CornishXs vs Freedom Rangers

[Blaineiac]

What they are trying to say is that a supermarket bird is nothing comparable to a home raised meatie. Taste is personal but quality is what needs to be compared, meaning a pastured bird. If it can be found, it will be atleast $5/lb and they can be grown a lot cheaper than that. This is a meat bird page and everyone is welcome to their opinion, and mine is that a store bird is dog food, unless it's the wrong time of year and then I'll eat it with a lot of boullion. I don't like Mc Nuggets either although I can get 20 for $5.
Back to the Ot... I have no experience with FR's. I might give them a try after my CX's are done. Then I'll have a comparison. Good Luck to all
Blaine

 

[CarriageStone]

As I stated in a previous post, I raised Freedom Rangers last year. To me, the taste was no different than the chicken breast we'd been buying at Costco for $1.99 a lb. After all the time, effort, and expectations, it was quite disappointing to try our first taste and finding it no better than what we'd been getting quite easily all along. I'm raising my meaties primarily for my family's consumption. Comparing the cost of raising these meaties to what we had been paying in the store is a valid exercise. I could justify a premium for better quality. I can't justify the time, expense, and frustrations for taste that is no better than before. Our current batch of CX's has been a good experience so far. If the taste is on par with what we've been getting in the store I'll be happy. If it's better than store bought, that'd be great! As of right now, I suspect this (raising CX's) is something we'll do again.

As far as the other posts, in none of my previous comments did I elude to the costs mentioned being a selling price. Just to clarify.

 

[chickened]

I am processing both today and we will see how different they are taste wise.

Home birds are never cheaper we pay twice what large farms pay for feed alone.

My FRs' are 12 weeks and weigh less that 8 week old CXs'

I most likely will do CXs' next time.

 

[Bucky182]

LAst year I raised Kosher kings from Nolls hatchery in PA and Roasambro's from MT-DI hatchery both where better in my opinion than FR or CX chickens. The Rosambro are all white with a few black feathers the KK are a grey bird. If memory serves me right the KK where butchered at about 12-13 weeks and averaged 4+ lbs perbird and the Rosambro's at 10 weeks and they where slightly bigger. The Rosambro's have a breast as big as any CX and no leg problems to speak of I think 1 of each breed for leg problems out of 50 of each. If I was to do KK again I would go with the white strain Nolls have. I liked the Rosambro better for the uniformity of meat and large breast. The KK have huge thighs and legs thier breast is big just longer and not as "Plump" looking both are about 1/2 the cost of the "Finacial Freedom Ranger" Making that hatchery finacially independant. LOL The Nolls where super people to work with and very honest.

 

[Sundown_Farmer]

Quote:
You didn't. But you set a price point useful for the general discussion. My response quoted your writing but wasn't necessarily targeting you. Really, my comment was tangential to the discussion (as usual) and was probably unnecessary.

I will respond directly to you now, Don. I can't taste the difference between wines. They all taste like a wrung out gym socks to me. Some are harder to swallow than others, but all are basically the same thing to me.

Quote:
That's exactly how I feel comparing my homemade wine to the sulfide-filled cough syrup from the store! But what if you go beyond taste? Let's even skip nutritional differences and just stick with the cleaner carcass. If nothing else is gained, you know the animal health, you were in charge of the evisceration, you know your bird is clean. If you did your job, you're very unlikely to get sick eating your own bird. Even twice as much for a clean bird may make solid financial sense. You are necessarily comparing a known quantity to an unknown quantity. Beyond that, your animals ate whatever is in the bagged stuff your paying $28/100 for AND bugs, greens, worms and who knows what else. They got to chicken it up for a couple of weeks. That's not foolish. That has value. They weeded, watered mowed and fertilized your lawn while having fun. That makes real solar dollar sense. Your earthworms say thanks.

Concerning eggs, nutritional density aside, I can see the difference a fresh egg makes in my baking or in the skillet. That's part of the value people place on buying my eggs. They also know my products are from animals they know, that they can see, and that they know are clean and well cared-for. Animals running in the sunshine. Feet in grass, beaks in the cow manure. Living, breathing, scratching, running, predator-fearing omnivorous animals who get off the roost and work in the morning as opposed to caged animals who lie around eating corn and beans and laying eggs until they are too brittle to lay any more. My customers value our stewardship. I'm just repeating a point you already made:
Quote:
Customers or no customers, taste or no taste, long chain Omega-3 fatty acids aside I place a high dollar value on knowing the source.

