Cobb-500: description and characteristics of the broiler

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Chicken meat enjoys unchanged popularity, so with a rational approach to the choice of chicken meat breeding broiler breeding can be quite profitable occupation. A wonderful option is Cobb 500 broilers. Due to its rapid growth rates at low feed costs, this cross is very popular both in Russia and abroad.

In this article we will talk about the description of broilers Cobb 500, their characteristics, learn to cope with diseases of the 500 cross. Among other things, we learn the nuances of growing broiler Cobb 500 chickens at home.

Description of broiler Cobb 500

Let's start with the characteristics of cobb 500 chickens. It differs from other breeds in natural yellow skin color, which is in constant demand among consumers. The bird is quite unpretentious, does not need specialized expensive care or expensive feed, at the same time, slaughter can be done in a month and a half, which makes broiler breeding an extremely profitable enterprise.

Chickens of cross Cobb 500 differ massive build, large sturdy legs. Plumage of snow-white color. The neat comb and earrings have a rich red color. The head is completed by a massive beak.

Temperament broiler chickens Cobb 500

Due to the fact that the content of broilers is aimed at obtaining the maximum amount of meat, it is not recommended to settle Cobb 500 in an ordinary house with a range. The optimal conditions for high productivity will be floor maintenance without walking, or staying in cages. When the content of poultry in cages, the mobility of the bird is sharply limited, and therefore the rate of weight gain increases.

They are rather phlegmatic, not aggressive, however, with improper maintenance, some young individuals may suffer from cannibalism. The reason for this may be excessive brightness of the lighting, or not enough full diet. In the presence of these factors, individual chicks can peck weaker tribesmen up to a lethal outcome.

Chicken broilers Cobb 500 in the pen

Cross Cobb 500 can be maintained both on a small farm and in conditions of large poultry farms. When breeding poultry in a part-time farm, it should be noted that the chicks in the first days of life require intense heat and light. For a good weight gain, chicks often need to peck at food, which is not possible in the dark, so the first 14 days of coverage should be around the clock.

After this period, “light day” is reduced to 18 hours. The temperature in the house should be in the range of 27-32 degrees. The room should be well ventilated, but without drafts, which are detrimental to chicks. Particular attention should be paid to the cleanliness of the room to prevent the incidence of chickens, so before settling a new batch of young stock, it is necessary to carry out general cleaning of the poultry house, whitewashing the walls and ceiling with lime, replacing the litter and carefully washing out the feeder and the trough.

Weight characteristics of the cross

One of the differences of cross - uniformity. That is, all livestock to achieve a certain age has approximately the same mass. Already in a month the weight of chicks passes for 2 kg, and in one and a half birds weigh on average 2500-2600, and in 56 days the weight of the bird is over 3 kg.

However, when the age of 80 days is reached, the growth rate is significantly reduced, therefore the most favorable period for slaughtering chickens of this cross varies around 40-60 days, although young animals can be slaughtered after 30 days from the moment of birth.

Egg production breed

The cross was bred by crossing such breeds as Cornish chickens and Plymouthrocks. In addition to the two main varieties, several more domestic chickens were used to produce the Cobb 500 hybrid. As a result, the resulting cross is distinguished by excellent weight in the first weeks of life, which allows significant savings in the maintenance of the poultry.

The meat itself has a pleasant taste, ideal for diet food. Actually, thanks to the painstaking crossing in order to obtain meat breed, an excellent broiler was bred, which, of course, will most likely be born like any bird, but it’s just pointless to hope for a high degree of egg production. At best, the number of eggs from under one female will be 2-3 pieces per week.

Broilers, rather than egg breeds of chickens, begin to rush rather late, not earlier than the age of 7 months.

Catering of the Cobb 500 breed

Cultivation and cultivation of Czech broilers at home

For breeding Czech broilers Cobb 500 traditionally used two methods.

Purchase of hatching eggs at large poultry farms.
Purchase daily young stock.

Disease Cross

Cobb 500s have low susceptibility to disease and good survival rates, but they can also be susceptible to various diseases, usually affecting chickens. Here are some of the most common diseases that broilers can undergo.

