Freedom Rangers 16-18 week dressed weights?

[itsmatt]

Hi folks,

I'll keep this brief.

Apologies if this has been covered elsewhere - I've overlooked it if it has - but I'm going to finally start raising meat birds here on our slice of Virginia in 2022.

I'm leaning toward the Freedom Rangers for our first run of birds - probably 30 - getting chicks in January. I definitely prefer dark meat to white meat and don't need my birds ready for slaughter in 8 weeks. I've helped process Cornish Cross before and certainly eaten lots of this over the years. Just want to try the rangers first.

I thought you were keeping it brief... c'mon Matt.. get to the point already.

Here's my question: Has anyone had experience raising Freedom Rangers to something like 16-18 weeks?
Ideally, I'd like an average dressed weight of 7 pounds if possible. That size whole chicken works very well for our household for our standard rotisserie dinner, then white chicken chili and then chicken stock from the carcass.

Thanks muchly,
Matt

 

[iwltfum]

Live weight, that seems very reasonable and consistent with other reports. But OP was looking for a 7# carcass. Have the Freedom Rangers come that far in the past decade???

Absolutely. I've got a 18ish week old Freedom Ranger roaming around the farm that weighs almost 10 pounds on the foot. He's been free range and has lived with our laying flock since he was 8 weeks old when he weighed 4 or 5 pounds, which is when we usually butcher them. He's a bit of a wildcard, mixed-managed escapee, but I have seen 6 pound dressed carcasses from freedom rangers pretty consistently under 10 weeks. Depends on how they are fed and how much exercise they get. Generally we raise them for 7 to 10 weeks in salatin-style pasture pens moved daily across good pasture land with lots of clovers so all those numbers are based on that style, which is rather intensive I guess. It seems that most people that raise freedom rangers like to completely free range them from out of the brooder, which is great and definitely easiest, but the best growth out of them is them is with a closely managed feed ration and movement control - would be the same with any chicken I imagine.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Absolutely. I've got a 18ish week old Freedom Ranger roaming around the farm that weighs almost 10 pounds on the foot. He's been free range and has lived with our laying flock since he was 8 weeks old when he weighed 4 or 5 pounds, which is when we usually butcher them, but I have seen 6 pound dressed carcasses from freedom rangers pretty consistently under 10 weeks. Depends on how they are fed and how much exercise they get. Generally we raise them for 7 to 10 weeks in salatin style pasture pens moved daily across good pasture land with lots of clovers so all those numbers are based on that style, which is rather intensive I guess. It seems that most people that raise freedom rangers like to completely free range them from out of the brooder, which is great and definitely easiest, but the best growth out of them is them is with a closely managed feed ration and movement control - would be the same with any chicken I imagine.

Starting to reconsider my choice not to bring some Rangers in - Yes, I've a culling project, not a breeding project, but if they've come that far.... Hard to say no. I'd stick with current management - free range all day, and a good feeding by me in the evening.

 

[HomesteadNowhere]

26wk butcher, live weights 8, three at 8.5, and one at 9.3#. I don't have the carcass weights at hand but will add those later.
Freedom rangers, cockerels. I restricted feed because I'm using the pullets for breeding experiment and didn't want health problems. They are quite healthy. The cockerels were very active and were breeding. I don't have them separated but I'm getting eggs and believe many from the FRs.

With my experience this year I can see very easily raising them to heavier weight and longer than the suggested time. Mine were treated the same as the rest, non meat birds. Given space to exercise and limiting feed they are very healthy. I also think if penned and fed heavily they would probably raise out much like a Cx.

This is really my first serious go with chickens so limited experience but the 25wk old cockerels (buff orp, bar rock, Delaware,...) They weren't tough. I don't expect these last FR to be tough either.

 

[HomesteadNowhere]

Freedom rangers-
26wk butcher live weights:
8, three at 8.5, and one at 9.3#.

Carcass weights (no organs, no neck, in shrink bag) :
5# 8.9oz, 6# 7.2oz, 6# 3oz, 6# 3.7oz, 7# 1.5oz.

For comparison, same age, butchered at the same time, raised the same, same pen... One each Barred rock, buff orp, Delaware. Carcass weights 3# 8.2oz, 2# 12oz, 2# 8.5oz. They were significantly smaller and less meat to them.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I see I was typing before coffee. CORRECTION: To get 7# (your target) dressed birds, you need 10# live weight. Sorry about the typo.

And I agree with @Egghead_Jr - I've found it better to select for birds at the flavor and texture I desire (age), rather than a target weight. For a whole host of reasons.

 

[Geena]

As everyone else has stated, you wouldn't want to let the boys get past 12 weeks, as soon as their hormones start flowing the meat gets tougher and they also become harder to process. But you could grow the girls out to 16 weeks to put more size on them, that's what we generally do.

 

[Isadora]

I guess much depends on which hatchery you order from, as is so often the case with chickens. The last two batches of rangers we raised got just as big and just as quickly as CornishXs. The cockerels dressed out at around 7.5 lbs @ 12 weeks.

We got ours from the freedom ranger hatchery in PA. Where did you get yours from? That is an amazing growth rate. Did you free feed them?

 

[Geena]

We got ours from the freedom ranger hatchery in PA. Where did you get yours from? That is an amazing growth rate. Did you free feed them?

I got them from Moyer's. I feed them as much as they'll eat twice a day, either meat bird maker or game bird developer. That's where my 19lb rooster came from, one of those batches.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Matt, I have not. Though I've given some consideration to bringing in Rangers, I've decided to cull my way towards my own. Still, a quick thread search turns up...

This post (5-5.5# @ 3 mo)

This instructional Thread (7# average at 9 weeks)

This mention, 2.75# as 6 weeks

This lengthy thread (6#@ 9 weeks) - I didn't skim it all, there should be weights at later ages

and this one, from way back when.

Note that these are LIVE, not Dressed, weights. To get 9 pounds dressed, you need 10# birds. That's basically CX territory, and nothing else. Feed and method is also a big component. Birds that free range, a big selling point for Freedom Rangers - its in the name - don't put on weight like tractored or caged birds. The increased activity level offsets, in part, the effect of foraging in reducing feed costs - just as it would with any other breed.