Colored range broiler processing results

[pat3494]

I thought I'd let everyone know about my experience processing color range broilers aka "freedom rangers" yesterday. We processed 10 yesterday at 10 weeks. They grew very fast and were huge compared to the Buff Orps, BOs, and Dark Cornish I've processed in the past. I'd say they were about 5-6 pounds apiece, but they had a lot of pin feathers. They were moderately fat, but not as fat as a commercial Cornish X. When I eat one I'll let you know about tenderness and flavor. They ate more, drank more and pooped more than my previous DP chickens and were a little harder to keep clean. I notices some minor leg problem with two of them and one was a runt. If they cook up well I'll consider raising them again. I have 15 left and will process them next week. I purchased them from Randall-Burkey who gave me credit for one that died shortly after I received them and the runt. They are resting in the fridge now before I vacuum seal them for the freezer.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I liked my freedom rangers. Flavor is pretty good. I butchered from 6 - 10 weeks. They ran from 4 to a little over 5 pounds.
I had one go lame which I processed that day. I pushed them pretty hard with 24% protein.
All but about 3 liked to free range.

 

[chickenmanfla]

Have you ever crossed the red broiler with the white broilers? I am thinking of trying this to see if I get a self sustaining flock of meat birds.

I just finished 52 cornish cross from schlegs in iowa. Not real happy with the weights they were all over the place from 3 -4.5 at 6 weeks.. They were all supposed to be males but had 14 hens out of all of them.

 

[rbefarm]

I raise Freedom Rangers and we've done about 4-5 batches of 100 birds now. I have also tried a few of the other slow growing broilers strains also but keep coming back to the Freedom Rangers as the best eating of the bunch. I won't raise Cornish Rocks..they don't come close to the eating quality for flavor or texture. The Freedom Rangers are a bit harder to clean and can have dark pinfeathers but if you get the scald right, they are not too bad.