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

I, for one, am quite sure we should not!

ironbender: I'm in a similar situation. We are looking at raising broilers this season and are trying to decide which breed to get. I like the short time involved with the Ccornish X Rock, but don't find its genetics appealing. We are looking at some Red Rangers from Murray McMurray. Currently we have quite a few hens for the eggs so I only want to try out about 10 birds. Where are you getting your Freedom Rangers and how many are you looking to get? Are they going to free range? Good luck and keep us posted. -tnscouter

as a kid my dad took me to a family members farm where they had a flock of geese. I was a little kid and wanted to pet the geese. So i walked up to this gander and he promptly latch on to my crotch and little pecker. I was screaming. My dad and the relative were crying they were laughing so hard, and i remember my dad yelling out," fight him like a man, Ron." Do this day i will not approach a goose front on, only sideways.

Cornish X are not much to look at that's for sure, but you will notice a difference in total meat weight in the freezer.

I would bet Red Rangers have some Rhode Island Red in them. While Rhodies aren't quite as big or heavy as some of the largest breeds, they make great foragers (which is part of what leads to a better tasting, better eating bird). They are hardy and great (brown) egg layers if you happen to want to keep a few around. Any hybrid that includes RI Red in their breeding would be high on my list of Alaska birds.

We've ordered from McMurray in the past with good luck and success. At one time we were HQ for a lot of local 4H kids that were raising poultry as JML projects. One year we received something like 25 turkey poults from McM..

Now we order through a local feed store. They call 1 to 2 days before chick arrival and go pick them up. Easier than having to pick up at the PO.

We have raised as many as 50 when my kids were still here, but with a quieter house, we get 25. Last year we had an issue with an owl killing about 9 of them.

Might have to order a couple of these.

I couldn't agree with you more on the CC. A nearby relative raises them in large tractors. Fast growing blobs of...whatever. Not a pretty nor appetizing sight.

I haven't heard of the these birds you're thinking of trying out, but I'm interested in what you think after raising a forkful to your mouth. As much chicken as we go through in this house and with all the clear meadow we have, it's almost stupid to not raise some meat birds.

Keep us posted, please.

Just completed a little Google session and satisfied with answers. A little comparison:

CornishX weight: 8 lbs; Butchered age: 7 weeks

Freedom Ranger: weight: 5-6 lbs; Butchered age: 10 weeks

Going to order 25 FRs this week.

"Cock is cock" they said.
Was the livestock one blond?
How did they eat?
Thanks in advance.

We've raised turkeys a number of times. They have a higher mortality rate than chickens. This last year we bought 10 and butchered 8. 1 got out and the neighbors dog got it. The other tried to drink out of a stock tank and fell in and drowned.
It's easy to let them get too big. A tom can be up over 30lb before you realize just how big he is. Once they top 20lb, they eat an enormous amount of feed.

what bird is best to free range? eating grass and bugs, then still come in to a coop at night?

Stay away from some of the wilder breeds - like Anconas- and you'll generally be good. A splash of grain for a 'bedtime snack' when cooping them in the evening is a routine that helps put them to roost also. A handful of geese make good watch-keepers and they won't backstab you like the darned turkeys will.

I raise Buckeyes for eggs and meat but they take much longer to reach butchering age. While not nearly as economical to feed out, they are delicious if you like lean darker meat that is akin to wild game.

My chickens free range daily. They leave their pen about 30 minutes before daylight and largely stand around waiting for it to get light enough to feed. They put themselves to bed just before dusk.

I can't do the Cornish X either but have been thinking of getting some RR. They would be much more economical than my chickens and taste better than the CX. As far as actual free range rather than a large pen, I don't let my chicks start until 6 weeks old due to predators and it really takes another 6 weeks until they are really good at it.
By 12 weeks, the RR will be in freezer camp.

Turkey= walking stomach looking for a way to die!

Isn't that the truth! I can't figure out how commercial turkey growers can make any money with all the feed they stow away.

An interesting alternative to chicken is a few guinea fowl. Nothing will free range better. They do well roosting in trees. They grow to a size equivalent with a large chicken, but not quickly.

My Grandmother used to keep guineas for eating ang leghorns for laying. The guineas are a bit gamey as one would expect from an essentially wild bird, but not as much so, I think, as pheasant.

Got my rangers ordered. Will be here in June. Plan to kill at 10 weeks.

You sick bastid! You're gonna kill them?

You're an animal

Why don't you go to Fred's & get your chicken there where no animals were harmed?

No need to thank me. I'm gettin used to explaining things to you

Just don't get a bull, Mike.

I brought a dozen broad breasted white turkeys home last night. I don't really have a place outside where I can keep them warm enough at night, so for now, they are in a big ten inch deep toboggan under a heat lamp in the gun room.

While getting the feeder and water set up, I momentarily left the door cracked, and the Jack Russel sneaked in. First Momma and I noticed was when he came prancing out with head and tail in the air proud as hell with a bit of yellow fluff hanging out of his mouth.

We screamed at him and he dropped the turkey unharmed. But he is having fits trying to figure out how to get back in to them again.

I wonder how a turkey perceives a near death experience?

Guineas

And they are better than chickens for eating.

Update to bump this:

We did get freedom ranger meat chickens. They are about 3 weeks old now and zero mortality so far.

They actually act like real chickens, not like the cornish freaks-of-nature!

Let us know in a few weeks how they taste!

good luck with them.

Geno

By all means please keep us up to date. CC are nasty birds in my opinion, they are what they are. I would love to have an alternative to them for meat.