Freedom Ranger parents

[Mrs. Mucket]

We are new at breeding but after researching we thought we would try alternating two FR roos with some FR hens. We have 25 FRs age 5 weeks and plan to keep two cockerels and about 10 pullets. We'll put one FR roo with the FR hens and the other FR roo with our 9 laying hens of other breeds. At some point we'd rotate/switch roos so the second FR roo is with the FR hens. This way we'd have a couple of bloodlines. On the other hand our 25 did come from one hatchery (JM) in the first place so maybe they're all closely related.

We personally really like the tri-color FRs and will try to go for some color (by that I mean flecks of color other than red and yellow). We only got one obvious tri chick (very dark at hatch) and that one appears to be a pullet. One of the cockerels born without much color has turned out colorful. So they are one pair we'll watch. Who knows how the genes will work with these hybrids? Would a red hen and roo produce color too?

All this focus on appearance and color may seem pointless when we are raising meaties! Our purpose in breeding is just for ourselves to become sustainable in the future and not have to buy chicks every time we raise a batch. We will also look at build for meatiness, but we do enjoy looking at them while they are growing

Here is our tri-color newly hatched (looking like a dark penguin) and again at 5 weeks. She has a nice personality too. Her legs are darker and more greenish than all the other chicks.

Here is our colorful cockerel, who did not look distinct in the first couple of weeks but has developed nice color and personality. We have another cockerel with some nice flecks and are watching him for other traits.

 

[Lil Mucket]

Oh and to clarify why we are using mostly FR genetics I was thinking of an experiment. I know how to stabilize hybrid plants, like tomatoes or peppers, etc. I am thinking that eventually we could potentially stabilize the FRs as well. We have looked at other inputs from chickens such as a Marans or Buckeye. I love how the FRs are so quick to get to size, quicker than most, but they are also able to live a normal chicken life. I'd love to have exactly that in a stabilized breed. We'll see how it goes!

Edited to add further explanation of hybrid stabilization. Let's say I have a hybrid tomato that I LOVE. I'll save a good selection of seed from it. You grow, say, 100 plants, and save seed from any of those who best resemble the original. You will get a pretty good variation initially. So then those saved seeds are the 2nd generation (F2). Then you plant another 100 or so plants from those F2 seeds. You usually will get more out of those that resemble the tomato you are looking for. You continue to do this until the plants are showing 100% true to the tomato you are looking for. It usually is a little different than the original but very very similar.

I am trying to see with Mrs Mucket if we can apply the same to chicken genetics. I'm completely new to chickens though so it is certainly an experiment

 

[BackyardAR]

That all sounds great you two.

How do you keep undesirable, recessive genes from popping up? I would think a much larger initial parent base would be needed for this to be successful. Reason being lets say after F8 you have exactly what you want. Lets say you got lucky and have exactly what you want and a rooster, and a hen, and they're in different "families". They will still share at least some heritage at that point most likely, and you only have one pair.

Still, once I get going with meat chickens, I may just PM yall. I wouldn't mind spending my time and money raising your chicks for such a project provided I get to eat the "undesirables" when that batch is over, returning the cream of the crop back to you for breeding.

Wouldnt' that be a great project for this entire community? The more people that help, the larger each generation can be and the more selection you'll have in superior chicks.

 

[burntmuch]

What Im gonna do later this summer. Im gonna split a batch of 50 with a friend. two flocks of 50. Each flock owner save a roo & 3 hens. We each hatch out a batch from those. See how that goes. Then switch out the roos. See what that does. I would love to do it all at my place , but I dont have the space. How does that sound. Any problems Im not seeing here??. Worse case scenario, we got meat in the freezer. Ive got a 8 week old cuckoo maran roo. I may just throw in with the FR hens & see what happens. Once again worse case scenario, more birds in the yard birds. Which aint a bad thing right?? Gotta get started on a new coop & seperate run.

 

[COOPhilly]

Quote:
Sounds interesting. Can you get your two flocks from different hatcheries? That way you will have two different genetic lines to begin with.

 

[burntmuch]

Coophilly The only place Ive seen the FRs is JM hatchery. Would be a good idea though, just to be sure you have a couple different lines.

 

[COOPhilly]

Quote:
I did a google search and you're right. I'm surprised. I'm lucky enough to live about an hour from JM so was able to pick up my brood.

I did find this interesting post from a year ago:

http://www.projectopus.com/node/76611

He mentions Moyers K-22 red broilers (they are also close by to me). Maybe you can try both and try breeding them together.

 

[brandywine]

Some caveats about breeding from the Freedom Rangers.

We kept three pullets and a gorgeous tricolor cockerel from last year's lot of 100 rangers, with the plan of separating them in the early spring and hatching out eggs.

The cockerel became so amazingly obnoxious and nasty towards all my hens that he ended up coq a vin by late Fall. I can tolerate a rooster that is aggressive towards people, because we quickly teach them why that's a bad idea. But galline date-rapists and hen-beaters go to freezer camp. (I had quite a few of these last fall; he may have fallen in with the wrong crowd. I kept two relative gentlemen who resisted peer pressure and did not join the gang.)

The three hens joined the regular laying flock -- sort of. They became too large and heavy to roost, so they stayed on the floor with the ducks. They also became too large to fit into the nest boxes, so they layed under the boxes. Reasonable layers, but not in the same league as my girls.

I started restricting their feed because I was concerned about how huge they were getting. I'd gate them out of the coop during the day, to force them to forage. The smaller chickens could pass through the "creep." They mostly lay around by the door wishing they could go in and eat corn.

One hen died in early spring. On necropsy, her heart was at least four times larger than normal, proportionately.

Another hen died in late spring of what appears to have been a blood clot in her lung.

So the third one went to the processor when I took in a few Cornish not long after.

I concluded that it was not kind to maintain an animal whose genetics cause her to become so oversized that she has trouble with ordinary life functions. We got another batch of rangers this summer, they are doing well completely free-range with a shed for shelter, I enjoy having them around, and we will not be keeping any this time.

I am very much in sympathy with the project of the sustainable meat flock. I haven't found the solution for it yet. In terms of pure economics, a buck a bird from JM is orders of magnitude cheaper than any other way I've found to get chicks.

 

[jakobvanschagen]

CoopHilly,

The three different lines of Freedom Rangers offered by JM hatchery are Yellow, Red, and Tricolor. I was told that they are all from the same female line and they use three different male lines to get the three types they offer. If this is the case then you could keep back males of one variety and females from the other two varieties. then you would have two "families" to work with if you are worried about inbreeding. I would assume that with the number of hens used to supply the hatchery your chances of holding back a male and a female that are full brother and sister would be slim.

I am planning on keeping a few Freedom Ranger roos and pullets this year and trying hatching some eggs from them next year. I only have 2 or 3 Tricolors so I suspect most of my experimental breeding stock will be Red and Yellows. Not sure how it will work but I just like messing with genetics to see what I get.

 

[DuckBoy]

What cross makes the ranger though?