Please advise! Red Rangers at 4lbs, 10 weeks

[ruthymoore]

Any thoughts on whether we should continue processing our birds that are 4 lbs processed at 10 weeks? Not sure how much they'll continue to grow if we give them another few weeks. Really hate to invest in more feed. This is our first time with this breed. Not doing the frankenfurters again this year, but wondering if a 4 lb bird would even feed our family for a meal? Is anyone happy with a 4 lb bird?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

They should continue to grow at a good rate. I'd keep them until the recommended 12 week mark. You'll gain another pound. If you butcher now your looking at 3lbs carcass, bet you can get that to 4lbs at 12 weeks.

Read where a person kept to 14 weeks. Range was 3 to 6 lbs carcass, from smallest pullet to largest cockerel. You lose 1 to 1 1/2 pounds from live weight depending on size of bird.

 

[Zalamom]

My first chicks a year ago were Red Rangers...when I knew NOTHING about chickens. I went to Tractor Supply and asked to buy egg chickens. The teenager who also knew NOTHING about chickens sold me 6 Red Rangers. We kept ours longer because they were planned as pets. But after 3-4 months we had 3 huge angry roosters, and we decided to process them. Those 3 roosters weighed 10 lbs prior to processing and 7 lbs ready for the oven. We bought them as chicks from TSC, and fed them organic chick starter, then organic layer pellets when the hens started laying eggs. I still have 2 of the 3 hens (one flew into our boat and died accidentally). They lay eggs 5-6 days/week. We all lived through eating them, and now we regularly process chickens. I've never grown another chicken as large as those Red Rangers were. They were around 5 months by the time I got the kids on board with killing them.

 

[Omega Blue Farms]

Working at a poultry processing plant, I see several failures when it comes to raising of the french style meatbird. Many growers lack experience and it really shows up in the carcasses. For instance, processing at 10 weeks instead of waiting 12-14 weeks out of concern of wasting feed! These birds are about producing high quality healthier meat in a humane way, not maximizing feed conversion! If feed conversion is the primary concern, stick to the whites. When raising for meat, feed them as much as they want, I see far too many cases where hippy type growers think they should restrict their feed since they are pasture birds. This is not so, feed, feed, and when in doubt, feed some more. I feed a 20% pellet. And finally, feed them for a minimum of 12 weeks, this is the magic number if one wants the best quality with respect to flavour and texture. Anything less and you are ripping off your taste buds! You are wasting the genetic potential that you are pouring food into. Since I process my own birds, I have found it best to harvest larger males at 12 weeks, smaller males and larger females at 13 weeks, and finally the smallest birds at 14 weeks.