Yields vary dramatically: some farms produce as much as 150 pounds per acre each year while others produce little. Typical yields in Europe range between 25 and 35 pounds per acre each year, but as methods improve many more farms are achieving yields in excess of 100 pounds per acre.
With bodies taxed beyond belief, chickens who survive their time in production are often slaughtered at just 42 days old. They are still âpeepingâ the sound of baby chicks when they are killed â even though their bodies have ballooned to the size of giant adult chickens in this short time due to industry practices.
Joel Salatin, author of Pastured Poultry Profits, raises Cornish Cross meat birds in portable chicken houses called chicken tractors. The broilers are slaughtered at 8 weeks, with an average carcass weight of 1.8 kg (4 lb.) with a live weight of 2.4 kg (5.3 lb.). The feeding schedule for broilers is quite flexible. Although some producers feed chicken grower from hatch to slaughter, most use a two-or three-stage feeding program, changing the feed as chicks mature. Young chicks grow rapidly and need high levels of protein. As they mature, the rate of growth slows down and their protein needs are lower.