Does anyone JUST free range meat birds????

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

My hubby wants to free range our freedom rangers ONLY and I'm a bit worried that they won't get enough food? Am I just being silly? Does anyone have any thoughts on that? And does anyone or has anyone done it and how do the birds taste? Are they less fatty/tougher when you do that?

 

[cassie]

In order to grow well, they need feed. There are birds that do well on strictly free range, but if you want meat that is not the way to go. You can free range them, but you have to feed them, too.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Thank you for the info. He said he was reading in a chicken magazine and the guy on one of the articles said he would just let the chickens free range and he never put food out for them. I just thought that was bizarre.

 

[Huny]

Quote:
I just read (like seriously 20 minutes ago) a pamphlet on grass and pasture raised meat including pigs and chickens. The idea is sorta throwing me for a loop, but they are showing that the meat is healthier, leaner, has more vitamins etc. By allowing the animals to eat as they would in the wild, they also have less diseases and stress. If I had enough pasture, I think I would try it. With a heritage breed though, not some hybrid who is supposed to put on weight and be butchered out in 4-6 weeks.

All I have is weeds, not pasture. Think it would work?

 

[ssledoux]

It is absolutely true that the meat from grass-fed animals is higher in omega-3 fatty acids (these are healthy omegas that increase your good cholesterol). Certainly they would have a lower fat content as well because they wouldn't be loading up on fatty feeds. This isn't only true of pigs and chickens; it is also true of beef and other meats. If you think about it, one of the healthiest meats around is venison. I'm pretty sure the deer aren't eating buckets of feed every day!

Another thing about free-ranging your hens is that the eggs of free-range hens are also high in omega-3's. This makes them LOTS better for you (in so many ways) than store eggs - not to mention those awesome orange yolks!!

 

[jdcallahan]

an excellent book that talks in depth about this is

"The Omnivore's Dilemma" By Michael Pollan.

The author visits a farm that free ranged chickens in a cow pasture using chicken tractors, between the grass and the bugs/maggots they scratched out of the cow patties they got a lot of good chicken food

I don't know if they fed grain as well, I dont' think so..

Jimmy

 

[wohneli]

Quote:
This is a great book and it will challenge the way you see the meal in front of you every night.

 

[Kezzie]

I believe Pollan is looking at Joel Salatin's operation, Polyface. I know that Salatin supplements his turkeys with grain, but not sure about the chickens.

 

[cassie]

For those of you thinking about strictly free ranging meat chickens, get a texbook, from the library if necessary, that gives the nutritional requirements of various classes of livestock and poultry. Then see if you think your free range can provide that. Chickens are not cows. They cannot get the bulk of their feed from grass. There are chickens that do well on free range. Some of the games come to mind. These are small active chickens. There is nothing wrong with giving chickens access to pasture but if you want any performance you are going to have to feed them too.

 

[Peruvian]

Joel Salatan at Polyface provides his chickens with feed. The bugs/greens are a supplement.