Trying Red Star Rangers "next meatie project"

[jessicayarno]

A local hatchery here has Red Star Rangers (slow growing broilers). I am trying them for my next meat batch, because the guy that breeds and hatches them says that they breed true.. I am really excited to give these a shot.. I want a sustainable flock that isn't as slow growing as some of the heritage breeds.. My cornish X are 4 1/2wks old and fatter and fatter everyday.. I am excited to compare the cost of being able to breed these Red Star Rangers and allowing them to free range vs. Cornish X.. I will keep all of you posted on the progress...

 

[Tracydr]

Keep us posted! I see you have a Doberman. Best breed, that and papillons.

 

[oxfordsrgr8]

sounds like good marketing...

guessing they're nothing different than a red sex link, DP type bird.. of course they'll breed on the body type close to the same, but I bet the color is off in future generations.

 

[jessicayarno]

Quote:
Actually they look most like a freedom ranger or a Red X Broiler. They aren't considered a dual purpose, nor do they look anything like a red sex link.... I am super excited to breed these guys and as far as marketing, this guy runs a small hatchery on the side, his main business is building rustic furniture.. He doesn't make a ton of money at this...

 

[jessicayarno]

Quote:
My doberman is my baby, he is 16 months old and is such a good boy.. The best guard dog ever, he knows when to guard and when it's okay to let people in the house. He also knows when my chickens are in distress.. He is always on point, checkin the whole perimeter.. I had a female about 10 yrs ago, that was hit by a car.. She was only a year and a half.. I knew I would get another one some day..
I will keep this thread posted on my progress.. I hope this works, I am all about self sufficiency and having a self sustaining flock, not having to buy birds for meat or eggs would be great..

 

[oxfordsrgr8]

Quote:
Actually they look most like a freedom ranger or a Red X Broiler. They aren't considered a dual purpose, nor do they look anything like a red sex link.... I am super excited to breed these guys and as far as marketing, this guy runs a small hatchery on the side, his main business is building rustic furniture.. He doesn't make a ton of money at this...

so if they're a diluted form of a FR- what's the difference b/w them and a DP bird? 2 weeks?

CX- 8 weeks
FR- 10-12 weeks
your bird- 14 weeks
DP- 16 weeks

 

[Ridgerunner]

Do you have a link to those? It would be interesting to see what they look like and what he says about them. Freedom Rangers do not breed true to colors, according to a recent thread on here. It kind of sounds like he may have developed his own strain of broilers.

I suspect if they are slower growing, you will find that they cook up different than the Cornish X. Many people seem to think that the Cornish X have that texture because of heredity, but I think it has a lot more to do with the age they are processed.

 

[jessicayarno]

Quote:
I am gonna have to say that they are probably closer to a dual purpose as far as their growth, and as for the coloring, i could care less what color their feathers are as long as I have a decent size bird by 12-14wks.. I do think that you are right about how soon they are processed and texture, my red x broilers that i did my last time were much more flavorful and had a different texture compared to a cornish x.. I personally like the texture and flavor of an older chicken vs. a younger one..

 

[eggscetera]

I'm interested in hearing how it goes. Are you wintering some of these so you can incubate in the spring? I'd love to get some Red Star chicks to raise come March.

 

[jessicayarno]

Quote:
Got my babies yesterday.. These little guys are very active and alert, they are not skittish at all.. I am starting them in my garage and at about 4 wks will move them to the outdoor brooder/coop with a heat lamp, because it gets so cold at night (into teens and low 20's)... Yes, I am going to incubate this spring..