Dyspepsia. Most often, the disease is caused by overdue or unsuitable in age feed, which the chicks are unable to digest due to insufficiently developed digestive system and the lack of necessary enzymes. The disease strikes chickens at first after birth. Dyspepsia causes severe poisoning of the body, which manifests itself in the form of white or yellow liquid feces with undigested food particles against the background of weakness and lack of appetite.
Bronchopneumonia. May occur on the background of hypothermia. You can determine the severity of breathing with an open beak, wheezing when breathing, stretching the neck. Treatment must be prescribed by a veterinarian, otherwise the death of a sick bird is possible.
Marek's disease. The incidence of its broilers can reach up to 85%. Symptoms include lameness, drooping of the wings and tail, twisting of the neck, and sometimes complete or partial visual impairment. An accurate diagnosis can only be made by a veterinarian.
Avitaminosis. Due to rapid growth, the lack of vitamins in broilers can be felt much more acutely than in non-meat breed chickens. To prevent beriberi, the diet of poultry should be enriched with additional vitamins when feeding poultry with non-specialized feed, where the composition already contains the required amount of necessary substances.
Enteritis. Inflammation of the digestive tract. Chicks of early age are exposed, the treatment is carried out with preparations of antibacterial spectrum of action.
Aspergillosis. A disease caused by a fungus affects the respiratory tract. As a rule, aspergillosis occurs in violation of conditions of detention, which contributes to the reproduction of the fungus.
Salmonellosis. A disease that is dangerous not only for chickens, but also for humans. In the case of infection with salmonellosis, the diseased individuals are subject to slaughter without use as food.

Advantages and disadvantages

Summing up, we can distinguish the following advantages of the Cobb 500 cross.

Rapid weight gain in an extremely short time, allowing for the slaughter of broilers at the age of 30 days.
Yellow skin pigmentation.
Low feed costs.
High survival factor.
Suitable for breeding in the conditions of large poultry enterprises, and for small farms.
Low susceptibility to common chicken diseases.
The homogeneity of individuals of the same age of both sexes.

The disadvantages of broilers of this species include the lack of possibility of breeding in the traditional way for birds and cold intolerance, which significantly increases the energy consumption in the process of growing in some regions in more severe climatic zones.

Cobb 500 broilers in the fresh air

Characteristics of the broiler

Compared to other breeds, broilers are larger. They are characterized by rapid growth and closer to one and a half months of life with proper feeding and maintenance, gain commercial weight from 2 to 2, 7 kg. Therefore, it is believed that this is the best time for slaughter. Of course, if broilers are grown on the farm for their own consumption, they are kept for a longer time. Up to 70–80 days. By this date, Cobb 500 gains weight from 4, 5 to 5, 5 kg. It’s not worth keeping birds longer. Because, using the feed to the full, they no longer give a gain, and can even slow it down. It will not be profitable. Moreover, the cultivation of broilers has its own characteristics, depending on temperament and feeding patterns. Therefore, it is better to grow them in a separate house.

On the features of growing broiler Ross-308 read here.

If you keep roosters and chickens apart, they will gain weight faster.

Appearance

Cobb 500 cross-country chickens are large; at two months of age, weight can reach from 2, 5 and more kilograms. They have a compact horizontally set body, phlegmatic character. The back and chest are wide. The breast has increased fleshyness. Chickens are short-legged, powerful paws. Dense bones and loose plumage in white. Skin color is yellow. The comb is bright red in color, small in size, almost identical in roosters and chickens. The beak of representatives of this type of broiler is very powerful, capable of causing injury. Eggs are small in size.

Productivity

Cobb 500 cross country broilers are distinguished by a rather rapid growth of muscle mass with a minimum fat content. The initial time for slaughter is 40 days. It was at this time that the bird gains its optimal weight, and having a yellowish carcass skin is in demand in the market. If possible, chickens can be fed up to 3 months of age. But after this period, the bird ceases to gain muscle mass, so its further maintenance and feeding is irrational. And since the special food is not cheap, there is no return as a further increase in live weight.

