Freedom Rangers

[BMaverick]

We are 6-weeks out now with the FRs. They are getting big. Dad and I need to make a second chicken tractor right away this week just to ensure there is enough space for them all. My avatar shows them about 2-weeks old.






They are a different type of bird. They tend to graze the grass and then scratch the ground. From there, we have to moved them a second time just after lunch. So it goes day-after-day.

Oddly, two of the little ones look different than the rest. Not sure why. Now I need to find the camera to place some pix here.

 

[denasfarm]

I found in our flock of FR's that the chicks who had wing feathers early typically became cockerals. This was also true with our CX chicks. While I did not band the birds to verify, the pullets feathered out both wings and tail feathers last, with the smallest pullets feathering out nearly a week after the largest cockeral. The size differences became quite apparent by about 10-14 days old. Hope this is helpful! (We ended up with 14 cockerals and 9 pullets in our batch last May)

If this is true I "MIGHT" have 4 hens out of 25 birds! Most have feathered out pretty nice but those few that are naked seem to be more buff yellow than striped. I may separate those out into my egg laying pen and see what they become. I guess that's good since the males tend to get bigger faster. Maybe this is why they are becoming aggressive and challenging the older chicks (the older ones must be boys too)?? So many boys in one pen means Too much testosterone in one place! Maybe if I can pull put the girls they will calm down.

 

[WalkingWolf1]

I think the "darker" one on the left is from an Australorp. I have another black-backed one in another brooder that I feel is from and Aus also. They have a smaller frame than most of the others. The ones that have the FR look are from FR hens/FR roos. I think the lemon-heads are from FR hens/CX roo. We have a few australorp hens left. They typically lay a nice, well formed egg. The FR lay big eggs that you can't tell which end is supposed to be pointed. We also have 4 nice young Buckeye pullets but they haven't started laying yet. I want to cross the FR with the Buckeyes in the spring. This hatch and the next were more to pass the time waiting to start collecting eggs for the FR/CX cross project. We intend to pen these birds separately -- they will have feed access and be able to free range during the day.

 

[denasfarm]

BMaverick At what age did you put yours outside? Mine are still pretty naked compared to even the RIRs of the same age. That and they cant drink out of the waterer like normal chicks. They stand one foot in and dunk chest and all into the water getting wet and chilled daily! I have to keep two lights on the dumb dumbs to keep them dry!
They are also sooo nasty compared to the others! I change the pine daily where I haven't changes the eggers floor yet!

 

[WalkingWolf1]

. . . . and they cant drink out of the waterer like normal chicks. They stand one foot in and dunk chest and all into the water getting wet and chilled daily! . . .

I fill the chick waterers with marbles till they are about a week old then they typically do O'k. The quail waterer works the best for new hatchlings -- there's only enough room to stick their beaks down in the water.

 

[BMaverick]

BMaverick At what age did you put yours outside? Mine are still pretty naked compared to even the RIRs of the same age. That and they cant drink out of the waterer like normal chicks. They stand one foot in and dunk chest and all into the water getting wet and chilled daily! I have to keep two lights on the dumb dumbs to keep them dry!
They are also sooo nasty compared to the others! I change the pine daily where I haven't changes the eggers floor yet!

They went out about the 4.5-week. Yes, they sure poop a lot and a lot and a lot. haha From the 3-week until the chicken tractor, the brooder box 48x48 was getting packed quickly. They mainly got wet when they got bigger, dumping the water feeders over. So, due to the poop and water dumping, we switched over to straw. The smell also got better once this was done. Pine, no thanks. It may be cheaper to get, but not worth the effort. To keep the water feeder from flipping on the straw, we place a 1x4 small support board under it.

Outside, the daily temps have been upper 60s and lower 50s during the day. A night, they all get to the box and huddle to keep warm as temps have reached the upper 30s and once at 29. We have not lost one yet since being outdoors vs, in the brooder box.

If we were to keep any to lay and nest to hatch a few, do these hens keep to the eggs easily or do they abandon the nest? We have no egg incubator machine.

 

[ARTofGROWINchix]

WOW! What a great read! I am interested in having some of these Freedom Rangers for my first "meat run". I live in a densly populated suburb of NYC and therefore don not want any roosters. Is there anyway I can order only hens?
How early can you tell the sex of these chickens?
Can these chickens fly?
What do I feed them?

I've read someone put them outside at 4 weeks old.
What temps do they like when they are little birdies younger than 4 weeks? And what are the lowest temperatures they can survive in without worrying about losing any?

I think I would rather go with these birds as opposed to the cornishX which I've heard are kind of a wierd cross that aren't nice to look at. They sound like mutant meat birds to me.

I know I'm going to be butchering them in the end anyway, but I'd like some good looking birds in the meantime and don't mind the extra two weeks to harvest them.

Can anyone vouche for the tastieness of the meat as opposed to the cornishX?

I know I hit you guys with a lot of questions, but I really appreaciate all you knowledge and input... This will be my first go at growing some yummy chickens! I have experience growing fruits and veggies if that helps...

Thanks in advance for your replies!

 

[denasfarm]

I didn't have the option of ordering all girls or boys, I know you can order sexed CXRs. Mine will be Three weeks old tomorrow (12/19/12) I have noticed a couple of the bigger chicks must be males, Their waddles and combs turn bright red if I pick them up (I'm guessing they don't like it so much LOL) BUT they also pant and breath hard after moving them around so it scares me that they may have heart attacks. I moved the entire group so I could clean it out thoroughly today, not just a scrap and relayer job. SOME barely have feathers but I don't know yet if they are the girls?? Time will answer that. They Are getting up on perches I placed about 3 inches off the floor. They cant really get much higher. They are soooo fat I am afraid they would bust if they fell to theground from any higher distance. They remind me of frogs for some reason. Mine are eating Tucker Chick Starter and have gone through about 80lbs in 3 weeks, two bags of pine and a bale ofhay. HEat wise I didn't check temps, I had three heat lamps in the beginning and now I have one since they are sleeping in the corner away from the light.

I have never eaten these...I can answer that in a couple of months. The CXR we have grown out were YUMMY and tender, so tasty! I may order some more CXRs (and some black broilers) next are do a growth/cost comparison and keep some to breed back to these so eventually I wont have to order my meaties. I love to garden myself. Raising chickens gives me free fertilizer and they get the veggie scraps! They don't ever complain that I grew too much squash!! My Plan is to put them outside in two more weeks (assuming it doesn't get nasty and cold). I am going to use a large trampoline as my chicken tractor, I can move it daily and it has built in sky protection, Cover one side with a tarp for shade and rain protection. I just have to run wire around the bottom high enough I don't tear it up when I move it, and low enough they cant get out.

 

[denasfarm]

Quote:
I don't know this yet either, But I plan to buy an incubator so I can do large batches at a time. I have several game hens that go broody no matter the season so I could use those if I needed too. The hens saved an incubator of Guinea eggs last year when the bator went out on me...I popped them under hens and they kept going on till hatch...the hens didn't even notice they were the wrong kind of babies!

 

[denasfarm]

They will be seven weeks old in two days and I have moved them outside in the day and back in the cargo container at night. Most are Bigger than my smaller adults now.
BUT I have a problem!!! My freezer went out. I lost all my garden goodies and summer fruit! Made me sick! So unless I can find a way to afford a new freezer in the next 5 weeks (hahaha) looks like Im going to see how big a ranger can get in the next couple of months probably through spring.

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