Best Free Range Bird for Meat

[speedy2020]

I'm not sure if you mis-typed there, but raised CX are absurdly cheaper than store-bought chicken. In my area (Shenandoah Valley, VA) chicken in the grocery store runs $3-$5 per lb. Organic free-range chicken is $6 and up per lb. Even with losses to predators, my chicken costs with CX are almost exactly $1 per lb. That includes shipping, cost of the chicks, bedding, electrolyte, and all the feed. I give them high-protein chick starter (until I've gone through a 50lb bag per 25 chicks), then switch to cheap layer feed.

And yes, they are free-range. In weeks three and four, feed them twice a day for 30 minutes, then take away their food. Aside from those two weeks, let them eat all they want, and they'll still be healthy and active at ten weeks. They are very active foragers, and fly about as well as any heavy-breed chicken (that is, like a brick with wings. But they still do it.)

I learned the hard way I have to go out once the sun goes down and pick them up and toss them into the coop, because they are too stupid to follow the flock in and the coyotes figured this out.

It depends where you live. I refer other breeds over CX. Since there is Costco near where I live, I just buy cooked CX for $5.

 

[ChknLadyBawk]

A lot of unknowns in your circumstances, weather and environment, but Partridge Chantecler are my personal favorite for dual purpose free range chickens in Alaska. They are very thrifty, excellent foragers, good egg layers, very hardy, calm, have good predator awareness and evasion, can go broody and make great mothers, make an excellent table bird - good breast size- that can be harvested in less than 4 months. Mine are 100% free range during spring, summer and fall, winter is the only time we supply additional feed. (I can do this because we live on an island with unlimited resources for poultry - ymmv)

Thank you for your input, though it was meant for another person. I have been wanting some Chanteclers for a meat chicken, and your experience is very encouraging!

 

[No Coop No Problem]

A good dual purpose breed would be White American Bresse (large rooster, hen lay well, and meat taste great).

Any white chicken is unsuitable for true free-ranging. There's literally a text from the medieval ages a thousand years ago warning people not to raise white chickens

 

[FunClucks]

Any white chicken is unsuitable for true free-ranging. There's literally a text from the medieval ages a thousand years ago warning people not to raise white chickens

I'm gonna respectfully disagree. Have you tried to free range white leghorns? They are the meanest, flightiest suckers, and very good at getting away. Granted, their hatchery-produced mixed breed descendants in black or partridge probably have an advantage in color, but just because a bird is white doesn't mean it's unsuitable. Depends on what environment you have, cover available, predators in your area, but also on the bird's personality and disposition, etc. Also, white rocks are a classic dual purpose breed that's been successfully free-ranged for at least a century.

 

[Newchickmom2023]

Another point of view from a homesteader is "On the Hove" which in this case, would be "On the foot"


I have mostly Welsummer and few brown leghorns. Couple months ago, I bought 6 Jersey Giants with a calendar reminder 9 months out. Will see how they are in size and hopefully process some. I am fortunate with low to no predators and free range on 2 acres.

But, I would be screwed if we lost power for days and all the frozen chicken went bad. So keeping some on foot "in case" I need a ready meal is my thoughts.

We have pressure canned chicken meat in the past. It's delicious and a quick easy meal, or add in to a soup or casserole dish (or even just make ordinary chicken salad). That takes away the power outage issues, as it cooks in the PC process.