11 Week Freedoms

[noahsark]

I cant believe these guys are already 11 weeks..Do i wait to see if they fatten up more..or go for it..I dont have a postal scale, but weighed myself and then myself with chicken in hand and got between 5 and 7 pounds...Not sure how much bigger they will get? So naked thats what, between 4 and 6 pound birds..is it worth it to wait another week, as I havent seen alot of growth lately..its getting COLD here! That last one is for you EKO...its my mystery bird!

 

[noahsark]

hhhmmm....no advice from the other freedom raisers, to wait or butcher now?At what age are you all havesting these guys? Will they have another growth spurt at 12, 13 weeks?

 

[eKo_birdies]

they look great! as far as taking them now vs. waiting another couple weeks... it depends on what your size preference is. i personally like a 3.5-5 lb bird so if that's what you like you should go ahead and take them. they will continue to gain weight for a couple more weeks, but if it's getting super cold it may not be worth your while to keep feeding them.

lol man that little one is just TINY! i seriously need to figure out this whole picture posting business so i can show you some of my tiny runts. (i still think that's what you've got) i have one from a batch hatched the first week of may and she weighs the same as one of the 7-8(?) week old FR boys i have now. and then there are some runts from the 7-8 wk old batch that are super small as well.

i don't know if i ever asked you before, do you know what laying breeds the person who the delivery got mixed up with ordered? like if she ordered leghorns this is obviously a runt lol, you know what i mean

 

[noahsark]

Eko, I sent her an email wih a picture and she said she looks just like her RIR, but smaller..she ordered heavy egg layers..hens..she ended up with alot of RIR...but you said she didnt lok like a RHR, right? Im going to keep her, shes so cute!
Think we will harvest these guys next week..

 

[eKo_birdies]

no.. she looks similar to a RIR, it was a red-sex link that i didn't think she looked like.

it's hard to say, since the redbro's ARE a hubbard/isa shaver (aka RSL) cross... she could be either!!

i can't wait to see your results next week!

 

[Mrs. Mucket]

Noahsark, I can tell you that the Freedom Rangers we kept for breeding kept on growing for a few more weeks after their friends were processed at 11 and 13 weeks. Interestingly they ate less proportionately than the whole crew had. The keepers are now 5 months old and hefty!

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

beautiful! congratulations, this was your first time wasn't it? I can't believe how fast 11 weeks went by! You are a good promo for FR they look great, be sure to post a carcass pic.

 

[eKo_birdies]

Mrs. Mucket :

Noahsark, I can tell you that the Freedom Rangers we kept for breeding kept on growing for a few more weeks after their friends were processed at 11 and 13 weeks. Interestingly they ate less proportionately than the whole crew had. The keepers are now 5 months old and hefty!

..... not to say that they won't get bigger, because by all means they will, but won't all? living in the high deserts that we both do i would honestly recommend harvesting unless you have a super cheap feed source, because while they do slow down, they still require a substantial amount to sustain their needs..

yes, the ones that have been held back for one reason or another have gotten bigger but i don't find it worth it, ESPECIALLY living in the climate we do (i've already gotten down to the teens at my elevation)

ETA mine ate less during the summer than "the whole crew" but the weather was much better then... considering the night temps at our elevation i would think twice about letting go longer.

i let my summer birds go WAY longer than i will this last batch.. just my two cents coming from someone w/ a more similar climate... i have a lot less natural forage left so it's not worth it for me​