Freedom Ranger backyard broilers - feed amount, feed conversion and growth

Great information. I have 20 FR arriving the 8th of Feb. Pretty excited! I will use your final feed suggestions and report back.

circlecsranch said:

Know this is an older post, but so glad I found it!

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So am I...and now it is even older! Some really good info from meganblythe. Great record keeping.

meganblythe said:

Sorry for the delayed response, but I actually started a new thread to talk about my experience with the freedom rangers as laying hens (didn't end up going so well...)
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/735932/freedom-rangers-as-laying-hens-impressed-so-far

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Oh no...Heading to the new thread now, and thanks again for all the info.

That is very very useful information! I just posted a question about at what weight to process my dual purpose birds. That 66.2% yield is exactly the number I needed! Do you know anything about weight loss for a chicken in a cage overnight awaiting slaughter? You got your live weights after bleeding. That will be very close to the live weight just prior to slaughter, but I guess that birds lose some weight from dehydration and stress when caged overnight. I deliver my birds to the processing plant the evening before slaughter.

Anyone have any advice... We currently have 28 Freedom Rangers (all cockerels) in a hoop tractor, they are about 4-5 weeks and I stumbled upon this thread looking for an amount of how much feed I should be giving them... they have only been in the tractor for a few days now with the larger sized feeder but they empty it quick. So I started weighing it yesterday according to your numbers and did about 4 pounds since we have a few more birds than your example but they seem like they are crazy starving both morning and afternoon feeding. Is this normal, do they need a little more since they are all cockerels?

HollowPointHillFarm said:

Anyone have any advice... We currently have 28 Freedom Rangers (all cockerels) in a hoop tractor, they are about 4-5 weeks and I stumbled upon this thread looking for an amount of how much feed I should be giving them... they have only been in the tractor for a few days now with the larger sized feeder but they empty it quick. So I started weighing it yesterday according to your numbers and did about 4 pounds since we have a few more birds than your example but they seem like they are crazy starving both morning and afternoon feeding. Is this normal, do they need a little more since they are all cockerels?

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Did you ever find out? I'm raising all FR cockerels as well and they seem starving with these feed amounts. My birds are all in a tractor that is moved once a day or as soon as they need fresh grass. Going to try fermenting the feed

Abundantly Blessed said:

Did you ever find out? I'm raising all FR cockerels as well and they seem starving with these feed amounts. My birds are all in a tractor that is moved once a day or as soon as they need fresh grass. Going to try fermenting the feed

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This is a fantastic thread and I used the feed charts for our birds last year with great success. I had two cockerels that still ate a bit too much and couldn't walk for a few days, but I also had three fewer chickens and did not convert the feed charts for my flock. Likely the culprit.

To answer the question, yes, mine were the same way. They would go nuts for the feed in the morning and evening. Almost as if they were starving. However, based on their size... it was apparent that they were definitely not starved of feed.

One thing that I am currently doing is building a zero waste chicken feeder. These birds go crazy at feeding time and I feel that a lot of feed gets knocked onto the coop floor and wasted. Tons of DIY plans online for those who are interested.

I am raising 35 chickens this year and converted the numbers for my flock. I posted them below. Total estimate for the weight of feed needed from now until harvest is 470 lbs. Based on Alaska prices for feed, bedding, packaging, and processing materials I am estimating the total cost around $15 per bird.