Many people have a problem of choosing between types of broiler, because they have adjacent characteristics, and it can be difficult to determine which type is best suited for a particular purpose. When choosing from Cobb and Ross broilers, it is necessary to pay attention to indicators, external signs and other features, and on this basis, to make a decision.
Cobb Broilers
There are several varieties of the Cobb group, each of which has its own characteristics and characteristics.
Familiarize yourself with the best breeds of broiler chickens and the characteristics of their breeding.
Cobb 500
This breed has several main characteristics, first of all, it is yellow skin, the possibility of slaughter in 1.5 months, a high level of weight gain, and unpretentious care. It is for these reasons that the Cobb 500 is so popular. 
This species has such features:
- Appearance: yellow color, white dense plumage, comb and earrings are bright red, the body is massive, it quickly gains weight, powerful paws, smooth back.
- Temperament: quiet nature when kept in good conditions, but in case of improper feeding or too bright lighting, young chicks can attack other, weaker ones.
- Conditions of detention: Since the main purpose of growing this species is meat, they are not recommended to be kept in a hen house with a yard, as with a large physical activity the birds will lose weight. The ideal option is to keep in a spacious cage, where there will be enough space for a quiet life of birds, but not so much to run.
- Weight: in 30 days of life, birds gain weight from 1700 g to 2000 g, after 2 months it is already 2400-2700 g.
- Nestling: when crossing different breeds, representatives with a high level of egg production were used to breed Cobb 500, however, the hens of this species begin to lay eggs only after the 7th month of life and in small quantities.
- Disease resistance: This breed may be subject to diseases such as dyspepsia, Marek's disease, vitamin deficiency, salmonellosis, enteritis and others. But with proper nutrition and cleanliness in the place where the birds live, diseases can be avoided.
- Cost: This species has a very small price - from 15 to 30 hryvnia for one chicken.
- Nutrition: very picky in nutrition, for good growth requires additional vitamins and minerals in the form of supplements, but can consume and grain, and greens, and vegetables.
Important! Chickens love to dig in search of tasty, so it is not recommended to give them access to the growing areas of vegetables and plants.
That is, in general, we can say that the Cobb 500 has both a number of advantages, such as fast weight gain and unpretentiousness in the place of residence, as well as certain disadvantages, such as aggressiveness towards other birds with improper care, late start of the egg-carrying period.
Cobb 700
The Cobb 700 is an improved version of the previous species, but in general they have very related characteristics, especially in terms of disease and nutrition. But there are differences: faster weight gain, massive breast, lack of powerful thighs. 
The characteristics of this species are:
- Appearance: muscular bird of large size, white plumage, rich yellow color of the skin, long neck, a larger crest than Cobb 500.
- Temperament: the character is also calm, even if they live in a very small area, but may experience stress when moving or other similar events, which can lead to diseases.
- Conditions of detention: a spacious cage or chicken coop without the possibility of walking, also physical activity is not recommended if chickens are raised for slaughter.
Read more about the Cobb 700 broiler cross.
- Weight: after 30 days, feeding 7-8 times a day with compound feed with special additives reaches a weight of more than 2300 grams, up to 1.5 months of life can reach up to 3 kg of weight.
- Nestling: egg production is small, chickens begin to rush at 6 months of life.
- Disease resistance: have a more durable immunity than Cobb 500, but are susceptible to beriberi and salmonellosis.
- Cost: low cost - from 9 to 17 hryvnia for chicken, eggs can be purchased from 1.5 UAH per piece.
- Food: for this look the most acceptable is compound feed with special additives.
Thus, we can conclude that the Cobb 700 is more effective than the previous form, because they gain weight faster, have stable immunity and low cost.
Important! In the presence of a large yard for walking, due to the physical activity of chickens can lose weight and even become aggressive!
Broilers Ross
This breed is popular in more than 100 countries of the world, as their set of characteristics allows to bring the greatest profit and quality product.
Ross 308
Like the Cobb species, they have yellow skin characteristic of broiler species, great muscle mass and a bright white color. Quickly gaining weight. 
