Newbie looking for help choosing a breed.

[willheveland]

Quote:
If you want to raise some for meat you should throw in a meat breed as well, most of your choices are what some call "dual purpose" and the Freedom Ranger is maybe one step above "dual purpose". I think it would be a great way to really see what you like best but don't leave out the Cornish-X. Will

 

[matte]

Where do you find Freedom Rangers and what breeds are they out of?

 

[bfraser]

The Freedom Rangers I was laaoking at are on JM's site. I don't know anything other than what they list there.

http://www.jmhatchery.com/free-range-broiler/freedom-ranger-chicks/prod_5.html

 

[TimG]

I think Freedom Rangers, Color Ranges and Redbro are all the same or similar, just a matter of who is marketing them. I think Hubbard owns the parent lines and sells them to companies which market them under their own names. I'm pretty sure some of them are associated with the French Label Rouge program.

To bfraser's original question, I think two breeds that you should be considering if you are not concerned about quick growth are Buckeyes and Brahmas. I have not raised either, but in my search for a meat bird these are two breeds that have popped up a few times. Both are raised to about six months before processing and are decent egg layers. If you're looking for something quicker, but more like chickens than the Cornish Crosses, the Rangers are a good choice. I had a pair of Rangers last summer that I intended to keep and breed, but a predator got them. They had been mating, but the pullet hadn't started laying. They did not exhibit the problems associated with Cornish Crosses. I think there are a few of us who are hoping to keep some this year and breed them to see what we get (they won't likely breed true, but who knows how far from the parents they will drift?).

 

[Buster52]

Dark Cornish is my meat bird of choice. Tender, meaty breasts, great taste if free ranged.

And they are definitely meat birds, not dual purpose. I can't imagine anyone using them for their eggs, just as I can't imagine anyone raising a leghorn for its meat. You get eggs from a Cornish and meat from a Leghorn, but it is very much incidental.

 

[bfraser]

Thanks for the info about the Freedom Rangers. I have a neighbor who sells them for market and he seems pretty pleased. As it stands now, my plan is to build two tractors about 100sq/ft each. I'll start out raising 30 Freedom Rangers in one and 30 Dark Cornish in the other. When The FRs are done (I'm planning on 10 weeks as I prefer to cook my birds a little smaller) I should have time to do another round in that tractor. Obviously the DCs will not allow for a second batch.

What do people think about doing a straight run vs all males for meat birds? Obviously the males are larger birds but will there be issues with the DC for example with extreme amounts of crowing or fighting as mature? Would it be a healthier flock if done as straight run?

 

[TimG]

I suspect that with a little marketing of the "more natural chicken" you could sell the Rangers for a bit more per pound than the Cornish Crosses.

 

[willheveland]

Quote:
"Natural" because what they were fed and how they were raised or because your thinking one breed is more "natural" than another. I'm confused? Are you trying to sell a quality meat or selling on sympathy? Will

 

[TimG]

Quote:
"Natural" because what they were fed and how they were raised or because your thinking one breed is more "natural" than another. I'm confused? Are you trying to sell a quality meat or selling on sympathy? Will

I'm actually not trying to sell anything, but if I were...

I think there is a stigma associated with the Cornish Crosses because of their tendency to die before maturity. The Rangers do not seem to suffer from this same condition. Some customers like their chickens, even the ones they are going to eat, to have been raised humanely; some think that breeding a chicken that has a natural life expectancy of only a few months (or less) is not humane. Even if these chickens were slated to be harvested at 8 weeks.

I'm not intending to pass judgment one way or the other, I'm just suggesting that it is a possible marketing angle.

 

[bfraser]

The birds I'm planning on raising are for personal consumption. And while I don't have any plans to raise any Cornish X's in my first batch, I expect I will raise some in the near future to compare. Above all else, I'm interested in trying some different varieties than what is in the store.

Also, I'm really looking forward to creating an environment where my kids (2 + 3 yrs old) will be involved in their food from beginning to end. They already enjoy helping and eating all the food we grow in the garden year round, and this seems like the next logical step.