Ranger Grow-Out Journals

[Mrs. Mucket]

Quote:
Unfortunately I didn't track the parents very well and I couldn't compare apples to apples anyway. I raised the parents on meatbird feed and some forage. This time we are doing some experimenting and feeding differently. We're not going so much for high weights as we are watching some different growth patterns. Long story short, we are keeping breeders and we'd like to see if we can avoid letting the pullets get to 12# and the roo to 15# like the parents! Most of them will be free ranging or tractored as the summer goes on. We have an acre of nice pasture for these ones and the next couple of incubator batches.

I can say that on just 18% starter/grower, these are the weight ranges for these new full FR offspring:
10 days 6.7-8 oz.
20 days 17.5-21 oz.
30 days ave 27 oz.
40 days the two we weighed were between 3 and 4 pounds.
Then we had scale issues so I don't have later weights.

The RIR X FR has always run lighter than the smallest of the full FR.

 

[lilwhispers]

I feed mine chick grower from the local feed mill They eat like pigs I am processing 15 tomorrow and then again on friday. I will keep about a dozen for eggs.

 

[TimG]

Hi!

I finally had my remaining Freedom Rangers processed. I had six 2nd generation (3 male and 3 female) that were hatched about February 1, 2011 (so between 19 and 20 weeks old at processing time) and one rooster from J&M that was about 14 months old. (I actually kept the 14 month old hen that laid the eggs that produced the second generation).

I did not weigh them before processing, but their dressed weights were:

8 lb 2 oz
5 lb 4 oz
5 lb 11 oz
7 lb 3 oz
8 lb 10 oz
6 lb 11 oz
7 lb 10 oz

I do not know which was the 14 month old, or which were the pullets and cockerels.

I do know that the three pullets had started laying eggs (fertile eggs). There were a lot of eggs in development in each of the pullets, and two of them had eggs ready to be laid (that are now in an egg carton).

Anyway, given the slow start these chicks got off to, I think these are some impressive dressed weights for just shy of 20 weeks.

I still think that there were too many losses for these to be considered a practical sustainable option. Of course, my sample size was very small.

Tim

 

[RHB]

Wow, thank you so much for all the work and information you have posted, you have helped us out a lot.

 

[lilwhispers]

My rangers are starting to lay at 17 weeks YAY

 

[DenverBird]

Letting FRs grow out ~16 - 20 weeks?

I've been thinking for awhile that I'd prefer letting birds get to the biggest they can before butchering because I consider my time butchering to be worth something, probably more than the extra feed I'd give them growing out an extra month or two. I mentioned this earlier in the thread and would like some more input on it.

I can't imagine it would take twice the time to pluck and process a 10 lb bird as it would a 5 lb bird and figure "why not get more bang for the (processing) buck?"

My thought would be to get a batch of FRs, butcher the roos at 12 weeks and let the hens grow out a couple more months and then butcher them when they're "the size of small turkeys."

For those that have let the hens grow, how long did they take to get to 10 - 11 lbs and when would you say the growth levels off? Did they eat you out of house and home?

Thanks,

-DB

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

My Freedom Rangers are 11 weeks old now and I'm not sure how much they weigh. I need to go weigh them, they are pretty big though, but I am surprised not bigger. I have them on restricted feed as I too am trying to keep some for breeders, nevertheless they are probably heavier than any other meat breed I have raised besides the Cornish. They are almost as big as the full grown red broiler hens I have in that pen.

Some of my Cornish were almost 10 pounds by 12 weeks. Not these guys. I'll post weights and pics as soon as I can.

Keep it up guys I love comparing.

 

[Tracydr]

Quote:
Are the Red Broilers that you're using for your project the Ideal Hatchery Red Broilers or some other version? I've been thinking about keeping a couple from the small batch I have coming.only problem is my two roo's are OEGBsso I would need to buy a roo pick up somebody's roo, although I doubt that would be a big problem. I think I saw that you are crossing with a Delaware?somebody in our area has a European dual purpose, mainly meat breed that she recently imported and hatched eggs for. I'd love to start raising her breed and may see if I can get hatching eggs from her when the start laying,

 

[draye]

Okay, this thead needs some serious updating.
Anyone still around that was doing this?

 

[lilwhispers]

I plan on ordering 100 or so and pasture raising them Salatin insired,I already have tentative orders.