My chicken may taste better to me for any number of reasons, real or imagined. But, I think you agree, there are real, non-subjective reasons why the chicken actually is better. This is what Costco can't sell. Don't sell your egg customers short. "Delicious" may just be the easiest, least embarrassing adjective to express their appreciation of your excellent stewardship.

 

[chickened]

I don't know if I agree with all you said but I am sure I would feel better about eating your eggs and chicken and drinking your wine at the very least. Doing the multiple quotes is impressive also, I gotta learn those posting gadgets.

Quote:
You didn't. But you set a price point useful for the general discussion. My response quoted your writing but wasn't necessarily targeting you. Really, my comment was tangential to the discussion (as usual) and was probably unnecessary.

I will respond directly to you now, Don. I can't taste the difference between wines. They all taste like a wrung out gym socks to me. Some are harder to swallow than others, but all are basically the same thing to me.

Quote:
That's exactly how I feel comparing my homemade wine to the sulfide-filled cough syrup from the store! But what if you go beyond taste? Let's even skip nutritional differences and just stick with the cleaner carcass. If nothing else is gained, you know the animal health, you were in charge of the evisceration, you know your bird is clean. If you did your job, you're very unlikely to get sick eating your own bird. Even twice as much for a clean bird may make solid financial sense. You are necessarily comparing a known quantity to an unknown quantity. Beyond that, your animals ate whatever is in the bagged stuff your paying $28/100 for AND bugs, greens, worms and who knows what else. They got to chicken it up for a couple of weeks. That's not foolish. That has value. They weeded, watered mowed and fertilized your lawn while having fun. That makes real solar dollar sense. Your earthworms say thanks.

Concerning eggs, nutritional density aside, I can see the difference a fresh egg makes in my baking or in the skillet. That's part of the value people place on buying my eggs. They also know my products are from animals they know, that they can see, and that they know are clean and well cared-for. Animals running in the sunshine. Feet in grass, beaks in the cow manure. Living, breathing, scratching, running, predator-fearing omnivorous animals who get off the roost and work in the morning as opposed to caged animals who lie around eating corn and beans and laying eggs until they are too brittle to lay any more. My customers value our stewardship. I'm just repeating a point you already made:
Quote:
Customers or no customers, taste or no taste, long chain Omega-3 fatty acids aside I place a high dollar value on knowing the source.

My chicken may taste better to me for any number of reasons, real or imagined. But, I think you agree, there are real, non-subjective reasons why the chicken actually is better. This is what Costco can't sell. Don't sell your egg customers short. "Delicious" may just be the easiest, least embarrassing adjective to express their appreciation of your excellent stewardship.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

I am interested in in this thread. I am planning on getting 15-20 CX this summer and processing in the fall...along with extra roosters and hens I can't sell (various breeds) but mostly Creves and maybe a LS or two....

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

I tried to find some FR hatching eggs but didn't have any luck...I wanted to create something using them (a pea combed meat bird that I could raise/range and sell hatching eggs from)....

But I think I'll just stick to the CX for this year and see how they do. I don't even have a tractor or anything for them yet so I'm not in a hurry....but if I did the FR project, I'd have to have a "real" coop & run for them...which DH wouldn't be happy about.

 

[EggGardener]

I really appreciate all the different perspectives on this thread!!
I'm raising my first batch of meaties, bc I see pastured chicken costing insane amounts at the farmers markets, and while I appreciate what they're doing, I am pretty sure I can do it myself.

I started with Cornish X because I'm not sure how I'd feel about butchering. With CX, there's no backing out of it and keeping them for eggs (they're 7 wks today). I know other people have done it, but I got all boys

Six of them, ready to go to the freezer next week.

We purchase a quarter cow from a friend every year, and having that meat in the freezer is fantastic. I'd like to have some chickens in there, too. From what I've seen, meaties aren't cheap to raise, and while they can taste better, I am doing it not so much for taste. Or to save money vs. the supermarket. I guess I'm trying to save money, but it seems cheaper to spend $20 at the feed store than buy $20 worth of chicken at Costco. Why is that, I wonder?

I guess its all about where you want to spend your grocery dollars....and what you want to raise yourself, and why. Seems like everyone here has a different reason!!