Do red rangers eat as much as cornish x?

[Moqwack]

To me the meat/time/feed was much better with the Cornish x the rangers took what seemed forever to grow out. For me it was all about quality turn around in a short amount of time.i really liked x’s they taste great and were super sweet birds to be around. We raised about 50 this year and 15 or so rangers and the whole time I wished I had just replaced them with x’s. Back to the question I think they eat the same due to longer raise time

 

[Folly's place]

I've raised both, and much prefer the freedom Rangers. The Cornishx birds sat around and ate, and looked miserable, and some died of heart failure, and joint issues. Nasty!
They all went into the freezer by eight weeks of age, and were cheap to raise. They didn't range much at all, and feeding too much other stuff will upset the balanced feed and lead to more problems, IMO.
Freedom Rangers ran around and foraged a bit, ate, and still were in the freezer before any crowing. I sent the cockerels off first, at nine or ten weeks, and the pullets a week or two later. They ate more per pound of gain, but to me it's worth it, both for humane reasons, and because they taste better!
The one escapee pullet two years ago did lay eggs, mediums, four or five per week, and she got big! I didn't raise any of her chicks, but maybe should have tried.
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

I got carried away here, sorry. FRs do eat more than Cornishx birds. Mary

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I've raised both, and much prefer the freedom Rangers. The Cornishx birds sat around and ate, and looked miserable, and some died of heart failure, and joint issues. Nasty!
They all went into the freezer by eight weeks of age, and were cheap to raise. They didn't range much at all, and feeding too much other stuff will upset the balanced feed and lead to more problems, IMO.
Freedom Rangers ran around and foraged a bit, ate, and still were in the freezer before any crowing. I sent the cockerels off first, at nine or ten weeks, and the pullets a week or two later. They ate more per pound of gain, but to me it's worth it, both for humane reasons, and because they taste better!
Mary

Agreed!

I'd like to educate some on the purpose and evolution of the FR.
Freedom ranger genetics were developed in France to comply with the Label Rouge program with strict standards of pasture raised poultry providing a more humane and better quality product to consumers.
The program started 40 years ago and provides 30% of poultry meat products to the public in France.

The purpose is for flavorful slower growing bird coupled with humane treatment in a natural environment.

The standards are:

• use dividers in the house to break down flocks into smaller groups

• require tree and bush plantings to integrate the house into the countryside as well as provide shade on pasture

• use smaller, portable houses

• do not permit pesticide use on the range

• require grit and whole grains to improve gut health, and

• maintain a constant ration to keep the taste of the birds constant, not changing it when other ingredients are less expensive.

-->
Table 1. Label Rouge standards for broiler production Genetics
Only certain genetics are allowed – slow growing breeds suited for outdoor production.
Buildings
Buildings are a maximum of 4,304 square feet. No farm can have more than four buildings. Building must be at least 98 feet from each other.
Maximum density in building
The maximum stocking density is 0.98 square feet for a bird. No more than 4,400 birds are permitted in each building. Chickens require 2.2lb of litter each.
Access and size of range
All birds have access to the outdoors from 09:00 until dusk after six weeks of age, and must be outside for at least 42 days of grow-out. Range requirements are 22 square feet per bird. About two acres of land are needed per house. 1.2 feet of pophole exits are required for 100 square feet of building.
Feed
Feed must consist of at least 75% cereal and must be non-medicated; starter rations can be 50% cereal because of a higher soybean content. Rations cannot contain animal products, growth stimulants or other additives. Fishmeal is not permitted. Synthetic amino acids are allowed.
Other Although routine medications are not allowed, antibiotics prescribed by a veterinarian are. Coccidiostats are permitted but must be withdrawn five days before slaughter. Vaccination is allowed; beak and toe trimming are not.
Slaughter age Birds must be grown a minimum 81 days.
Dressed weight Minimum 2.2kg without giblets
Sanitation period There is a minimum sanitation period of 21 days between flocks.
Transport No more than two hours travelling time or 64 miles to processing plant
Processing Air-chill
Shelf life Sold fresh within nine days of slaughter

Chart adapted from François Paybou's Technical and Economic Feasibility Study of Adopting French Label Rouge Poultry Systems to Illionois (2000)

Feed mills, hatcheries, growing farms and processing plants are inspected twice a year and taste tests are done 5 times a year.
The Label Rouge standards also exist for layers, turkeys, ducks, geese, guinea fowl and capons.

To the best of my knowledge, there is only one hatchery in the US that has been licensed to use the genetics of the Label Rouge French birds and that is Freedom Ranger Hatchery in PA. The hatchery was passed down to the original owner's children.
https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/summaries/summary.php?pub=224
IMO, there is a world of difference between FR and red rangers sold here in the US.
I read on this thread that Cornish X taste great.
I would like to contradict that. They are so young they are bland and a chef can make them taste any way they want with seasoning.
A bird allowed to grow longer and forage develops a taste that is truly the flavor of a chicken.
I think that palates in Europe are dramatically different from those of many people in the US.
Europeans don't mind chewing their food to get to the flavor while many of us want a soft mushy thing we don't need to chew.
That's just my 2 cents.

I said the same thing several years back when I was singing the praises of the DP Black Penedesenca as a meat bird. I got push back because the carcass was fairly thin and some found it chewy. However, in Catalonia Spain, it is the star of the annual Fira del Gall (fair of the rooster) People come from all over for the foodie fest and while there, they purchase their Christmas dinner bird selected from a pen of live roosters which is butchered and processed on site for about $50. Among the festivities at the fair is a competition among area restaurants preparing their favorite dishes using the Black Penedesenca rooster.
The Black Penedesenca has long been considered organoleptically unique creating a special flavor. Many Europeans get it, some of us don't.
I equate it to the acclaim given to the French Bresse chicken.
I may raise CornishX and Freedom Rangers one more time so I can create a blind taste test using the 3 breeds using only salt and pepper for some chef friends.

Please pardon my rambling.

 

[RUNuts]

@ChickenCanoe Thank you for the lesson. Much appreciated.

I agree with the mushy grocery store chicken. I have found a neighbor who is growing Cornish crosses in a tractor on pasture. His birds are different from the grocery's. Much improved taste. Since I am only starting this journey, these are my thoughts and observations and welcome comments.

I'm approaching this from duck hunting and loving the wild duck flavor. The Barred Rock hatchery birds I harvested earlier were delightful. Chewy. Flavorful. I am very proud of what I accomplished. Didn't taste duck like but oh so much closer than the grocery's. I can't compare the Barred Rocks to the pasture Cornish. Both are compared to the grocery baseline. My goal is wild game or as close as I can get in a tiny little backyard haven.

With that in mind, you are saying the FR taste different and better than Cornish due to selection of flavor compared to the CX selected based on growth rates? If both are raised the same, FR will taste better due to free ranging for a better diet, exercise and selection? Which leads me to question the hatchery stock birds which are selected for eggs and not flavor.

Very interesting and thought provoking.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I thought I'd post pictures of my first batch of Freedom ranters
2 days old

One week old next to day olds.

Outside at 3 weeks

4 weeks

6 weeks

7 weeks

 

[lazy gardener]

Here's a lengthy thread by Beekissed. She fostered 20 CX to a PR broody hen. These birds were raised on a combination free range and fermented feed diet. Please view post # 30 for a pic of the birds at 20 days of age as they move out onto range. I believe that somewhere on this thread, she has a video of these CX as they free range.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-raising-50-cx-chicks-new-batch.325493/page-3

Also, view post # 161 and # 379 on the above thread.