Cobb 500 broilers are the most popular cross on industrial farms. All over the world, it is believed that these hens have the best meat growth. At the same time, the cost of feed per kilogram of weight is very small. Recently, cross began to appear more and more often in small private farms. Birds are unpretentious and resistant to many diseases. Maintenance and care do not cause any particular problems.
Broilers COBB 500
Cross Description
Homeland broilers Cobb 500 - Czech Republic. Now they are engaged in their cultivation by Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, many Western European countries, as well as the USA and Canada. The following breeds took part in the creation of the hybrid:
- Cornish (obtained as a result of crossing English fighting chickens, Malay and white hens of the Azil breed).
- The meat-bearing breed Plymouthrock from the USA.
- Kuchinsky anniversary breed.
- Pantserevsky chickens.
- Rhode Island breed.
- New Hampshire.
- Zagorsk salmon hens.
- May Day breed.
As a result of such a complex crossbreeding, a very productive hybrid was obtained. How to distinguish cross Cobb 500 from other varieties? It is best to carefully review the photos of the birds first, examine their characteristics. Here's what the Cobb 500 broiler looks like:
- The body is large, the body is massive.
- The hips are very well developed.
- Paws are big, strong.
- Plumage is exclusively white, without intersperses.
- The scallop is small, like earrings, bright red.
- The face is covered with a thin red skin.
- The peel is yellow by nature, has a good presentation.
A very remarkable characteristic of the Cobb 500 chickens is the same size of all chickens and adult birds. There is almost no difference between the weight of the cockerels and the chickens. This gives the breed another advantage in industrial production. All carcasses have the same commercial quality - there is no need to divide the meat into grades.
Breed productivity
Cobb 500 cross chickens have good product characteristics. Already at the age of 40 days, the chicken weighs 2.5 kg. The meat yield in carcasses is 73%. At many industrial farms, young animals with such a mass are already sent for slaughter. You can feed the birds up to 11-12 weeks, then the weight gain decreases and productivity decreases. The indicators differ for different methods of cultivation. You can keep males and chickens together or separately. The difference in speed of weight gain is always in favor of separate content.
Cobb 500 Weight Gain Chart for Combined Chickens and Roosters
The age of young animals per day | Mass (g) | Daily gain (g) | Feed Conversion (g) | Daily feed intake (g) | Total feed weight (g) |
0 | 41 | ||||
10 | 260 | 26 | 0,941 | 39 | 245 |
20 | 775 | 39 | 1,233 | 100 | 956 |
30 | 1572 | 52 | 1,495 | 168 | 2350 |
40 | 2456 | 61 | 1,719 | 198 | 4220 |
50 | 3246 | 65 | 1,923 | 203 | 6246 |
56 | 3644 | 65 | 2,045 | 198 | 7451 |
The weight of the broiler by the day with separate rearing of hens and males (table)
The age of young animals per day | Mass (g) hens / males | Daily gain (g) hens / males | Feed Conversion (g) hens / males | Daily feed intake (g) hens / males | Total feed weight (g) hens / males |
0 | 41 | ||||
10 | 250/270 | 25/27 | 0,955/0,927 | 38/40 | 239/250 |
20 | 737/813 | 37/47 | 1,250/1,216 | 96/104 | 922/989 |
30 | 1476/1668 | 49/55 | 1,527/1,463 | 159/176 | 2255/2440 |
40 | 2266/2646 | 57/66 | 1,77/1,655 | 185/210 | 4017/4404 |
50 | 2927/3571 | 58/71 | 2,011/1,833 | 187/214 | 5887/6546 |
56 | 3235/4054 | 58/72 | 2,156/1,927 | 178/209 | 6973/7808 |
There are other breeds of broilers that are similar in their product characteristics to the Cobb 500 chickens, but have their own characteristics. For example, the difference from the Cobb 700 is that this cross consumes more feed than the Cobb 500, although the gain in weight in the first may be higher. The Cobb 500 and Ross 308 have similar indicators, but again, the Ross 308 requires high feeding costs for normal weight gain.
