The Establishment of a Preliminary Weight Profile for the 257 Table Birds within the Sheepdrove Organic Farm Organic Silvo-Poultry System.

摘要

A preliminary weight profile was produce for the organic silvo-poultry system on Sheepdrove organic farm. Seven batches (each of 20 hens and 20 cocks) were weighed over a two month period (January/February 2003). No current organic silvo-poultry weight profile was available but the weights achieved were found to exceed those of the nearest suggested profile (ISA 657) but were beneath the weights required for Sheepdroves markets. There was great and inconsistent variation between the batches and between sheds. This suggested that environment and management of particular houses could be having a large impact on final chicken weights.