Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire What chickens in your flock?

I appreciate the information, Mike. I was just looking at McMurray's site.

I think I remember learnng abou Freedom Rangers from a post by you a year or 2 ago. Sounds like you had good luck with them. I agree with you about the Cornish Cross birds. My wife's aunt raised them and they were really are disgusting looking creatures, and I wasn't impressed with the meat, either. Always seemed tough and dry. Maybe they were butchered too late?

Interesting article on mcmurray web site comparing cornishX and FR.

https://blog.mcmurrayhatchery.com/2018/09/07/4-h-broiler-project-compares-two-top-broiler-breeds/

Hard to say. The Cornish grow fast, but had higher mortality from heart issues and leg issues. They only got up to walk from the feed to the water. FR act like real chickens, ranging for grass, weeds, bugs, etc. Also, I think we’ve only had 1 or 2 die before I caused it. I think they gave better flavor too.

That's interesting, because my next door neighbors are cat people (a whole pride of them outside, and three inside), and they occasionally (subtly) complain to me that my flock will sometimes make a visit to their feral cat feeding area and eat the food.

If eggs are collected within 24 hours of laying, there's no difference in appearance, taste, or smell between fertilized and unfertilized eggs.

Don’t know what it is about cat food, but it’s the best way to get a pig to jump into a horse trailer to haul them to the fair. It’s like crack to them.

You just need to clip the flight feathers on a single wing. Don't do both wings. This way, they cannot get any thrust from flapping, and cannot get over the fence.

I don’t feed The Cornish 24/7 . 12 on 12 off . They will literally eat themselves to death. But 8 weeks and they are in the freezer.

The rangers I get early summer and they go out on pasture in chicken tractors. Makes better meat and save a lot on feed .

I've heard about feeding them cat food when they're molting to bring the new feathers on quicker.
I haven't tried it yet, but may next season.

Meal worms and various animal fats mixed in their feed seems to work well. Today's haul so far, will probably get 2 or 3 more before dark:



Been averaging 10 per day all winter. 13 birds, 8 of which aren't quite a year old.

Mealworms are great to use to train them too.

Don't do it!


We tried a big ass chicken in the turkey fryer.
Poor surface area to depth ratio.
It got nice and brown, was raw inside.
Lucky we temp checked, popped it in the oven to slowly finish. Was great.

There is a reason Fryer is a size for chickens.
It's the perfect mass/surface ratio for nice brown, cooked pieces.

Copper Marans, salmon faverolles, brown sex links, Americanas, olive eggers and a couple other assorted varieties. The brown sex links are great birds. They’re prolific layers, healthy and friendly. I’ll be getting several sexlinks and other assorted pullets soon to keep the flock fresh.

We have a RIR, Cuckoo Maran. Australorp, Gold laced Wyandotte and a Blue Copper Maran. Our rooster is a Gold Sexlink.

The hens are a few years old and aren’t laying like they used to. My wife is gonna pick up a few new chicks in a week or two. She hasn’t decided what she wants yet.

Chicken crack! They love em!

Mail order.

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Inside setup