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Anyone raised Freedom Ranger broilers?

We've done a lot of Cornish Cross birds for meat, but in the past the delivery schedule for the FR birds has not worked.

How old were they when you butchered them?
How do they compare to CC for size and flavor?

Hell, I thought you'd gone to TX and shot something with an ear tag.

Or worse.

Fuggin goats.

When I was a tyke we had a banty rooster, my dad was proud of that thing. It was evil, it'd hide then attack, flying on to your shoulders from the haystack or corrals, spurring your head while flapping your ears. At 3 and 4 years old it was terrifying. Dad wouldn't hear any excuses, get out and feed the animals, that rooster can't hurt you. So it was a pocket full of rocks and a wary eye.

My brother got a BB gun for his 7th birthday. First thing we did was kill that rooster. Chasing it all over the fields, taking turns shooting it till a lucky BB did it in.

We told my dad we saw a chicken hawk chasing it. Only chicken hawk we ever seen was in a cartoon.

Told dad about a few years ago, he said, I wondered what happened to that banty.

Don't know about freedom rangers... but if you get banties kill'm quick.

Kent

My wife had a few layers. Someone gave her a couple young banty roosters Dang things would form a tag team with the much larger hens. One would sit on her head while the other 'expressed' himself, then they'd switch places.

a couple of old hens tag-teamed me one time...... yep, one sat on my head while the other expressed herself.

modus operandi, I reckon.....

only one was big enuff to be considered livestock, tho......

I guess we'll just take our chances that they will be good meat birds.


Thanks anyway!

I am not sure if we should ask for pictures on this one, tempting though...

Are these dual purpose birds or just meat? Never heard of the ones you are asking about, but it got plenty friggin cold and was rather harsh over by Havre. We raised several different kinds over the years, arikanas, barred rocks, and leghorns that I can remember. I was just interested in the eggs, I hate cleaning chickens. But if a guy wanted to eat them too, the barred rocks got big, fat, and fast.

These are broilers - meat birds. Said to take a couple extry weeks to butcher weight.

They are supposed to be a 'real' chicken that will scratch and forage. The Cornish cross I call 'genetic freaks of nature'. They grow fast which is good, but some can't support the weight gain and have hip collapse, and cardiac failure. Also they are disgusting as they just move from feeder to waterer.

Gotcha.

The FR take a couple 3 weeks longer but are healthier overall. They will wander and free range better. I'll likely never go back to Cornish X

Exactly!!! You'll like the FRs much better I think. I couldn't stand the pathetic state of the CX

Edited to add....I like the meat of a FR better. It's not as "stringy" as Cx. Imo

At what age (weeks) do you butcher?

I was going 16 sometimes longer not out of necessity just when time allowed. They'll get a lot more protein if they can pasture range and obviously during the fat times of summer your feed/weight ratio will get better.

Some friends of ours butcher at 12 weeks. They're perfect.

I can not help much on breeds.
Back in 75 we raised some birds that needed butchering long before they were.
The size of turkeys, and wastie fat.

Our curiosity as to over fat seven pound roasted chicken was pretty much satisfied long before they were all cooked.

If raising some outside chickens is what you want to do, I'd say go for it.

It really isn't 'if' we want to. We raise meat birds every summer. Cornish X can't be beat for feed conversion, but Just looking to raise birds that aren't such genetic freaks. Additional benefit should be even more flavorful chickens because of the ranging.

I'm with you pard I'm over the cx Can't stand to look at the fat dumb bastids

If I'm gonna eat chicken I want it to be a real chicken. Pls keep me posted on the new breed mike. I need to raise & butcher some more myself


Kent we had a rock island rooster same deal. Bastid just flat attacked anyone but my grandpap that tried to feed em


I should have taken a ball bat to that bastid