free ranging = slower growth?

[Davaroo]

Keep in mind that the OP was asking about purpose bred meat birds. They really dont give the results they were bred for when you let them party in the pasture.

Other chickens, especially where a substantial part of their food comes from foraging, just might fare worse.

 

[greyfields]

Free ranging does mean slower growth in broilers. But the estimates are usually no more than a 20% reduction, which isn't too terribly significant.

I let my broilers out of their tractor once they start making a mess of it before early afternoon. I let them into a 40' x 40' section of poultry netting.

Something about keeping them in tractors their whole life bothers me. It's a lot of work on my back and I can then be lazy and only have to move them every few days rather than every day. Plus, I like them to get that extra bit of sunshine, scratching and grass under their toes before they go away to meat bird school.

So to me, it's worth it.

 

[HillCountryMomma]

Good post and good points David. Thank you.

I'm very much learning to meld my idealism to reality.

I liked your dairy cow analogy. I just bought a Jersey heifer. I can't imagine using her as an ox and expecting her to milk well. Seems that the more you specialize the breeding of an animal the less dual purpose they become. I had really hoped that with a name like 'Freedom Ranger' these chickens would be able to thrive and perform well while free ranging (hopefully cost less to raise because of it). Nope. Not gonna happen. They've spent the majority of the last week in the tractor. I've been letting them out in the evenings when I move the tractor because it's easier on me to move it empty vs. full of birds that won't get out of the way! They run around and play till dusk, then back into the tractor they go. Now I'm seeing some good explosive growth, finally.

I've also talked to a few more people that have raised Rangers (on a homesteading list I'm on) and they're saying that at 12 weeks their birds dressed weights were around 4lbs when allowed to free range. Seems like way to long to wait for a 4lb broiler to me! They were getting 3.5-4.5 lbs at 10/11 weeks with more restriction on the free ranging.

Based on that, I think my birds are right on track and are performing typically of their type. We're going to butcher the biggest next weekend, and I'm hoping for 4+lb dressed weights. Some of the birds are still just too small, quite a bit of range in size which I also think is odd.

Liz

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
Liz good post!

I think we have all become inured to the grocery store chicken. These genetically selected beasts are kept in close confinement and are allowed to do one thing above all else - eat. The results speak for themselves.

We also see someone that raises a 10lb. + roaster and we all expect to do the same. Yet we cannot possibly duplicate all the conditions that created such a behemoth. In essence we get what we get under OUR conditions and we learn to improve NEXT time.

Bear in mind that a hatchery has one job, to sell birds. They answer to stakeholders like anyone else, whether it is share owners or family members. Do you think they probably use a little hype to sell their products? Freedom Rangers, indeed!

I personally am glad to see your rosy glasses fading to clear. That often happens when people leave the realm of chickens-as-pets and move in other directions. I get the occasional email or PM accusing me of being a wet blanket, for being a blatant realist. Well, it's true - I am.
Common sense and lessons already learned better serves us with poultry, as with anything.

"WHEEEEEE... CHICKENS

" only goes so far.

 

[greyfields]

The 10 lb roasters are really awesome to behold and eat.

But, realize once their weight gets past about 6 lbs live weight, the FCR goes up from 2.1/2.2 exponentially. You are pumping as much as 4 lbs of feed into them for them to gain a single pound live weight.

The larger birds simply are not economic. You would actually save money buying free range, organic broilers from a high end supermarket.... unless of course you are feeding your chickens for free.

 

[willheveland]

Quote:
That figure(2.1/2.2) looks good on the post but does 4 lbs of chicken feed really cost alot to get the weight that a person wants.How much does 4 lbs. of chicken feed cost $.65 We are not just raising chicken for economics we are raising them because we beleive it is better for our familys ,not everybody sells their birds for profit.
I know what it costs to feed birds and if I wanted to eat for economics I would just buy all my chicken for $.89 a pound on sale at the grocery store and spend my free time on the couch.I know raising at home is not the cheapest way but I'm not spending $20. each for a processed bird either.

 

[Davaroo]

This is a pretty good case for the increased cost of keeping them "on the hoof" longer. It's the same logic used to justify keeping capons, back in the day. Frankly, there is little point trying to beat the store bought economics when it comes to stewpot birds.
For the time being, lets leave "home grown" idealism out of this, if no one minds.

In the end, a large self-raised roaster costs more than a cold-case roaster, but even they approach $8, and that's here in SC. God knows what is elsewhere.
And I haven't seen many of these that go 10# dressed, either.

So, that seems the best sense of all for keeing them going long enough to achieve that weight - you can't get one like it anywhere else. It seems, in fact, the only economic reason to raise them at all.

 

[greyfields]

I'm at $0.32/lb for feed as of last month. I daren't calculate it again.