How do Freedom Rangers do in hot weather?

[Buster52]

Pretty much my thinking. Gonna be 97 today "in the shade" (and this being the plains, we don't have much of that) and it is just the first part of May.

It's 98 in the shade today and my CX have been out since early this morning and are still out right now..

Beekissed, you're a hoot.

 

[Beekissed]

Seriously!? What? Do you think I'd lie about that?

See that very red area in WV along the western border? Well...that's us. Our digital thermometer is in the shade and it went to 98 today. It is currently 93.2. Do ya think you guys own the franchise on hot weather out there?

At least you don't have to deal with all this humidity....

 

[Buster52]

Seriously!? What? Do you think I'd lie about that?

No, that would be silly to lie about something that was so easily independently verifiable through the National Weather Service website. It just struck me as funny that your high temp just happened to be one degree higher than ours.

But, 97 or 98, it is clear 6 week old CX can survive sub-100 degree weather just fine, whether in a Salatin-style broiler pen in a sunny pasture like mine, or free range in the shade like yours, as both yours and mine did fine that day. I didn't lose a single one. Or when it was 98 here the next day. 110+ would likely be a different story.

No, I don't think you are lying. I do, however, think it is generally wise to take anything written in a discussion forum by anonymous posters with just a tiny grain of salt.

 

[Beekissed]

They can, can't they? That's why I posted to this thread....everyone seems to think that FR are the answer to the meat bird woes of heat exhaustion but could it merely be that they aren't on as intense a feeding schedule because people grow them out like I'm currently growing out my CX? Or is it because they are just better able to stand the heat? Somehow, I doubt it's because they are just genetically predisposed to withstand high temps any better than CX....I rather believe it is because people normally free range them during their growing out period than they do with CX.

I strongly believe that people would get better survival rates on these CX~just as much as with the FR~if they change their methods to a lighter feeding and more free range. Unless one is selling for market and is in some kind of rush to get them there, I can't imagine why they rush these bird's weights until the bird suffers from it.

 

[PotterWatch]

We are going to try a few batches of Welp's red ranger this summer. I am not thrilled with this idea but my husband wants to try it. I'll let you know how it goes...

 

[Buster52]

I hope you aren't in the central valley. I grew up there. It get's hotter than... here.

 

[PotterWatch]

I've lived in the central valley (for as short a time as possible), and while it doesn't get quite as hot here, it gets plenty warm! We are in So. California, but not near the coast so we don't get the cooler air off the ocean. We will easily be over 100 for days at a time. Last summer we raise cornish through August and it was a mistake. This year, I feel we are pushing it just to take them to mid-July. I'm hoping the red rangers do a little better in the heat, but if they don't, we will know better next year! At least we aren't raising a batch for every week like we do with the cornish the rest of the year. I think we are only getting three batches of the rangers.