The characterization of the Cobb 500 broilers and a description of their productivity will be incomplete, not to mention egg production. Often, when growing at home, hens are left, and only males are sent for slaughter. Chicks begin to scam at the age of 6 months. Egg production is at the level of 160-180 eggs per year, weighing 45-60 g. The best indicators are from 0.5 to 1.5 years. Of course, it is difficult to compare them with indicators of egg breeds, but broilers do not need such a comparison, because this is not their main specialization.
Advantages and disadvantages of cross-country
As we see from the description of the Cobb 500 broiler chickens, growing this cross at home is very profitable. In a short time, you can get tasty meat without spending too much money on feeding them, because Cobb 500 chickens get such good feedback from farmers. Here are a number of advantages that poultry farmers note in the breed description:
- The growth rate of young animals is high.
- The final price of meat is low, since there is very little feed per 1 kg of mass.
- Slaughter can be carried out as early as 1-1.5 months.
- The yellow color of the skin, which increases commercial quality.
- Large, muscular thighs that increase the yield of meat in the carcass.
- White and tender breast with a lot of weight.
- Homogeneity of individuals in livestock.
- Good chick survival
- Increased resistance to many diseases.
- The ability to breed both in industrial farms and in small households.
Has a breed of Cobb 500 and its shortcomings. Since it is a hybrid, you cannot breed chickens on your own. In addition, laying hens completely lost their ability to hatch eggs. For hatching, the hatching egg must be kept in an incubator. Cross is sensitive to cold, because growing in the north is associated with additional heating costs.
Content Features
In order for Cobb 500 broiler chickens to fully reveal their product qualities, certain conditions of detention must be adhered to. Czech cross is grown without walking, so that it gains weight faster. Closed houses or cages are best suited. This method is acceptable for industrial farms, and for those cases when the cultivation is carried out at home.
The number of birds in the chicken coop should not be more than 30-42 kg of live weight per 1 sq. Km. m room. In one room can contain different breeds. For example, Cobb 500 broilers and Ross 308 broilers. But experienced poultry farmers say that it is better to separate birds or grow one cross, because the characteristics of the breeds are different, it is not so easy to satisfy different requirements.
The temperature regime depends on the age of the bird. The chickens in the first days need heat, the temperature is maintained at 28-33 ° C. From the end of the first week it is gradually reduced by 1-2 ° C. Sharp changes are harmful, they are reflected in energy metabolism and affect the growth rate. The minimum content temperature for Cobb 500 broilers is 10-14 ° C.
Broiler COBB 500 // 5kg in 2 months //
Growing Cobb-500 broilers
The content of broilers COBB 500. Details. From incubation to carcass weighing.
House lighting is important. First, it should be around the clock until the chickens reach the age of 2 weeks, then the lights are turned off for 1-2 hours. The final daylight hours are 14-18 hours. Cobb 500 broilers are acceptable even under variable lighting conditions when the lights are turned off and on every 2 hours.
Birds do not need special care. It is enough to keep the coop clean. Litter should always be dry. You can change it completely or only the top layer, if the thickness of the litter is large. It is good to process floors from time to time with slaked lime. Before starting a new herd in the house, a general cleaning and disinfection must be carried out so that broiler chickens do not get sick.
Cross-Feeding
Cobb 500 cross-breeding is not only the right maintenance and care, but also regulated feeding. A proper diet can ensure maximum breed productivity. It is best if the bird eats specialized feed. They already include all vitamin and mineral supplements, and the composition of the main components is adjusted to satisfy all the needs of an intensively growing organism.
How to feed the Cobb 500 chickens so that they grow well? For normal weight gain, feed should be selected according to age. The technology is not at all complicated:
- From 0 to 10 days - starting feed in the form of grains.
- 11-22 days, when the chickens are gaining weight most intensively, - granular food of the type "Growth".
- after a month, the diet consists of compound feeds of the “Finish-1” or “Finish-2” type.
