Baby Freedom Rangers

[SandraMort]

Quote:
I AM having fun!!!

I'm not sure about the hay/straw thing. Mine have been on pine since day 1 and
haven't had any problems. We lost a few which is typical. No impacted crops.

How many did you lose and from what?
You use pine inside or inside and out, in which case, if you don't use pine outside, what do you use in the run area?

Ours are SO fat and healthy at almost 8 weeks. A few are 5 pounds now, maybe more.

I believe it, those guys can put away the food!!! I have to switch to the gravity feeders because feeding them so many times a day was no big deal with them in the house, but I don't want to be going to the barn to feed them 4+ times a day.

How old will you process at? At 1.5 - 2 lbs, I want to process 40-50 of them if I'm doing it myself or 30 if I'm paying a processer. I was guessing 6 weeks old originally but they're plumping up so fast, and I haven't even been able to let them out of the barn yet! Does it count as a free range bird if they're too young to leave the brooder? It may have to be closer to 4 weeks old at the rate they're growing.

The rest will wait until roaster sized to be processed. I have 97 total, am trading 10 away soon, 10 are for Carress, that leaves me 25-40 to grow to full size.

I can't say enough good things about them. I'm just super impressed.

Me too. FUN FUN FUN! And NO MORE WASTED LEFTOVERS!!! I had a migraine last night and used a bag of frozen veggies on my head and they thawed... those went into the birds today!

You did get yours from JMHatchery right?

Yup. I also don't have enough good to say about them! Joel is fabulous, so helpful and supportive!​

 

[PurpleChicken]

We ordered 50 and lost 4 or 5 at different times for no apparent reason. That's a pretty
good rate in my opinion.

Me, Perfectly_Polish, & Moodusnewchick split the order and have raised them differently.

Mine don't range. They were in a tractor on pine for 4 weeks and now have the whole
barn which I have filled with mulch. Mine also have been on a 26% protein feed for
3 or 4 weeks and are 20% larger than PP's. I open the barn door when I get home from
work and open up the layer's coop. The rangers can go out but don't really get the
concept of ranging yet.

PP keeps hers are in a tractor in her yard and were on a lower protein food.

You can process at 6 weeks. They should be at least 3 pounds by then. I'd wait
until at least 8 weeks. We planned to grow them to 12 weeks and have big birds.
Now we are just culling one or two at a time when we need chicken.

Free range chicken is anything that is allowed to range. I don't really follow that.
I just follow the "give them a good and healthy life" philosophy.

I must admit I've gotten attached to a few. I refrained from touching them so most
are flighty but there are a few who now run up to me wanting some scratch, and they
get it. One hen looks like a Welsummer.

Joel's meat ducks, or should I say pet ducks.

 

[miss_jayne]

oh, they are so sweet! worth the wait for sure.

PC...Greyfields has been recuperating after an illness.

 

[SandraMort]

Quote:
Not sure how to tell the protein of what I'm feeding them. What's the rush? LOL!

You can process at 6 weeks. They should be at least 3 pounds by then.

Oh, nono no, that's too big. I need a dressed weight of 1 - 1.25 lbs, no bigger. I might have to do them 4-5 lbs, I guess. Good thing I have a scale, huh?

We planned to grow them to 12 weeks and have big birds.

I think, at this point, that the plan is to do about half as cornish hen/poussin for Thanksgiving, then the majority of the rest at 12 or so weeks, then hold off on a FEW until 16 or more, to see how big they get and how tough they are. Joel says they'll grow until 20 but slow down around 16. If I remember correctly?

I just follow the "give them a good and healthy life" philosophy.

Yeah, for the most part, me too. I just like knowing what to call it so people know what I mean.

I must admit I've gotten attached to a few. I refrained from touching them so most
are flighty but there are a few who now run up to me wanting some scratch, and they
get it.

With 97 birds left, the odds of holding them all are minimal, so they're pretty flighty here too, but yesterday I make kissy sounds and put my hand down into the brooder. One bold boy came over and pecked me -- I did NOT expect that!

One hen looks like a Welsummer.

SUCH pretty birds!!! How was their coloring as babies compared to mine? Ours range from cream to light brown and their feathers are coming in cream through much browner, no red like yours yet.​

 

[PurpleChicken]

Not sure how to tell the protein of what I'm feeding them. What's the rush? LOL!

There should be a tag on the bag. The higher the protein the faster they grow, at least
that is what I read. There are so many different opinions out there.

Oh, nono no, that's too big. I need a dressed weight of 1 - 1.25 lbs, no bigger. I might have to do them 4-5 lbs, I guess. Good thing I have a scale, huh?

You're gonna be culling quick then. I'm guessing when they weigh 2 pounds they will
dress out at 1. I'll be super curious to see pics and hear how they turn out.
Are small birds like that a personal preference of yours'?

Oh, nono no, that's too big. I need a dressed weight of 1 - 1.25 lbs, no bigger. I might have to do them 4-5 lbs, I guess. Good thing I have a scale, huh?

I think any bird allowed to free range for an hour a day and not cage raised are
considered free ranged.

With 97 birds left, the odds of holding them all are minimal, so they're pretty flighty here too, but yesterday I make kissy sounds and put my hand down into the brooder. One bold boy came over and pecked me -- I did NOT expect that!

Most of mine are flighty but a select few may be manipulating the human.

Can you say sucker?? I'm wondering how the Wellsummer looking one is gonna
do with my layers. The friendliest 2 are both roos and one is crowing (well trying)
so they are sorta scr*wed.

Our's looked like yours' when they were chicks but we had more of a range of colors.
According to Joel's site you basically a variety of 4 different colors.​

 

[SandraMort]

You've never had cornish hens? They're generally considered fancier meat than "just chicken", though now that I'm reading about raising them (just regular cornish crosses at about 2 lbs live) I'm not so impressed.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
I've had Cornish Game Hens and made a thread here a year ago asking what breed
they were. I was sorta surprised to hear they were just young Cornish Crosses too.

They are good. Truth is when it comes to the Rangers I'm just a whimp to cull them
so young. Plus I only have 18 left of my share.

For the little delicacy type bird I've got 35 quail in a cage and a lot more eggs coming.

We also have an order of 50 CC's coming tomorrow. I can see myself culling those
young just to get rid of them. We ordered them just to compare Joel's birds with
a hatchery Cornish X. The Rangers have already won the battle.

 

[Cason]

In my opinion, those CornishX chicks just look for a place to die. I hate 'em.

 

[SandraMort]

Not everything I feed comes in a bag with that information, though.

 

[SandraMort]

Quote:
I have 97 left, all for me. And I'm heartless, mwahahaha. OK, that's easy to say, I've never processed yet.

For the little delicacy type bird I've got 35 quail in a cage and a lot more eggs coming.

I'm sticking to chickens for now (plus the scovies to work on the bug problem). I'm having 30 or so people for thanksgiving, though, and wanted to impress them with poussin. 97 minus 10 for Carress (here on BYC) and 10 for my breeder gives me 77 minus 40 (for argument's sake) still leaves me 37. If I'm having someone process for me, I may have as many as 50 at once, so I might have only 27 left for chicken size.

We also have an order of 50 CC's coming tomorrow. I can see myself culling those young just to get rid of them. We ordered them just to compare Joel's birds with
a hatchery Cornish X. The Rangers have already won the battle.

HAHAHAHA! Yes, I heard I'd have the Cornish X, so I decided to primarily do the rangers, but ordered 3 Cornish X for comparison's sake. Even if they're smelly and stupid, how bad could 3 be?​