My Colored Ranger ~vs~ X-rock Experience

[Salt and Light]

Just completed butchering the last of 25 Colored Rangers from JM Hatchery. I am undecided which birds I will raise next time. The rangers are much cleaner birds but they also take much longer to mature and there is a lot of variability in size. The birds were butchered over a 4 week period from 8 - 12 weeks of age.

 

[Buster52]

Was there a taste difference from Cornish X and how were they raised?

I will be raising mine with Cornish X and standard Dark Cornish in side by side by side tractors this Spring to test the reality of growth difference and taste.

 

[tnchicken]

S&L,

Do you have any data on finished weights and feed conversion? I have a batch from S and G but was going to try some from JM next time just to see how they compare. My finishing will be over a span of weeks like yours but I also am seeing size all over the board.

Thanks,

 

[Salt and Light]

Buster52, We have not eaten any of the Colored Rangers but I don't anticipate any taste difference.

tnchicken, I do not keep any written records of feed or dressed weights. Just by eyeball, I'd say the Colored Rangers are less meaty compared to the X-rocks, especially in the breast area.

 

[vermontgal]

I kept track of feed and processed weights when I raised 12 jm hatchery colored rangers this summer. I split an order of 100 with some others in my area. I ended up with a FCR of about 3.8.

Here's a post showing my calculations - https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=217642
(and a video of my set up for raising them)

 

[Salt and Light]

Vermontgal, thanks for posting your earlier thread. I enjoyed reading it. Although, it seems that some posters have a bit of snobbery about raising x-rocks versus colored rangers. Obviously these are different breeds of chickens and thus have different behaviors. I can't imagine why anyone would "cop an attitude" over the type of chicken someone chooses to raise.

Anyway, it's a 50/50 guess as to what my next batch of meat chickens will be. One thing left off my original post is that one of the colored rangers "escaped" the butchering process yesterday. I given her grace because I don't want to go through the hassle of cleaning one bird. I'm very interested to know if this bird will lay eggs.

I'm glad I'm done butchering for a while. Our freezer is FULL with 50+ chicken halves that are vacuum sealed. It's a good feeling to know that as a minimum, my family will have plenty of chicken to eat.

 

[Buster52]

Quote:
Well, I do when I try my experiment, as Freedom Rangers supposedly forage better than CX and therein lies a taste difference, I would think.

I don't anticipate switching to either bird, though, as both are hybrids and don't breed true, but my experiment could very well change my opinion.

 

[Buster52]

Quote:
Nicely done.

 

[MacPoultry]

Quote:
I too read the earlier thread, and as a newby to chickens, I appreciate the time and efferot everyone has put in to help all us poor souls with questions. I have now raised 2 small (25) batches of the CR and have been enjoying the results. I am happy with the CR and am learing how to deal with their unique issues, but still may try a batch of the rangers later in the summer when the heat is a big challenge.

 

[Salt and Light]

MacPoultry, what types of issues did you have with your colored rangers?