I want a good meat bird that can reproduce and forage...

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

This comes up regularly and it is what we all want.

I believe colored rangers are not a "breed", they cannot reliably produce offspring like themselves, correct?

All the heritage breeds I have butchered so far have huge thighs and legs with very dark meat, almost cooked-beef dark. We pasture our birds and they pick up a lot of pigment from the plant and bug matter they eat. Breast meat is very slim on the heritage breeds we've tried. I have not yet grown accustomed to the carcass of a heritage cockeral compared to a cornish X, I do miss the ample breast meat.

However, the difference in the pasture is amazing. The Heritage breeds so much cleaner and prettier, and they move about to forage, dust-bathe, explore and play. By comparison the "squatters" remain close to their feeder and leave such a horrible mess, even when their shelter is moved to new pasture twice daily. The stand up, poop, and sit in it. After looking at them in the pen, the DH stated he didn't know if he ever wanted to eat them, they were so disgusting looking. It appears they do not process all they eat.

So yes, let us know when we find the perfect true breeding meat bird!

This year we are trying Buckeyes, to see if we like the breast meat better. I expect them to take a little longer than other heritage breeds to reach butcher size, but the chicks we have now are growing well.

Delawares grew really fast last summer. That was truly impressive. They ate a LOT of grass, often prefering it the the scratch corn I was distributing as a treat. And the eggs are huge and purply-brown. Rather ruthless roosters in our pen, but others have had a different strain with much better temperments and bahaviors. I want to clean out what I have and start over with a different strain.

We have Sussex, a traditional table breed. We are still getting used to the white skin. The appearance, personality and growth rate are very nice. Medium eggs could be larger, are a nice pale tan. The rooster dances and convinces the hens as opposed to forcing them, so everyone in the pen seems in generally better shape. He only attacks me when he doesn't recognize me, like when I wear the pink clogs or something odd. And then looks very embarassed when he realizes he just threatened to flog the feeding lady.

Brahmas and Dorkings are on my future try list.

Others have noted unique flavor to Marans.

 

[bigredfeather]

Quote:
JM is the only hatchery with official Freedom Rangers. Try doing a search for colored broilers. They won't be exactly the same, but that is basically what a Freedom Ranger is.

 

[mike67909]

Quote:
JM Hatchery, who sells them, claims an average 5-6 lb live weight bird in 9-11 weeks. they reproduce naturally if left to it and they don't HAVE to be slaughtered at 9 weeks because of health problems like the cornish x (so you could feasibly keep some for breeding).

Yeah my 3 week old birds are SOOO active. I put them outside in a tractor the other day and immediatly they were scratching around pecking at grass and flying around. My X's that i raised right before i got the rangers, just layed around never really scratched the ground.

They are like the perfect in between bird, faster growth than a dual purpose but slower than the X's which like you said minimize the health problems.

 

[mike67909]

Quote:
I think their growth is slow enough were you could try some breeding projects with them. I wouldn't cross them with each other but introduce an outside large dual purpose bird to cross them with like a white rock, buff, or buckeye.

 

[bibliophile birds]

Quote:
i believe you're right. they've been likened to the old-school barnyard mutts, they just grow out a bit quicker. JM Hatchery sells 3 "colors" of them, but i don't think that is because they have distinct breeding lines, but rather because they just grab that color chick and group them together. anyone know more specifically on this?

All the heritage breeds I have butchered so far have huge thighs and legs with very dark meat, almost cooked-beef dark. We pasture our birds and they pick up a lot of pigment from the plant and bug matter they eat. Breast meat is very slim on the heritage breeds we've tried. I have not yet grown accustomed to the carcass of a heritage cockeral compared to a cornish X, I do miss the ample breast meat.

i'm just the opposite! i'm a dark meat lover, so my heritage roos have been perfect for me. so far the best tasting (and largest) was one of my Buff Orps- that might have been slightly affected by the fact that he was the devil and i couldn't wait to be rid of him! wish i had weighed him before i gobbled him down! i would guess he was around 10 lbs live weight at 5 months. my Buff Brahma roos come in a close second in flavor and size. the downside is that my Brahma hens are little whereas the Orps are pretty stout ladies. if you were just going to buy straight run for slaughter, i'd go with the Orps. i can't wait to see what comes out when i cross my Brahma roo with my Orp girls.​

 

[anthonyjames]

I am raising Naked Necks.

