Ranger breeding project

[Molpet]

 

[nicalandia]

Like most projects around here....

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Well it is Spring now so many months from last Summer.

What is going on with these many Ranger Projects?

My record keeping sucks - other priorities, but my Lemonade project proceeds.

I **DID** have to cull my Rooster, waiting on one of his boys to grow a little more and take his place. He's already showing the inclination, but the girls still have enough size that he rarely gets what he wants.

Need to sort out 6 hens from recent hatchings that I don't want, sell to a neighbor looking for egg layers. and cull the other males I don't want.

Starting another batch of eggs tomorrow in the incubator, but its been three weeks and maybe a day since my Roo lost his head, expect viability will be VERY low.

 

[Timmy59]

I know I'm not the first person to have this idea, so before I dive in and go full crazy chicken lady (I'm already the crazy goat lady!) I'd love to hear from people who have attempted breeding Rangers before - from whichever proprietary line. What were your goals, what worked or didn't, what's the status of your flock if you're still raising them, or what was your reason for quitting if you aren't?

My goals would be to create a true-breeding, sustainable bird that's healthy enough to live a full breeding life, but with better grow out and carcass than cull layer cockerels. Enough egg production for decent chick crops - not on par with layer breeds, although of course they could be eaten as a side product, the same way extra layer birds can be used for meat. Not a true dual purpose breed, because there doesn't seem to be much interest in them these days. Hopefully with broody tendencies, because I feel that mothering ability is a crucial trait in sustainable breeds - not relying on human intervention to survive. People can always incubate if they want a large batch for butcher, but in my mind that goes along the same lines as relying on hatcheries to produce proprietary hybrids. A lower priority goal, probably a few generations in, would be to shift them to a different color so they stand out from the hatchery breeds. Still something light for clean carcasses; maybe buff? I would be introducing some layer birds here and there to maintain genetic vigor and improve some traits such as the egg production, so I can bring new color in that way. Any area thee seen to be weak in, I can look for existing breeds that could strengthen it without losing other qualities. Yes, this is obviously a long term project! Quality takes time

Thoughts?

@zebradreams07 or crazy goat lady ;-0 If you'll at my recent postings in the meat birds you'll see I am doing the likes.. However my birds are the white welp slo gro broilers.. These birds went thru that polar vortex we had all while laying.. They are some laying fools of jumbo eggs and are along side a layer flock.. I have a tractor with 48 chicks at present and they are kicking tail.. They are not on growing par as the cx but they sure do appear to have reproduced to type.. Easy to tell by the leg girth, they aren't no dainty layer type.. I am extremely happy with them and bought them to replace the cx we did yearly for many years.. You can follow along in the 2nd gen thread I have here in the meat birds for our progress.. I thank the previous poster for bringing this before my eyes.. 2 flocks in 20x 80ft runs

 

[Newyorkrita]

@zebradreams07 or crazy goat lady ;-0 If you'll at my recent postings in the meat birds you'll see I am doing the likes.. However my birds are the white welp slo gro broilers.. These birds went thru that polar vortex we had all while laying.. They are some laying fools of jumbo eggs and are along side a layer flock.. I have a tractor with 48 chicks at present and they are kicking tail.. They are not on growing par as the cx but they sure do appear to have reproduced to type.. Easy to tell by the leg girth, they aren't no dainty layer type.. I am extremely happy with them and bought them to replace the cx we did yearly for many years.. You can follow along in the 2nd gen thread I have here in the meat birds for our progress.. I thank the previous poster for bringing this before my eyes.. 2 flocks in 20x 80ft runsView attachment 2625705View attachment 2625706

Love all these pictures and information. Wish I had the space to do the same as you are doing.

 

[Newyorkrita]

@zebradreams07 or crazy goat lady ;-0 If you'll at my recent postings in the meat birds you'll see I am doing the likes.. However my birds are the white welp slo gro broilers.. These birds went thru that polar vortex we had all while laying.. They are some laying fools of jumbo eggs and are along side a layer flock.. I have a tractor with 48 chicks at present and they are kicking tail.. They are not on growing par as the cx but they sure do appear to have reproduced to type.. Easy to tell by the leg girth, they aren't no dainty layer type.. I am extremely happy with them and bought them to replace the cx we did yearly for many years.. You can follow along in the 2nd gen thread I have here in the meat birds for our progress.. I thank the previous poster for bringing this before my eyes.. 2 flocks in 20x 80ft runsView attachment 2625705View attachment 2625706

Love all these pictures and information. Wish I had the space to do the same as you are doing.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Our goats are mutts - like the rest of our livestock (and ourselves). Kinder would have been nice. These are probably a (pigmy or dwarf) something something something cross. Lots of Nigerian Dwarf around me, a decent number of Kiko, and Spanish, you never really know. Except there is no Boer*. All my goats are too small to have Boer in them.

"Chickens for scale"

This is the dame and the sire. Both have all their teeth. Dame had twins (boys) Nov 12, we think she's likely pregnant again. The sire will be first to freezer camp. His son (halfway in size between these two) will be end of the year. In the middle, we'll take the two wethers from the Nov. kidding.

*More accuratly, there's no Boer in them. PLENTY of Boer being raised around me, these goats just don't seem to have the size. Nubians, La Mancha, Mini-Nubs and Mini-Mancha, too.

 

[nicalandia]

Our goats are mutts - like the rest of our livestock (and ourselves).

Just curious. How are you a mutt?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Just curious. How are you a mutt?

A few generations in America, then we can't trace our family history very far, but in addition to the usual Northern European English with some (likely) German and (suspected) French [which all is largely the same, courtesy a few hundred years of the middle ages], we've also got a good bit of Italian, some Greek, and (likely) further East and/or north Saharan African.

So while there is no measurable amount of southern African origin, or anything bordering the Pacific, our genetics are those of a family who largely didn't settle long and intermarried with the locals wherever they went.

I'm identified as "white" or "caucasian", as you prefer - and claim no country's culinary heritage as my own - and don't much care. We've been thru the blender of human migration, and come out mutt. Based on genetic counseling (a few inherited diseases with strong geographic ties, a lack of distinctly regional facial features) - not more recent genetic testing.

/edit naively wishing more people would see themselves as mutts, and stop trying to identify and divide one another based on the visually apparent variations of the genetic lottery.

 

[Molpet]

A few generations in America, then we can't trace our family history very far, but in addition to the usual Northern European English with some (likely) German and (suspected) French [which all is largely the same, courtesy a few hundred years of the middle ages], we've also got a good bit of Italian, some Greek, and (likely) further East and/or north Saharan African.

So while there is no measurable amount of southern African origin, or anything bordering the Pacific, our genetics are those of a family who largely didn't settle long and intermarried with the locals wherever they went.

I'm identified as "white" or "caucasian", as you prefer - and claim no country's culinary heritage as my own - and don't much care. We've been thru the blender of human migration, and come out mutt. Based on genetic counseling (a few inherited diseases with strong geographic ties, a lack of distinctly regional facial features) - not more recent genetic testing.

/edit naively wishing more people would see themselves as mutts, and stop trying to identify and divide one another based on the visually apparent variations of the genetic lottery.

So true
Grandpas are pure bred, one Irish and the other swedish. Grandmas are a whole bunch of people, one said a bit of native American but a cousin did research and a mulatto slave and an indentured servant ran off together in 1800s
Also the DNA scientist claim anybody from anywhere out of Africa have 2-4% neanderthal DNA. Current thinking that's where light skin, blue and green eyes, red and blonde hair. I'll see what they think next year LOL