Weight indicators

Very rarely in the herd you can see different in size birds. As a rule, they have almost the same body weight. After a month of maintenance, the live weight of chickens can reach 1, 5–2. 0 kilograms, and at the age of one and a half months, this figure rises to 2.5 kg. Therefore, slaughter can begin from forty days from the date of purchase of day-old chicks. If possible, the cobb 500 broilers are grown to eighty days of age. Then their weight can reach up to 4. 5-5 kilograms. And then, eating food, they do not grow, and their muscle mass may even decrease. Therefore, slaughtering is most rational when carried out by broilers at the age of 40–60 days.

How to feed broiler chickens can be found here.

Cobb 500 - the result of crossing Plymouth (meat-egg breed) and Cornish (meat breed). And although they are somewhat different in orientation, the breeds share common positive qualities: good viability, high survival rates, and phlegmatic character.

Content Features

No need to think that this bird does not need care. Without the proper maintenance and feeding of broilers Cobb 500 will not gain the desired weight, and their cultivation will be unprofitable for the poultry farmer. And next year he will look for another breed of chickens. Growing broilers has its own characteristics, starting with the content. At the moment there are two types of them:

Cellular. In a specially mounted cage placed young. Chickens live in a small area, and this limits their activity, which leads to an increase in muscle mass.
Outdoor. In the chicken coop necessarily separate from other breeds of chickens are placed broilers. The room should be warm and well ventilated.

The health of chickens and their rational use of food depends on the microclimate of the room in which they are located:

If the air temperature is low, then part of the feed is not used to build muscle, but to create additional heat for the body,
High ambient temperature also leads to weight loss,
Relative humidity in the broiler room should be in the range of 60-70 percent,
Be sure to artificial lighting. Especially in the first two weeks of chickens. It is enough to have one lamp 60 W per six square meters of space,
It is advisable to equip the house nipple drinkers
As often as possible to clean the room from dirt and feces. And chickens change litter every two days.

Preparation of the house for the placement of broilers in it consists in thorough disinfection and cleaning of the premises.

Table of the ratio of weight and feed consumption

The norm of feeding is the amount of nutrients, which ensures the normal growth and building up of the muscle mass of both young animals and adults, maintaining life and productivity. The rates are differentiated depending on the age of broilers, as well as the conditions of detention and their physiological state.

Breeding at home

Even if the poultry farmer leaves a few chickens with a rooster the next year, in order to get chickens in the spring, breeding in this way broilers Kob 500 will not work. And there are reasons for this:

Hybrids do not pass on their properties,
Even if they gather eggs, chickens are incapable of incubating and raising their offspring.

Therefore, there are two ways of breeding a hybrid: the purchase of chickens in large poultry farms or the purchase of daily young.

If there is an incubator, then it is cheaper, of course, to buy an incubation egg. But, buying chickens, you can be sure of the quality indicators and, moreover, this cross-country has a high level of survival. From 97 to 100%. But in order to avoid death among the young, and he gained good weight, it is necessary to apply the correct methods of broiler housing and feeding:

Form of content. If you choose between the cellular content and the floor, it is better to stay on the latter. In addition, there should be no walking area.
Microclimate in the hen house. Температура должна быть около 30 градусов тепла, а относительная влажность воздуха в пределах 60–70%. Если температура в курятнике – нормальная, то птица хорошо поедает корм, равномерно размещается по всей площади пола. Если холодно, то бройлеры распускают перья, увеличивая таким образом, толщину защитного слоя воздуха.
Световой режим. In the first two weeks of chick life, artificial lighting should be round-the-clock, in order for the young to find constant food. This helps build muscle mass.
Food broilers. Feed must contain proteins, vitamins, trace elements and various mineral supplements. You can use ready-made feed of different manufacturers, but always with a note that you can feed it to broilers (for different ages there is feed with a certain set of necessary components). It is necessary to feed the chickens often, up to 8 times a day, and with each subsequent week the number of feedings is reduced so that at the age of one month to feed only in the morning and evening. Once a week should be carried out control weighing birds.
Zoohygiene. The litter of chickens needs to be changed daily or at least once every two days. Broilers are not susceptible to many diseases characteristic of birds, but dirt can create a favorable environment for the development of infections.

It is impossible for food to stagnate or turn sour, drinkers also need to be washed very often. Therefore it is better to use nipple.

