Got 'em! 150 Colored Range Broilers (aka Freedom Rangers)

[TimG]

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3 3/4 pounds would be the break even point. I think he should be expecting (hoping for) more than that.

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FCR = food conversion rate (or ratio). In this case 2.5 to 3 pounds of feed to one pound of live bird at time of slaughter.

This ratio is often stated in terms of feed to dressed weight. So, if you are comparing FCRs, make sure both are using live weight or dressed weight.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

hey TimG

but a possible compromise is to mate the Colored Ranger hens with a large Delaware or New Hampshire Red rooster.

i was thinking about doing with - we have an enormous wyandotte rooster....a couple of the hens we got are almost normal size. might be worth a try....​

 

[TimG]

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i was thinking about doing with - we have an enormous wyandotte rooster....a couple of the hens we got are almost normal size. might be worth a try....

The thing is one doesn't really know what is in the genetic makeup of the Colored Ranger. The results would likely be mixed, but it seems to me that with a large enough program one should be able to get to a point where the results are reasonably consistent before too long.

It seems to me that this is a worthwhile experiment for those who wish to be self-sufficient. But, the cost of chicks once you factor in the breeding program is going to be much higher than the $1.25/chick or so that you would pay for 100 meat birds of the variety of your choice. It all depends upon what your goals are and how much the economics of the process factor into your choices.

 

[UncleHoot]

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3 3/4 pounds would be the break even point. I think he should be expecting (hoping for) more than that.

Yeah, last year they reached over 5 lbs average at 12 weeks, but for whatever reasons, all of my chickens grew quickly in the latter half of the summer. If I can get somewhere around 5 lbs for 12 and 13 weeks, I should be ok. I don't allow them to actually free range. Free Ranging actually slows them down even more. I "pasture" them in movable pens.

 

[vermontgal]

My 12 rangers are eating a lot more than I had expected. By the time they are processed at 10 weeks, they will have eaten (or spilled) 250 lbs of feed.

If they average 4 lbs each, that will put me around 5.2 - 5.3 feed to dressed weight, which is about what others have been reporting. I'll be pleasantly surprised if they weight that much.

They have access to a large fenced area, but unfortunately it takes us too long to move it regularly. It's a 50' welded wire fence, and today it took us 2 hrs to move. We started out with just a 4x6 tractor but they clearly needed more space. We are moving the wire fence once a week.

The bigger problem is that the meaties have come to associate us with food, so they follow us around like puppy dogs. Today, moving the fence, we just let them run around on the yard, and they followed us around. Can't do that all day due to dogs in the neighborhood, and kids playing on the lawn (can't get it poopy!).

If I do this meat bird again next year, I'm going to try cornish crosses. OK with me if they are ugly and unfriendly. My set up doesn't allow me to take advantage of the free-ranging aspect of the rangers.

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Just wanted to add.... the reason for 3 boxes was the heat.... it's not worth the risk of putting all of them in 2 boxes. Especially when they are in the back of a trailer with no moving air when temps can reach well over 100 degrees on an 80 degree sunny day.

It's cheaper to send the extra box than to have to replace the whole lot.

 

[Buster52]

I'm investigating this breed, which is how I found this thread. Couple of questions...

One, aren't the Rangers actually a breed unto itself and not hybrid?

Two, the name Freedom Ranger refers to the bird's excellent foraging ability (as in free range). If that is the case, doesn't that somewhat make up for what it may lack in conversion ratio in comparison to the Cornish X?

 

[Buster52]

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Yeah, we figured that out. It's a lot less hassle to just order a bunch of birds every spring than to maintain a breeding stock, and quite possibly cheaper. But, we have committed to self sufficiency, and you can't be self sufficient if you have to ship in your birds every year.

It's tempting to go the other rout, but that would at least partly defeat the purpose of doing what we are doing.

 

[TimG]

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The Rangers are a hybrid from all that I have read.

Some of the FCR that you read about here are for birds that were given access to pasture. Even if they are great rangers relative to a Cornish Cross, that wouldn't make them just plain great rangers.

 

[codybird]

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Love that quote!