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

[robbdebbie]

I really love reading this thread with your experiences. I am looking into meat birds sometime soon, and this is very informative.

I understand that the meat birds are a cross of different breeds or a hybrid, but so are many other mutt chickens. What is it about these that they cannot reproduce? I understand the cornish x have low ferility, but what about these colored rangers? Sorry if this isn't a smart question.

Thanks

 

[nicalandia]

Quote:
No shame in asking.....

you see NOTHING beats CornishX at what they do, NOTHING DOES....and thats one of the reazon you don´t here alot of poeple breeding them, its very dificult to Feed Restrict them, most poeple dont´ know how to do it..and most will be overweight at breeding agge, that will lower their fertility........

colored rangers??..they the NEXT best thing(second price for growth performance) so naturally they will be more easier to breed from...but they too are hybreeds....

 

[UncleHoot]

1300 lbs of feed consumed to date (48 days old). I'm having to feed them twice a day now.

So I guess that's 200 lbs of feed in 4-5 days. At this age, I think my Cornish X's were eating around 500 lbs/week, so I shouldn't be too surprised.

We've got one little guy (male) who just isn't feathering out like the rest. He just seems behind schedule in most physical aspects, except that he's got a red comb, so we know he's not a female. Anyway, he slips under the pen every time we move it, and then follows us around the yard. I was afraid this might happen. We're getting attached.

 

[nicalandia]

Quote:
can you guess whats their average FCR?...

 

[UncleHoot]

Quote:
I won't know until after I process them, planned for early October. I have not weighed any of them to determine live weights.

There is a moderate amount of variation in size. We have perhaps 4 or 5 really small females, in addition to the one small male. I may decide to keep a couple just to see if they become decent layers, as a few of my layer hens are now more than 2 years old.

 

[greyfields]

Here are the published FCR's on the Colored Range Broilers (The Redbro being the "base model")

http://www.hubbardbreeders.com/product_leaflets/REDBRO-S.pdf

I'm having 51 processed next week.

Unclehoot: I have two two year old Black Freedom Rangers still in my laying flock. I plan to keep a couple from this last batch as well. I'm a softy and always grant clemency two one or two pullets.

All I can say is mine have survived. They are large birds, though, and generally cannot outrun the roosters. Mine get "over-bred" and tend to be very bald on their backs. But it's better than the freezer I guess.

 

[UncleHoot]

1500 lbs of feed, 51 days.

The little guy is now living alone. For whatever the reason, the other chickens pick on him a lot. Every time we try to move the pen, he slips out underneath, then follows us around the yard. He's too darn cute. That bothers me. I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with him.

I had an older hen die last night. I bought her from an Amish guy who said she was about 20 weeks, but I've always wondered if she was older, since the first eggs I got from her were Jumbo. But she laid well for the first year. I was considering getting rid of her, anyway. I'll be replacing her with at least one of the Ranger girls.

 

[greyfields]

Mine go in tonight. I have 50 total, with 2 flipping from the original 52 (both on a rainy day after a lot of heat).

I have 13 bags of feed left from my ton.

So 29 bags x 50# = 1,450# or let's say 30# per bird at $0.28/lb.

So, the economics:

Cost per Bird: ~$2 w/shipping
Feed: $7.50
Slaughter: $3.75

So completely ignoring or amortizing field shelters, foundatins, range feeders, brooder lamps & bulbs, insurance, electricity, etc. I'm into each bird around $13.25. So at $3.75 / lb my break even is 3-1/2# dressed.

I have never made a dollar on a broiler and don't expect to on this crop either. They're just a loss leader to get people into ordering lamb, beef, pork, etc.

They hatched June 24th. I won't have the total dressed weights until Thursday.

 

[robbdebbie]

Thanks again for all of the updates. Could you post the pictures of what the pens you are keeping them in look like? I have seen the pvc pens for the cornish x. Are you using anything different?

There is a guy selling cornish x at the farmers market for 2.75 per pound. I think he could do better.


Another question I have is how you store these birds. What size of freezer do you have for how many birds?

Thanks,
Debbie

 

[greyfields]

I do not use a chicken tractor in the traditional sense. I use two rolls of 160' poultry electro-netting combined for one rectangular pen. I have a tractor in there simply for shade and shelter from rain; they aren't contained in it. I only have to move it once during their time on grass after they leave the brooder.