Freedom Rangers as Layers? Any experience?

[Hummingbird Hollow]

I made a decision a week back to keep two of my Freedom Ranger pullets to add to my mixed DP flock of layers. According to the hatchery, they make decent layers. However, since I've placed these two pullets in with my other girls, I've noticed big differences in their behavior. My setup has a fully enclosed run (4'X8' under the coop plus an additional 6'X9' run space) and also an attached 10'X20' chain link dog run that they can access most of the time. I also let my girls out to free range for an hour or so a day.

So far, the two Freedom Ranger pullets pretty much hang out under the coop, near the feeder all day. They might venture out into the dog-run part in the early morning when I put some food out there, but don't seem interested in foraging or scratching around much. I've heard about this behavior with CX meat chickens, but thought the Freedom Rangers would be more active.

Have any of you experimented with Freedom Rangers as layers? How was their production compared with other heritage or DP breeds? Am I making a mistake? Are they just adjusting to their new digs? It's not too late to strip them of their names and put them back with the other Freedom Rangers awaiting harvesting (although it does make things harder

)

 

[mstricer]

I did the same and bred them back to a marans roo, the meat was great. I didn't keep them long because they ate too much.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

Interesting point. I hadn't even thought about factoring in how much they eat. I'm guessing that in your experience, the increased feed cost wasn't balanced by increased egg production...correct?

 

[Buster52]

Seems to me the feed to egg conversion rate would be very inefficient for ANY meat bird.

 

[mstricer]

Interesting point.  I hadn't even thought about factoring in how much they eat.  I'm guessing that in your experience, the increased feed cost wasn't balanced by increased egg production...correct?

That is correct. You will be feeding them more then if you had 5 good layers. My layers don't eat that much food in the summer, they eat a lot of bugs.

 

[Bossroo]

Seems to me the feed to egg conversion rate would be very inefficient for ANY meat bird.

... and that includes all of the so called dual purpose chickens !

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

... and that includes all of the so called dual purpose chickens !

While I know you are correct that a dual purpose chicken is not going to be as productive or efficient layer as one really bred to lay and will not be as productive in the feed/meat ration as one bred simply for meat, I must admit that the selection criteria I have for selecting new members for my flock is more complicated than that. I want birds that will be cold hearty. I want ones that are active and willing to forage when given the opportunity, I like the idea of a colorful and varied egg basket and even whether I think the hen is pretty or from an endangered breed. So when it came to the Freedom Rangers, the reason to keep two was more about the fact that most places require a much larger order to have them shipped...I already had them on hand...I got sort of attached to them during the whole fire and evacuation process. They aren't particularly beautiful or rare and they don't have some amazing colored eggs. If they aren't going to be decent layers, I should probably keep the extra room in my coop for something I REALLY want, and figure out how to get only two. However, if they are decent layers, there will be no shipping charge and they are already 8 weeks old, almost halfway to laying age.

So...what to do?

 

[Buster52]

Depends on what you mean by decent I guess. Feed to egg conversion is part of that equation for me. If they lay almost as much as a standard DP, and half to 3/4 as much as a production hybrid, yet eat as much feed as two of either, are they really decent?

 

[Henry45]

While I know you are correct that a dual purpose chicken is not going to be as productive or efficient layer as one really bred to lay and will not be as productive in the feed/meat ration as one bred simply for meat, I must admit that the selection criteria I have for selecting new members for my flock is more complicated than that. I want birds that will be cold hearty. I want ones that are active and willing to forage when given the opportunity, I like the idea of a colorful and varied egg basket and even whether I think the hen is pretty or from an endangered breed. So when it came to the Freedom Rangers, the reason to keep two was more about the fact that most places require a much larger order to have them shipped...I already had them on hand...I got sort of attached to them during the whole fire and evacuation process. They aren't particularly beautiful or rare and they don't have some amazing colored eggs. If they aren't going to be decent layers, I should probably keep the extra room in my coop for something I REALLY want, and figure out how to get only two. However, if they are decent layers, there will be no shipping charge and they are already 8 weeks old, almost halfway to laying age.

So...what to do?

What did you do?

 

[Henry45]

While I know you are correct that a dual purpose chicken is not going to be as productive or efficient layer as one really bred to lay and will not be as productive in the feed/meat ration as one bred simply for meat, I must admit that the selection criteria I have for selecting new members for my flock is more complicated than that. I want birds that will be cold hearty. I want ones that are active and willing to forage when given the opportunity, I like the idea of a colorful and varied egg basket and even whether I think the hen is pretty or from an endangered breed. So when it came to the Freedom Rangers, the reason to keep two was more about the fact that most places require a much larger order to have them shipped...I already had them on hand...I got sort of attached to them during the whole fire and evacuation process. They aren't particularly beautiful or rare and they don't have some amazing colored eggs. If they aren't going to be decent layers, I should probably keep the extra room in my coop for something I REALLY want, and figure out how to get only two. However, if they are decent layers, there will be no shipping charge and they are already 8 weeks old, almost halfway to laying age.

So...what to do?

What did you do?