before going for the type of broiler specie, you should have an aim. I mean who are you producing your broilers for? If a suya man is your main target, you should consider raising a broiler that doesn’t have much fat and reach the market size within 4 – 5 weeks. Why? Because the suya men don’t buy too big chickens that has too much fat since it’ll be more difficult for them to roast. Also, to them, the price remains the same however big it is.
Now let’s look at these;
Ross 308/708: these are the major products of Agrited and Sayed. They are known for their fast growth rate, good breastmeat, excellent feed conversion and considerable lean meat
Abor Acre-- these are the major products of CHI. They are known for their heavy feeding, good weight and carcass and (good feed conversion)
Cobb -- Cobb are some of the products from NPG Zartech, NPG Fidan, ,Cascada, Vertex, Goldsmine. Note: we use the word some here because all their products are not always Cobb species either 500 or 700. The REAL Cobb species of broilers are known for their lean meat, good height, and good breast mean and good feed conversion.
Now, looking at the above analysis it is obvious that all broiler species are not the same especially in growth performance, height and weight including their lean meat and breast conformation.
So?
If you’re a seller looking to market your chickens live, it is best to go for Cobb and ROSS species because of their height and growth performance.
If you’re a farmer who does frozen chicken sales, Abhor Acre species are best because of their heavy weight and overall carcass quality follow by Ross 308. These species may not grow as tall as the Cobb and Ross species but their weight may take a match.
The Ross 308/708 species will produce a perfect result for frozen chicken sales too
Note: this is just our opinion from research and practical experience with these broiler species . Some farmers have raised Cobbs that gave general live weight far better than Abhor Acre – this boils down to the management practices..
The truth is, what works for someone else may not work for you too so, always do your investigations before going for your broilers understanding that there is a slight difference between the species which may determine your overall experience at the end of the day
Hope this is help, I took time to analyze this, by now you should know the best breed that fits you, your business, your time and attention to your poultry, have a wonderful day
CONCLUSION
In the real sense from the information above, it now depends on individual farmer preference to choose which strain best fits for his/her farm management either in growth rate, tallness, FCR, ME, or survivability.
In general, all the broiler strains give equivalent weight at 6 weks with Ross on increased margin but poorer survivability in modern broilers comparison.
I hope this helps
THANKS FOR READING, PLEASE SHARE TO EDUCATE OTHER FARMERS.