Bird content

Breeding the Cobb 500 breed, the breeders tried, because these birds are not pretentious to the conditions of existence. For them, you do not need to build spacious chicken coops or equip open-air cages for walking. Birds are allowed in cages. In any case, chickens need litter with a thickness of 5 to 15 cm, depending on the time of year.

Experienced poultry farmers say that the separate content of chickens and roosters allows you to get better productivity, so the birds should be seated. The exceptions are cases when individual individuals are left for breeding, and are not subjected to slaughter with the entire population.

In order for the productivity of the Cobb 500 to be high, it is recommended to follow simple rules for keeping chickens:

Temperature indicators in the range of 28-30 degrees
Light day at least 17 hours
Good ventilation
No drafts,
Timely cleaning of the hen house, etc.

If the birds are kept in cages, then they put a bath with ashes or sand, so the probability of parasitic infection will be minimal.

For high-quality meat in good volumes, broiler feeding is given special attention. Proper and balanced nutrition will not only achieve good productivity, but also will be the natural prevention of disease.

From the first days of life, Cobb 500 broilers are given millet, boiled eggs and fractional grains.
Weekly chickens are added to the diet starting feed and the first mash.
From two weeks chickens are allowed to give vegetables and a lot of greens.
At the age of one month, the bird is considered an adult and is transferred to the appropriate diet.
When growing chickens for slaughter, the emphasis in feeding is to be made on protein supplements, while used as hens they give more grain and greens, since obesity and rapid weight gain have a bad effect on egg production.
Veterinarians are advised to add to the diet of broilers vitamins and minerals in the form of crushed shell rock, food chalk and special premixes.
When feeding chickens, it is important to pay attention not only to the diet, but also to the feeding schedule.
Meals should take place at the same time, and at night the birds should pour more dry food so that hungry chickens can eat.

Pros and cons of breed

Like any other type of meat chickens, the Cobb 500 has advantages and disadvantages.

The advantages of acquiring such birds include:

High survival rate
Early slaughter - from 1.5 months,
Resistance to many diseases
The same weight gain in the pack,
No need to arrange a large coop.

The negative sides of the breed include:

Increased sensitivity to low temperatures - birds easily freeze and catch cold,
Strong dependence on the length of daylight, which leads to an additional expenditure on electricity,
Unproductive feeding after 4 months - high feed consumption per individual.

Diseases

Despite the fact that the Cobb 500 chickens are resistant to a number of diseases, violation of the rules of feeding and housing will lead to the indisposition of birds. Since broilers are kept in a confined space, diseases are spread quickly among chickens and can lead to the death of the entire population. Therefore, it is important to monitor the health of chickens and in time to set aside separately weak or sick ones.

Broilers often suffer from such illnesses as:

Vitamin deficiency - a consequence of the low content of nutrients in the feed,
Pneumonia - most often occurs in the northern regions of the country, where birds often catch cold with a sharp temperature drop,
Salmonellosis,
Dyspepsia is a malfunction of the gastrointestinal tract when not consuming fresh food.

In addition, birds can get sick of many other ailments. If a weakened individual is found, it is not worth letting the situation go by itself - you need to contact a veterinarian for an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment.

If you are going to breed birds for meat in the conditions of the household, the Cobb 500 is one of the best breeds of birds, specially bred for this purpose. But it is not enough just to buy and feed a chicken - you need to ensure the conditions of existence that meet the standards of growing birds. Only with this approach can we expect good performance from the Cobb 500.

Dmitry V. Morozov

Hereditary poultry farmer, owner of a poultry farm, graduated from St. Petersburg State Agrarian University with honors, the author of articles in specialized publications

Temperament Cobb 500

Roosters and hens of the breed can not be called aggressive. They are quite calm in the living conditions, rarely without the need to raise fights and noise. Cases of cannibalism with malnutrition are considered the main shortcoming of nature. Especially such a sin suffers young people with a deficiency of protein and calcium.

Cobb 500 is calm enough in the living conditions, rarely needlessly raising fights and noise.

As a rule, weaker tribesmen suffer, so the diet and behavior must be monitored.

