Roosters versus meat birds

[eKo_birdies]

better

ETA but they aren't a DP breed... i agree w/ brunty... a DP on the grill - not so much... but cooked other ways, OH yea

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Freedom rangers are probably the perfect chicken for a backyard flock. They free range great and have great FCR (feed conversion ratio) or as I like to put it... it doesn't burn a hole in your wallet. The birds are excellently portioned, free range, are easy to process, taste great, and easier to take care off than both CX and DP ( DP roosters fly, crow, and harass the hens). They are the in between breed and work great for backyard poultry people wanting to raise them for their families.

The reason I don't raise them... they are to slow to mature. 4 weeks is huge for pasture poultry producers that are already burdened with a short season especially in the north.

If I didn't do this for a living and did it just for myself, I would probably get the freedom rangers because they have the best of both worlds. The stock is not too bad and to answer your question, yes they taste great on the grill especially if you cook them on low for about 45 minutes. With always having old laying hens each year I have my soup chickens and then the meat chickens.

Personally I'm not big on keeping a self sustaining flock. For me it's very time consuming and takes more effort than I'm willing to put in. If I had to be self sustaining I could as I always have hens and roosters of all ages here that I could be well enough on my own. However we live in an age where we have the opportunity to just purchase certain types of chickens instead of breeding your own. It's kind of like this... sure, I can make my own clothes if I wanted to... but why? Same with buying broiler or freedom rangers... sure I can breed my own but why when I can buy them for pennies from a hatchery. A broiler chick is 88 cents, freedom ranger a buck, and DP roosters are a dime a dozen. I'd rather support a small business than become a small hatchery.

Now... that's just me... don't come at me with all the reasons why I should do these things. I understand that it is fun and a stress reliever and just plain a hobby but for me I'm too busy. When I retire.... I will probably be more inclined to have a self sustaining flock and would love doing it but for now... I just do it when I have the time... which for me is winter.

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Quote:
I'm not.

I figured.....

 

[PatS]

Thanks, Jeff, for your information.

I guess technically the Freedom Rangers are not exactly self-sustaining. They are a 4 way hybrid (4 different breeds as grandparents) so while they breed, they don't breed "true." But if they taste as good as the CX, I'd wait the extra month. So I'll keep my DPs and get great eggs and a few roosters each fall. But maybe I'll get some Freedom Rangers, too.

 

[bigredfeather]

Quote:
I am gettting tired of typing the same thing, like you said, every few months. Let people say what they want.

 

[thechickonthehill]

However, the same goes for grilling BBQ chicken parts on the grill. I would not even imagine eating a DP on the grill, they would flat out taste like an old rubber tire. Now a CX on the grill with some BBQ sauce...... nothing better.

I find this very interesting. I have butchered about 10 DP roosters now and the youngest was 20 weeks, the oldest 25 weeks. So far, I have made fried chicken, grilled chicken and chicken and dumplings with the meat. With the exception of the first bird that I cooked, I have found all to be extremely tender and very flavorful. The bird that I cooked on the grill was very tender and had amazing flavor. This is the first year that I have cooked with home raised, free range chicken and when I cooked the first one I hadn't yet found out that I needed to prepare the meat a little differently before cooking. Once I did a little research on cooking "heritage" chickens, I have had no problems at all with the meat being tough or stringy - no matter how I cooked it. I have never tried the CX birds and really see no reason to do so as I am very satisfied with the quality of meat that I am getting from my excess roosters. I know the meat does cost more but I enjoy the opportunity to watch the birds grow up. I love roosters and love having them as mobile yard art until its time to send them to freezer camp.

To each his own though. If you like the CX birds that's what you should raise. Everyones' preferences and situation are different and you have to do what works for you.​

 

[hinkjc]

Closed at the request of the OP.