cornish x or something else

[TinaSwarr]

First to tell you that I do not raise birds to make money or even to save money, I raise my own because I have an autoimmune disease and I try to avoid chemicals. with that said, I have been raising cornish x but no matter what I do I can not get them to forage, and they are ugly..If i am pouring bags of feed into them than i am not feeding them any differently then the big production guy down the road...I am thinking of trying freedom rangers or something else, I would still like to be able to get a good size bird we prefer the 8 pound range with lots of breast meat, and i am in lancaster pa so i prefer a hatchery in pa, do not like shipping long distance, i know their are other options than the cornish but i want a bird that will forage but otherwise be similar to cornish, suggestions please.

 

[greeneggsandham]

Try this place. www.moyerschicks.com They were recommended by a friend. Getting my first batch of K-22's this week

 

[PotterWatch]

If they are out on grass, they do live a much different life than the ones raised in commercial houses. No comparison really. You can certainly try a colored broiler that will forage more but you won't get the same breast meat ratio or the same size bird in general without spending more money on feed and a lot more growing time. Can't hurt to try them and see what you think. There are people who prefer colored broilers.

 

[Deanner03]

I hear good things about the Freedom Rangers. But again, it'll be a less meaty bird. Keep us posted on whatever you do!

 

[TinaSwarr]

If any one has a processed picture of other breeds could you please post them for comparison

 

[Wildflower_VA]

JM Hatchery sells the Freedom Ranger chicks at a very good price and they are right there with you in Lancaster County.

Freedom Ranger Hatchery
190 N. Blainsport Road
Reinholds PA 17569

http://www.freedomrangerhatchery.com/purchase

I am on the fence about the Cornish cross like you, but we can't have the extra meaty breast chicken and not deal with the down side of a meat chicken being bred to end life at eight weeks old. What you feed your Cornish crosses is what sets you apart from the confinement houses down the road. They are pouring in very low cost feed to make the most profit--heavily soy based and GMO corn. I, too, suffer from an autoimmune disease and I go the extra mile to feed organic, non-soy and non-GMO feed to all my chickens. It does make a difference in the end result regarding nutrition and taste of the bird.

The Freedom Ranger takes longer to reach eating size and I have also heard it does not dress out as nice due to colored feathers. The taste is supposed to be improved over the Cornish cross. These differences are why I am still on the fence. Here is an excerpt about the time line for maturity in the Freedom Ranger:

Performance goals under true natural rearing systems:
Based on the results and experiences of our own flocks and our customers’ flocks, the Freedom Ranger assortment will reach 4 to 5 LBS Live Weight in a minimum of 9 weeks and a maximum of 11 weeks. In no way does this data constitute a warranty or guarantee of the same performance as conditions of nutrition, management, health, density or physical and biological environments (weather and relief) vary from producers to producers.

Since the Cornish crosses never perch, you can build a portable pen that is only two feet high and you move it every day to new grass/forage, and the chickens will eat the grass. I live near Polyface farm, owned by Joel Salatin, writer of many books on pastured poultry, beef, pork and turkeys. He is the inventor of the eggmobile and was a pioneer of pastured poultry. Polyface is trying out the Freedom Rangers for the first time this year in addition to the Cornish cross.

This is an excerpt on pastured poultry from Joel's website: http://www.polyfacefarms.com/products.aspx

Pastured Broilers

We use 10 ft. X 12 ft. X 2 ft. high floor-less, portable field shelters housing about 75 birds each to grow these 8-week meat birds. Moved daily to a fresh pasture paddock, these birds receive fresh air, exercise, sunshine, and all the genetically modified organism-free (GMO-Free) local grain they want. Integrating the cows to mow ahead of the shelters shortens the grass and encourages ingestion of tender, fresh sprouts. At Polyface, we want every animal to eat as much salad (green material) as its full genetic potential will allow.

Don't forget the other choice we have: Dual purpose birds. Breeds like Barred Rocks, Black Australorps and Rhode Island Reds mature at very high weights. The males weigh about 9.5 pounds and females at 7.5 pounds. All make a nice roasting fowl. This might be our best bet if we want a plump, naturally foraging bird, that tastes better because it matures more slowly. They don't eat as much as Cornish crosses, so the total spent on feed will probably be about the same--you just have to wait longer to butcher.​

 

[TinaSwarr]

by foraging i mean inside a closed run, my current set up for meat birds is an old silage wagon turned into a coop, we placed windows on all sides for ventilation and also roof ventilation, the run that is attached also has raised beds covered in wire that i plant various things just for the chickens, my problem with the cornish are that they very seldom even venture out, they prefer to just lay inside. this is what i am trying to get away from... i provide the best food i can afford, but i would like to see them looking for food on their own to, i have decided to try freedom rangers and will be putting my order in this week, and it is only a 20 minute drive to pick them up.