Ross 308 meets these indicators:
- Appearance: very muscular, wide-breasted birds, which later give dietary meat, which contains a large percentage of protein. They have snow-white plumage and a red comb. The peculiarity is that they, compared to others, have a rather low growth.
- Temperament: On the whole, the chickens are not aggressive, but rather active, therefore, to gain weight, they need to be limited.
Learn more about broiler cross-country chickens Ross 308.
- Conditions of detention: as for other broilers, cage content is recommended, but it is desirable to keep hens in the coop with the possibility of walking.
- Weight: weight gain 60-70 grams, by 2 months can reach 1.5-2 kg, but not more, due to low growth.
- Nestling: Chickens of this species have a high level of egg production with proper care, about 180 eggs per laying hen.
- Disease resistance: with good nutrition, they are not exposed to diseases and have a strong immunity.
- Cost: the cost of one chicken ranges from 16 to 20 hryvnia.
- Nutrition: It is desirable to feed exclusively with feed for a sharp increase in weight. You can also add vitamins, especially if there is a goal to get more eggs.
Video: growing broilers Ross 308 Ross 308 - one of the most profitable, in terms of slaughter, rocks, because due to the small size they do not require a large amount of feed. They also have a large chickens offspring and a quick weight gain (at 2 months of full weight).
It will be useful for you to read about whether the broilers carry eggs at home, as well as how much the broiler eats before slaughter.
Ross 708
The improved version of the Ross 308 has the highest rates in all characteristics, since in the first month of life they can gain up to 3 kg of weight, and are also very resistant to diseases. 
They have the following indicators:
- Appearance: a distinctive feature is that due to precocity, they do not have the characteristic yellow color of the skin, small size, muscular, white color and red comb, massive paws.
- Temperament: have a phlegmatic character, if you do not give the possibility of physical activity.
Did you know? Chickens can memorize up to 100 different faces!
- Housing conditions: a chicken coop or cage is suitable for this species, the space needs to be expanded as the chicks grow, you need a clean bed and regular cleaning, constant access to fresh water and feed.
- Weight: up to 35 days can gain from 2.5 to 3 kg of weight.
- The laying of eggs: since young birds are used for slaughter, the adults remain to carry eggs, the level of egg production is average.
- Disease resistance: calmly experiencing stressful situations and not prone to disease.
- Cost: from 18 to 25 hryvnia for chicken.
- Food: you can feed not only feed, but also vegetables, boiled eggs, fish products, greens, millet and millet.
Video: description of broilers Ross 708 We see that Ross 708 is gaining maximum weight in a very fast time and does not require special conditions of detention.
Ross 308 or Cobb 500
Often the choice stops on these two options, but based on the positions above, you can choose the breed that is ideally suited to existing conditions.
Did you know? Chickens feel when the egg is spoiled and push it out of the nest!
How to distinguish
It is difficult to distinguish these two species, but it is possible, first of all, to pay attention to the growth of birds. 
Cobb birds are tall, and only Ross is short. Cobb 500 also have a longer and elongated neck, and the Ross 308 has a wider chest. Plumage and skin color are very similar.
To grow a healthy bird, we advise you to read about how broiler chickens look, how to feed them correctly, why broiler chickens die, how to treat infectious and non-infectious diseases of broilers, which should be included in the veterinary first-aid kit for broiler chickens.
Whom to choose
In order to finally determine, it is necessary to compare these two types and evaluate their advantages in comparison with each other.
Advantages of Ross 308:
- higher egg production;
- does not require a large amount of feed;
- does not require a lot of space;
- wide breast;
- resistant to diseases.
Advantages of Cobb 500:
- higher weight;
- can be fed with different types of feed;
- massive legs and thighs.
Thus, we can conclude that if the goal is to set the bird's weight immediately, then the Cobb 500 is more suitable because it has a weight of up to 2.5 kg, or Ross 708, whose weight reaches 3 kg in the shortest possible time.
We recommend to read about how to make a cage, feeder and drinker for broilers with your own hands.
But for long-term chicken rearing, Ross 308 is more suitable, since they have a high level of egg production and, with their height, also have a relatively large weight.
