Cobb 500 is a popular cross of fast-growing broilers of the Czech selection.

History: Plymouth Rock, Cornish, New Hampshire and other breeds were used to breed crossbreeds. The emphasis was on precocity, meat yield and carcass appearance (well-developed pectoral muscles, yellowish skin). Therefore, egg productivity is not taken into account at all.

Advantages of genotype:

  • very rapid weight gain. At 40 days of age, the Cobb 500 broiler is ready for slaughter with a carcass weight of 2.5 kg;
  • excellent feed conversion rates;
  • minimum percentage of fat;
  • low cost of the final product;
  • natural yellowish skin color, which makes the carcass attractive;
  • large size of the carcass. Broilers are fattened to a weight of 5 kg or more. But keeping after 45 days is not economically justified due to the sharp increase in feed conversion.

Exterior: The bird’s body is powerful. The back and chest are wide. The legs are well developed, with a large volume of muscles, due to which they differ in strength. The color of the plumage is always white. The crest of bright red color is small in both males and females.

Features of keeping: the bird is quite peaceful in nature. But if irritated or provoked, it can cause serious injuries with a strong beak. Therefore, broilers are advised to keep separately from other breeds of chickens and poultry. Zootechnicians recommend feeding the bird for up to 45 days of age. It is not economically viable to continue to raise broilers due to the increase in feed consumption against the background of a simultaneous decrease in growth rate.

Warm rooms with good ventilation should be used to house chickens. Windows are not required. Lighting should be present around the clock from the moment of birth to two weeks of age. This is due to the fact that at this stage the chickens feel a constant need for food, and it is quite difficult for them to find the food in the dark. After two weeks of age the daylight can be reduced to eighteen o’clock.