Label Rouge- are they the French imports or being used as a general term here? Curious as the French do have a naked neck version which apparently is very popular free range broiler, partly due to their skin supposedly crisping very well.
Kind of making one myself, with the Freedom and black rangers. The freedoms are looking not too different from buff colored cornish( not cornish X but they still are very big, meaty and now, fatty as they're maturing).. got them as chicks last year and it is apparent they do not handle heat very well- wings out, panting when it's just 80-90 degrees, not sure if they will make it through this summer..
I'm not sure if that is the label that they import to in the US. I do know that is the French name that they raise their NN's as.
There is a company I think in Oklahoma that raises a d breeds the US equivalent to the French name Label Rouge. S&G Poultry.
Here's the link: http://sandgpoultry.com/
I think these are supposed to grow out larger and heavier and qui let than the NN from the normal hatcheries.
Thanks for the info. That is what I'm hoping for.
These are supposed to lay decent and be a bird you can eat too? I may keep back a few of a local "Label Rouge" type chicken and try crossing them. Or not, not sure it's worth the hassle as long as i can just buy the local meat chicks to raise. I didn't like raising the Cornish X at all but did like the local meat bird chicks.
I'm actually butchering a few of my cockerels for the first time this weekend. They're definitely sold as meat birds and I can't wait to find out how they taste.
Label Rouge- are they the French imports or being used as a general term here? Curious as the French do have a naked neck version which apparently is very popular free range broiler, partly due to their skin supposedly crisping very well.
Kind of making one myself, with the Freedom and black rangers. The freedoms are looking not too different from buff colored cornish( not cornish X but they still are very big, meaty and now, fatty as they're maturing).. got them as chicks last year and it is apparent they do not handle heat very well- wings out, panting when it's just 80-90 degrees, not sure if they will make it through this summer..
A local place (Whiting Farms) supposedly brought the original birds in from France but that's the extent I know of them. He has a lot of other project birds (production green egg layers, production blue egg layers, etc) and for the last couple of years haf sold them at the local Murdochs stores. I like the egg layers and I really liked these meat birds too. We butchered eight (6 roosters and 2 pullets) last weekend and they dressed at 3.5 - 4 lbs which is just what we had wanted. I liked them because they act like normal chickens and I didn't have to worry about feed restriction or leg problems - friendly too. I just done know how big they'll get as the grow out and how well they'll tolerate the heat. But it seems like it might be worth a try to see if I can raise a few of my own or cross with my Naked Necks and raise them for a half decent meat chicken. I'll take slower growth to not have to worry about some of the other issues. I'll try to post some pics later.
I'm actually butchering a few of my cockerels for the first time this weekend. They're definitely sold as meat birds and I can't wait to find out how they taste.
Haven't been on here in a while, but I need opinions. So, thru the years, I have noticed that male NNs start getting red around the back of he earlobe/neck area at about 4-5 weeks old. Well, I hatched a NN from an olive egg and was excited about it until I got a good look at it's legs. Huge! Right off the bat. So, I figured a male. But, I decided to hang on to it to see how it grew out. Well, it is now about 7 weeks old. No red behind the ears/neck area, no red/orange colors coming out on its wings and no pointy iridescent saddle feathers on its back......yet! Is it still really early or might I luck out with a female? Opinion please!
Haven't been on here in a while, but I need opinions. So, thru the years, I have noticed that male NNs start getting red around the back of he earlobe/neck area at about 4-5 weeks old. Well, I hatched a NN from an olive egg and was excited about it until I got a good look at it's legs. Huge! Right off the bat. So, I figured a male. But, I decided to hang on to it to see how it grew out. Well, it is now about 7 weeks old. No red behind the ears/neck area, no red/orange colors coming out on its wings and no pointy iridescent saddle feathers on its back......yet! Is it still really early or might I luck out with a female? Opinion please!
I'm not sure if that is the label that they import to in the US. I do know that is the French name that they raise their NN's as.
There is a company I think in Oklahoma that raises a d breeds the US equivalent to the French name Label Rouge. S&G Poultry.
Here's the link: http://sandgpoultry.com/
I think these are supposed to grow out larger and heavier and qui let than the NN from the normal hatcheries.
Almost ordered from them last year. There was someone who posted in this and a separate thread about the rainbows, NN and at least one hatchery NN.. haven't been able to find it or remember who it was.. from memory, their NN did grow much faster and bigger than hatchery NN. If I was ordering again, probably would be tempted to go with S&G for their rainbows and NN.
The chicks from NN crossed over the freedom rangers are growing pretty fast and big- not as big as the pure freedoms but clearly faster than usual. I'm not yet decided on how to go about for the next generation.. breed them with each other or back to freedoms to make them 3/4 freedom and keep only the NN ones or.........