Basic rules of care and maintenance

Kebb 500 is easy to keep because individuals are unpretentious, and meat breeding has its own nuances. Broilers for fattening is not recommended to be placed in spacious enclosures.. They do not need to organize walking, respectively, do not need to equip and street pen.

Practiced method of keeping on soft bedding. Small enclosures plentifully fall asleep chips, sawdust, peat, crushed corn stalks and cobs. In the summer, litter thickness is oriented at 5 cm, in winter it is necessary to increase the flooring to 15 cm. Cobb 500 chickens easily live in cramped conditions. Per 1 sq. M can account for up to 20 goals. Often practiced separation by gender.

But most often for the breed cells are used. They can quickly catch up to the birds to the desired mass and only requires a light layer of litter. The space in the bird house with cages is spent more rationally and economically, cleaning is easier. In addition, it is more convenient to monitor the health of the livestock.

Broilers Cobb 500 contain on a soft litter or on the grid.

Indoors with an open-air cage or cages should have good ventilation (but not drafts). Windows do not necessarily enough artificial light for 16-18 hours a day. Light is required so that birds can easily search for food, eat well and grow faster. Air temperature - 28-30C heat.

Lack of walking also eliminates the need for ash baths - the number of parasite carriers in the environment is minimal. Sand can be thrown on the floor of the cage or the cage in the litter, and this will be enough.

Feeding broiler Cobb 500

To get a good mass, you need to decide what to feed the Cobb 500 livestock. Proper nutrition is very important, not only for weight gain, but also for the prevention of infectious diseases. Food and water are always offered in a slightly warm form - cold ones are poorly digested.

Teenagers for slaughter and roosters for breeding are fed with an emphasis on protein.

In the early days, broiler chickens are given chopped eggs, light dry cottage cheese, soaked oats and millet, and crushed wheat. Grains are pre-cleaned from chaff. Cereals should be wet, but without excess fluid. With 9 days in the diet add boiled and chopped fish waste, feed.

Starting from the 14th day, they use ground boiled potatoes, carrots, chopped greens (parsley, leaf lettuce), tops, grass (clover, young nettle), and clabber. Teenagers for slaughter and roosters for breeding are fed with an emphasis on protein. Layers need more greens, vegetables and grains.

At any age, it is useful to add shell powder, egg shells, chalk to replenish calcium reserves. Vitamins can be given separately, but it is preferable to use dry compound feed PK-5, which provides for the presence of the necessary trace elements.

For fattening broilers Cobb 500, it is preferable to use dry feed PC-5.

PC-5 is mixed with grain mash, dairy and vegetable products, fish, meat waste, meat and bone meal, the above additives. Such a complex in the feeder will allow chicks to stay healthy and gain muscle mass at high speed with a minimum of fat.

Important. When entering dry feed, the amount of water in the chicken coop needs to be increased in order to avoid digestive problems.

In the winter, the vegetables are dried, then soaked in the usual way. The grass is harvested in the form of flour or brooms, which are then steamed and given to birds. Sometimes it is useful to give broilers potato peeling without dirt. Feeders need to be washed regularly, the food at each reception is fresh. Meals - 3-4 per day.

Growing and breeding at home

Growing at home The Cobb 500 can be conducted in two ways: from young stock or hatching eggs. The choice depends on the capabilities and wishes of a particular farmer.

Broilers Cobb 500 are bred from hatching eggs.

Chicks are easier to purchase from private breeders. Eggs are cheaper for bulk purchases from poultry farms. The cost of the incubation material is lower. But many people prefer to buy young animals, because they clearly show the rate of weight gain, and therefore health. Chicks easily transfer transportation, quickly adapt to a new place.

With further reproduction of the egg is better to withdraw, for nursing to use the incubator. Broiler hens are bad, maternal instinct tends to zero. In addition, in the cramped amount of eggs and babies are likely to crush.

Roosters with chickens are often kept separately, connecting individual individuals exclusively for mating. To increase productivity, some breeders take the sperm from males and then artificially fertilize females. Technology procedures can be found in veterinarians.

Chicks easily transfer transportation, quickly adapt to a new place.

