UNH LIBRARY 



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Growth and Feed Standards for 

 New Hampshires 



Lawrence M. Potter and R. C. Ringrose* 



Introduction 



As A RESULT or continuous progress in breeding, feeding, and manage- 

 ment of broiler flocks in a highly specialized poultry industry, there 

 is need for up-to-date standard figures for weight, growth, and feed con- 

 sumption for various ages of broilers. With such figures available the broiler 

 grower will be better able to determine how his flock compares to a stand- 

 ard flock as to growth and feed consumption at any age. Using this informa- 

 tion as a reference he may make certain calculations on his flock to deter- 

 mine when to sell in order to take advantage of greater profits. 



Tremendous changes have taken place in the last 20 years in the rate 

 of growth of New Hampshires for broilers. For example, in 1934 it took 

 20 weeks to raise a flock of chickens of mixed sexes to average five pounds. 

 Now, it takes only 14 to 15 weeks. In the Maine Production and Broiler 

 Test the average weight of all chickens raised in 1951 was one pound heavier 

 than the chickens raised in 1947. an increase from 3.96 pounds at 14 weeks 

 to 4.95 pounds at the same age. 



The days of easy profits in the broiler business during the years im- 

 mediately following World War II are apparently over. The broiler pro- 

 ducers are now more nearly supplying the demand. Reasonable income for 

 labor and management in the broiler business is realized only by the more 

 keen operators who make best use of their breeding, feeding, and manage- 

 ment abilities. 



The standards presented in this bulletin are to be used as a goal to 

 attain or surpass. They are not absolute values for all broiler flocks. A large 

 number of factors may influence the rate of growth of broilers. There are 

 variations among breeds, strains within a breed, feeds, feeding systems, sea- 

 sons of the year, management factors, environmental conditions, disease out- 

 breaks, as well as many other factors. The standards presented here are a 

 little better than the average in the broiler industry. However, if a broiler 

 grower is to realize a reasonable income for his labor and management in 

 order to improve his financial position, he must obtain a larger chicken on 

 less feed and in less time than the average broiler grower. 



Procedure 



Data for the first ten weeks of growth were taken from five pens of 300 

 straight-run New Hampshires in the First New Hampshire Broiler Test. 



♦Mr. Potter is a Graduate Assistant in Poultry Husbandry at the Universitv of New Hampshire. 

 Dr. Ringrose is Professor of Poultry Husbandry and Poultry Nutritionist, New Hampshire Agricultural 

 Experiment Station. 



