Ranger Grow-Out Journals

[biomistake]

Ok go here

http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/Buckeye Chick Assessment form.pdf

and a good article about meat assessment / productivity

http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/Buckeye Chick Assessment form.pdf

 

[DenverBird]

thanks Bio - That would be good at butchering time.

I was wondering about a form to record weekly feed and protein composition, bird weights, costs, mortality and causes, and other factors that could influence production.

I'm a scientist and am curious about what'll be going into my birds and what I'll be getting from them.

If no one's got one, maybe I'll create something...

-DB

 

[DenverBird]

This is a great thread and has been really helpful - thank for everyone's efforts contributing here.

A neighbor and I in the Denver Suburbs are splitting a FR minimum order that's arriving next Friday from the hatchery. I've got a thought and a couple of questions for the more experience folks out there who know the FRs.

folks have mentioned unexpected moratlity. The FR website suggests:

Use chick starter with a protein content of 21-22% and meds for the first 2-3 weeks. Then you can use 18-19% protein grower until around week 7. Finish them out on 16-17% protein finisher. If you are looking for a good supplier of natural, non-GMO feed, try Hiland Naturals Feed. You can find them at www.hilandnaturals.com.

Could a higher protein starter or grower (24%?) have been responsible for more health problems?

In Denver night time lows usually get to the mid-20s and we usually get a late storm or two that dump wet, heavy snow but don't get too cold. would a closed coop with straw be sufficient for the birds after they come out of the brooder? Or would I need to put a heat source in there?

I've got the opportunity to get all males. I'm also considering raising a few hens (quietly) until more grown out at 16 - 20 weeks to have some really big birds (8 - 10 lbs?). Is this practical or should I stick with the roos?

I'm considering getting a few Americauna chicks to raise with the FRs. Will they be compatible until the FRs go off to Freezer Camp? Would 20-wk old Americauna pullets kill FRs coming out of the brooder if I did a second batch?

After 12 weeks would a layer mix be OK for the FR hens or would the 4.5% calcium be likely to cause trouble?

Thanks everyone,

-DB​

 

[TimG]

My experience:

I've used non-medicated 20% chick starter from Poulin Grain. I generally feed them this for 7-8 weeks. After that they get layer feed. I do not know how I would recognize problems from extra calcium.

FR chicks should be fine with non-FR chicks. I don't know about the 20 week olds.

You'll get some 8-10 pound cockerels at about 12 weeks. They're growth seems to slow considerably at this point -- I don't think 16 week old hens would be any bigger than the 12 week old cockerels.

They will need supplemental heat in sub-freezing conditions until they are at least 4 weeks. Or, at least that would be my guess. I tend to push the heating envelope and wouldn't feel comfortable without a heat lamp in a snow storm when they are 4 weeks. But, I could be wrong.

 

[DenverBird]

Thanks!

The chicks would be in the brooder until 3-4 weeks, then be moved outside. I could put a heat source in the coop easily enough.

Any other thoughts?

Thanks!

-DB

 

[TimG]

Quote:
I weighed my two week old chicks today and had a lo/hi/ave of 8.9/10.8/10.0 so they are a bit ahead of their parents.

I turned their heat light off this morning, they're still inside so they're only experiencing temps down to 60 or so. But, no light overnight will probably mean a bit less eating.

The two parents are red Rangers. The chicks almost all have a mix of brown and yellow in their wing feathers and two of them have buff/yellow heads that are might lighter than the others. So, not surprisingly, the coloring is not like that of their parents, at least not at this stage. None of the chicks were the "chipmunk" pattern.

I lost one chick the second night out of the incubator. The bulb in the heat lamp went out overnight, don't know how long it was out. Seven were huddled in a corner and one was dead apart for the others. Have no idea if it was cold related, but there is some chance.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Quote:
Chronic Renal Failure, Kidney Failure, Renal Insufficiency, Renal Disease - Common Symptoms: Increased water consumption and more urine in droppings can be an indication that the kidneys aren't functioning at optimal capacity.

Calcium can damage the kidneys. I have great trouble finding what the symptoms are before a chicken dies. The most mentioned related disease I found is Gout. That is where the uric acid they can no longer process due to kidney failure or reduced function forms white crystals on internal organs, at joints, and under the skin.

A lot of times these crystals are deposited in the liver, which can cause liver damage.

In addition to them drinking more water and having less brown and more white in their droppings, they can get stiff at the joints and walk funny or just act like a sick bird. Fluffing up, less active, not eating much.

I just could not find much that was clear as far as easily recognizable symptoms. There seems to be a difference in slow failure and massive failure. If it is a slow failure, they may eat less and lose weight before it gets to massive failure.

I did not find anything that sounds like flip or where they just drop dead.

Not much help, I know.

 

[RHB]

Excellent thread! Thank you so much for posting all this information. It has been very informative and helpful. We are just looking into getting meat birds, (we've done egg birds for a number of years) and this great information, from real experiences, which is priceless!

 

[marquisella]

Quote:
Could a higher protein starter or grower (24%?) have been responsible for more health problems?

In Denver night time lows usually get to the mid-20s and we usually get a late storm or two that dump wet, heavy snow but don't get too cold. would a closed coop with straw be sufficient for the birds after they come out of the brooder? Or would I need to put a heat source in there?

I've got the opportunity to get all males. I'm also considering raising a few hens (quietly) until more grown out at 16 - 20 weeks to have some really big birds (8 - 10 lbs?). Is this practical or should I stick with the roos?

I'm considering getting a few Americauna chicks to raise with the FRs. Will they be compatible until the FRs go off to Freezer Camp? Would 20-wk old Americauna pullets kill FRs coming out of the brooder if I did a second batch?

After 12 weeks would a layer mix be OK for the FR hens or would the 4.5% calcium be likely to cause trouble?

Thanks everyone,

-DB

I use 26% gamebird starter for all my chicks, meat & non meat.

I had 2 turkeys that were 1 week older in with them. by 3 weeks they were bigger than the turkeys.

They are 10 weeks or so now, and are by far, bigger than my other chicks of the same age. I would not put them in with another breed, unless the other breed was much older at the time & the same size.

I had them under a heat lamp until they were 5 weeks old, and then turned it off. I'm in New York, and we have had the coldest winter ever...They are in an unheated barn.
I have't lost one yet. No, they are not growing as fast as they would have had it been warmer, and, I started them on whole grains at 5 weeks so they will grow slower, but I want a meat bird that is on whole grains, not mass comercial food. I add Alfalfa meal & Fish meal, plus vitamins/minerals as a supplement. I think I will be processing around 16 weeks, but I knew that up front. Its also less expensive to feed whole grains, so it comes out about the same if I had pushed them for 10-12 weeks on a commecial feed.

Would I do this again in the winter? No. Mostly because I need the space, but I would do it in late spring so they could be out on grass the last half of their lives.
Like Tim, I hope to keep a couple of girls and a male or 2 to breed back in experimentation.

Sue

 

[Mrs. Mucket]

Now that some of us are breeding our Freedom Rangers, I'm more curious about breeding and genetics. I know some of you have knowledge or experience. What results can we expect from the first generation we grow out from our FR parents? Will they likely be similar size and have similar growth patterns/processing weights as the parent flock? Will there be more variation in appearance, rather than just the three basic FR colors (red, buff, tricolor)? I've heard they may revert to grandparent genes, but would they likely still be generally healthy and vigorous?