They are great foragers and take between 12 - 14 weeks to be 3.5 - 4 lbs. Less feathers to pluck and thin tasty skin.

And I have purchased my birds from here: http://www.sandgpoultry.com/ourbirds.html

 

[Buster52]

I am assuming you mean a bird the breeds true, since they can all technically breed, and they all forage at least a bit.

I raise standard Cornish for the purpose. The breeds that come up most often are the Cornish, Buckeyes, and Delaware.

Some folks here are experimenting with the CX or the Freedom Rangers to develop a breed that does breed true, but those are in the early development stages. Neither of those birds can breed true.

 

[Buster52]

Quote:
i believe you're right. they've been likened to the old-school barnyard mutts,

Who likened them? They aren't anything like barnyard mutts. They come from very carefully bred and developed lines meant to produce a particular result.

 

[chickboss]

You all have such great info. Thanks!! Keep it coming if you want, I am taking notes

Yes, I would like a bird that breeds true, I don't want to have to buy babies everytime I want to start meat birds. I do have interest in a lot of the heritage breeds, so I think I will have to experiment. May have to try those naked necks to!

We used to eat a lot of RIR's when we were kids, and some EE's. They were all good. Ate a Barred Rock crossed with a Black Sex link not to long ago, he was older, but really good. I think I just think chicken is good.

I will look into the various breeds mentiond and will probably get some of each as cockrells to see what I like best.

So is it still debatable about the F.Rangers being able to breed true? And does anyone have any info as to their rate of lay? And because I would like to sell some of the end product how does their breast meat compare to the Cx. I personally am not really picky, but some people just flat out want a decently sized breast.

I would like to keep a reasonably sized parent flock and will most likely incubate the eggs so that they can be raised at the same time. So what ever breed it turns out to be does not need to be broody, but a somewhat decent rate of lay would be nice. I don't expect leghorn levels or anything. Just reasonable.

 

[mike67909]

Quote:
Here is the info from JM hatcheries website

"The breeding stock is imported from the regions of Burgundy and Brittany (France). The genetic stock is derived from the American and European old heritage breed of chicken and was developed in the early 1960’s to meet the highest standards of the French Label Rouge Free Range program. Currently, the Freedom Ranger genetic stock is used by most non-factory farm production models (alternative) all across Europe and also by small pastured poultry producers in search of a traditionally raised farm chicken - just like the "oldies", healthy and with a succulent flavor and texture."




Now if you go to the website and read further you could interpret what they are saying that they breed true??:
"Natural instinct and behavior is preserved in the selection and growing methods of our Freedom Ranger breeding stock."
"Since our Freedom Ranger Broilers are a slower growing breed, they are naturally better suited to the higher welfare and all true natural rearing systems (full pasturing, free range, organic, certified, backyard etc.…). In the United States most modern poultry industrial production models use fast growing breeds (hybrid white synthetic Cornish crosses)."
"At J. M. Hatchery Inc. we strongly believe in traditional, sustainable, and environmentally friendly farming methods, and we are convinced that allowing the chickens to do what comes naturally ensures an incredible meal for your table!"

It almost sounds like they do??

Reading more about the Label Rouge program it sounds like there is artificial selection for the desired traits within the flock to obtain the breeding stock.
http://www.poultrylabelrouge.com/014_differentes_volailles_poulet.php


I haven't heard of anyone trying to breed them for a backyard project yet. I may try it myself and also try crossing it with a dual purpose breed.