It is difficult to independently choose a balanced diet for broiler chickens. Economically, this is not very profitable, since the growth and weight gain will be lower. In order to fully satisfy the need for proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals, the bird needs to be fed with such products:
- grain mixers (wheat, corn, barley, oats);
- legumes (peas, beans, vetch);
- vegetable mixers with herbs or grass flour;
- meat and bone meal, meat broth, reverse to meet the need for animal proteins;
- oilcake or oilseed meal.
Be sure to include mineral supplements (chalk, salt, crushed shell), and Premix vitamins in the diet. To improve digestion, the bird should eat small pebbles, large sand. It should also provide round-the-clock access to fresh water.
As you can see, feeding Cobb 500 broilers with natural products is quite difficult and costly. You need to spend more time on the preparation of the mixers, and the result will be worse than if you feed the hens with ready-made compound feeds, so that most farmers refuse this method, which significantly reduces the cost of funds.
Growing chickens
Breeding of Cobb 500 broiler chickens has one nuance: it is impossible to breed purebred birds at home. The hybrid was obtained as a result of complex crossbreeding, only specialized poultry farms and farms can have good lines. It is best to buy hatching eggs or pre-made chickens.
How much do chickens cost? The price of Cobb 500 broilers is not that high. Eggs are quite inexpensive, only 15-20 rubles apiece. However, the price of daily chickens is also low, from 55 to 75 rubles per head.
To buy Cobb 500 cross broilers or hatching eggs, you need to choose proven farms where they have their own parent tribe, chickens are bred in normal conditions, and the sale has been going on for a long time. It also does not hurt to study the breed from the photo in order to have an idea of the appearance of the hens.
Hatching eggs can be placed under a brood of another breed or in an incubator. Be sure to mark the material, verify the fertilization of eggs on an ovoscope, then they are gradually heated to a temperature of 25 ° C. With artificial dilution, the indicators in the incubator should be kept at 37.6-37.8 ° C. It is important to ensure the correct humidity level (50-60%) and good ventilation. Egg incubation lasts 21 days. The hatchability of chickens is high - at the level of 94-98%.
Growing small chickens from the Cobb 500 Cross does not present any particular difficulties. The main thing is to withstand temperature standards and round-the-clock lighting from the first day. Place maintenance should be very clean, cleaning is carried out daily. On industrial farms, antibiotics or special antibacterial agents for chickens are added to feed and drink to prevent disease.
Chickens disease
Cross Cobb 500 is quite resistant to various diseases, this is clearly indicated by the description of the hybrid breed. Proper maintenance and feeding, normal temperature conditions further increase the survival rate of young and adult birds. Nevertheless, there are some pathologies that can affect individual individuals or a whole population. Here are the main diseases that broiler chickens can pick up:
- Dyspepsia. Appears if you feed the chickens with food that is not appropriate for age. Nestlings weaken, lose their appetite, their stools are frequent, thin, yellow-green, with undigested food.
- Bronchopneumonia develops in drafts or due to hypothermia. Symptoms: the bird is breathing heavily, wheezing, pulling its neck, its temperature rises.
- Marek's disease. It is manifested by lameness, dropping of the wings and tails of chickens, twisting of the neck, loss of vision.
- Avitaminosis. Manifestations depend on the type of vitamins that are lacking in the diet. Chickens grow poorly, they lose their appetite, after the first month they feathers drop out intensively.
- Enteritis. Called by bacteria or viruses, more often small chickens suffer, manifested by diarrhea.
- Aspergillosis Pathology is caused by a fungus that affects the upper respiratory tract. This happens under improper conditions of detention.
- Salmonellosis. A bacterial infectious disease that is dangerous for both chickens and humans. The affected herd is slaughtered, the meat is destroyed.
For any symptoms of the disease, you should contact your veterinarian and not self-medicate. There is a direct correlation between the time of assistance provided and the survival rate of the herd.
Cobb 500 broilers always get very high reviews, so you should consider breeding this breed. Incubating eggs, raising chickens and keeping chickens are not difficult. Beginners are advised to buy and carefully study the manual, which says how to breed properly, then losses can be avoided, and the business will start to generate good income after only one or two years of growing crosses.