In the incubator, the eggs are placed horizontally or turned upside down with a blunt end. The temperature for 21 days is kept at 37-38C. Ventilation must be present, but without drafts and air cooling.

2 weeks after hatching, babies are kept at 30 ° C around the clock. Light should not blind chicks. From 15 days light day is reduced to 18 hours. The litter changes regularly.

Important. Dirty bedding is a dangerous source of infectious diseases.

What are ill Cobb 500

Hybrid Cobb 500 is valued for its good disease resistance.

But, in violation of the rules of maintenance, and they may be subject to diseases:

Avitaminosis

Chickens can suffer from avitaminosis, aspergillosis, salmonellosis.

Aspergillosis - fungal infection of the respiratory tract. Occurs when kept in dirt, cold, high humidity. It is treated with appropriate drugs under the supervision of a veterinarian.

Marek's disease - manifested by sagging wings, tail, limp, visual impairment, loss of orientation in space and twisting of the neck. Only a veterinarian will be able to make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe treatment.

Bronchial pneumonia - The result of colds from low temperatures. Can be identified by heavy breathing, wheezing. The bird begins to pull the neck, opens the beak in an attempt to breathe. Treatment is carried out with antibiotics under the strict supervision of a veterinarian.

Dyspepsia - poisoning that occurs in the case of soured, spoiled, inappropriate feed. Mainly observed in newborn chickens with a weak digestive system. The first symptoms are yellowish or white litter of liquid consistency, undigested pieces of food, weakness, refusal to eat are possible. Veterinary intervention is required, drink plenty of glucose.

Salmonellosis - this infection is rare in broilers, but there are cases. The defeat of an individual often leads to an epidemic of all livestock. A sick bird is killed without eating as salmonellosis can be transmitted to humans.

Enteritis - inflammation of the stomach and intestines. It happens in chickens in the first days of life. Treatment with antibacterial drugs.

Before settling the chickens in the house, it must be disinfected.

The best prevention of these pathologies is the observance of sanitation in relation to the house and feed. Before settling a new herd, cages and enclosures should be disinfected, feed troughs should be thoroughly washed and dried, the litter should be replaced.

Breed overview

Broilers of COBB 500 cross breed are very fast growing. Upon reaching the age of forty days the bird is already gaining marketable weight, and therefore this age is considered the most optimal for slaughtering. The average weight of chickens at this stage reaches 2.5 kg. It is possible, of course, to fatten it longer, but it should be remembered that the maintenance of chickens for more than 80 days does not make sense, since further growth is slowed down.

The unconditional advantages of COBB 500 cross include the following:

very fast gain in live weight
The low cost of the final product, that is, meat,
the presence of large and strong legs,
Excellent conversion rates for feed,
impressive size and excellent white color of the breast,
very high survival rate.

Origin

Representatives of several meat breeds of chickens were used to breed the COBB 500 broilers:

Cornish, obtained on the territory of England as a result of the intersection of Fight chickens of old English breed with the Malayan and white chickens Azil.
Plymouth, related to mixed meat egg direction. The homeland of this breed is the USA.

In addition to these two fundamental breeds, the use of Kuchinsky jubilee, Pantsirevsky, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Zagorsky salmon, May Day and some others also practiced.

Content policy

To accommodate chickens should be used warm rooms with good ventilation. The presence of windows is not necessary. From the moment of birth for two weeks, the lighting should be present around the clock. This is explained by the fact that at this stage chickens have a constant need for food, and it is quite difficult for them to find food in the dark. After two weeks, daylight hours can be reduced to eighteen hours.

A prerequisite is the cleanliness of the room in which chicks are kept. Only in this case, you can be sure that their development will occur normally. Indeed, the presence of dirt leads to the occurrence of infectious diseases, which will necessarily entail the death of young animals. Broiler chickens are absolutely contraindicated for stuffiness, however, and they also do not like drafts. The temperature level in the room should be maintained between 28 and 33 degrees.

In the reviews of chickens COBB 500 noted their high endurance and excellent productivity. This opinion is shared by a rather large number of farmers who breed COBB 500 in their private plots. Chicks gain weight very quickly and without any problems, they are immune to various kinds of diseases and they do not require special care.

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