stunted freedom rangers

[cheep1cheep]

Hello Everybody!
I skipped my intro post for now because I am on a time-crunch and am freaking out. I am new to meat birds and new to chickens. I have about 20 RIRs and I ordered some freedom rangers from JM Hatchery that I received at the end of Feb. I got about 50 of them and gave half to my neighbor. They are up for processing this Friday but hers look completely different from mine. Hers look like they should look and mine still look like nasty little chicken nuggets running around (although, they ARE cute

). Unfortunately I am out of town so I can't post pictures for you but you shouldn't need them. Basically, some of mine are filled out and look like adult birds, though still smaller than hers. MOST of them still look like they are about a month old (ugly, juvenile age... bald butts, bald, feathers not all the way in, half bald necks) and even still chirping. I've read in two different places minor references to a possibility of cocci. My neighbor's birds are bigger than her RIRs at this point and mine are still the way they looked about a month ago, give or take.
The differences:
1. I let mine free-range and she kept hers locked up.
2. I put mine out of the house into unheated barn a week sooner than she did (still with heat lamps)
3. She switched hers to game feed a week sooner than I did
4. Mine were eating a crumble mix with pellets for a couple weeks vs straight mash which is what she was getting but I didn't realize my bags had been mislabeled.

My concerns, aside from the big one, "What's wrong?":
1. Are these birds ever going to be okay to eat or they diseased and should be disposed of?
2. If they're okay to eat, can I hold off a while longer until they get full-sized and then process them or will they be too tough if I wait (does toughness depend on age or size?)
3. Any treatments for whatever it may be?
4. Have they infected my other birds in any unapparent way to where they may not be safe to process? Will the processing plant know or is there any other way to tell?
5. ANY OTHER ADVICE! I really hope I didn't just waste all that money on these birds for nothing. They weren't very expensive but their food was... as I'm sure everyone else here knows!

Also, I gave them live probiotic yogurt this week twice to hopefully help anything.

Any help at all? I have a feeling I doomed my birds to death without getting to fulfill their purposes (that is, to be eaten by me

!) but please anybody chime in!

BONUS question: Are RIRs worth having cut or should I just leave them whole and just for stewing only?

 

[LindaB220]

Hello Everybody!
I skipped my intro post for now because I am on a time-crunch and am freaking out. I am new to meat birds and new to chickens. I have about 20 RIRs and I ordered some freedom rangers from JM Hatchery that I received at the end of Feb. I got about 50 of them and gave half to my neighbor. They are up for processing this Friday but hers look completely different from mine. Hers look like they should look and mine still look like nasty little chicken nuggets running around (although, they ARE cute

). Unfortunately I am out of town so I can't post pictures for you but you shouldn't need them. Basically, some of mine are filled out and look like adult birds, though still smaller than hers. MOST of them still look like they are about a month old (ugly, juvenile age... bald butts, bald, feathers not all the way in, half bald necks) and even still chirping. I've read in two different places minor references to a possibility of cocci. My neighbor's birds are bigger than her RIRs at this point and mine are still the way they looked about a month ago, give or take.
The differences:
1. I let mine free-range and she kept hers locked up.
2. I put mine out of the house into unheated barn a week sooner than she did (still with heat lamps)
3. She switched hers to game feed a week sooner than I did
4. Mine were eating a crumble mix with pellets for a couple weeks vs straight mash which is what she was getting but I didn't realize my bags had been mislabeled.

My concerns, aside from the big one, "What's wrong?":
1. Are these birds ever going to be okay to eat or they diseased and should be disposed of?
2. If they're okay to eat, can I hold off a while longer until they get full-sized and then process them or will they be too tough if I wait (does toughness depend on age or size?)
3. Any treatments for whatever it may be?
4. Have they infected my other birds in any unapparent way to where they may not be safe to process? Will the processing plant know or is there any other way to tell?
5. ANY OTHER ADVICE! I really hope I didn't just waste all that money on these birds for nothing. They weren't very expensive but their food was... as I'm sure everyone else here knows!

Also, I gave them live probiotic yogurt this week twice to hopefully help anything.

Any help at all? I have a feeling I doomed my birds to death without getting to fulfill their purposes (that is, to be eaten by me

!) but please anybody chime in!

BONUS question: Are RIRs worth having cut or should I just leave them whole and just for stewing only?

Free ranging is great. However, it will take longer to get to size. They are ok but are just going to take longer to process. Wait it out.

 

[cheep1cheep]

What about their feathers not being in all the way and still chirping at 9 weeks old? Don't get me wrong, I think that their little bald butts chasing me everytime I go outside is cute (If I didn't know any better I would say scary. lol) but they're not even fully feathered. Ya know? Have you raised them before? Comparing to my neighbors, I'm wondering if I will ever let my future FRs free-range again.

 

[bobbi-j]

This is why I got Freedom Rangers. So they can free range. Granted, mine are only a week old, but their wing feathers are coming in nicely, and I'm seeing some little tail feathers popping out, too. If they don't act or look diseased, I don't know that I'd worry about it. Do they have diarrhea? Are they sickly looking in general? (beyond just stunted) From what I've read, they don't get to size as fast as the Cornish X, (which is why I bought them), but that also helps prevent some of the problems the Cornish have - like dropping dead for no apparent reason because they're growing so fast they get heart disease. The place I got mine from says 9-11 weeks. How about the rest of you flock? Are they acting OK? If they are, I don't think you need to worry about them being "affected in any unapparent way". I'm sure if your other chickens were exposed to a disease of some sort, they would have signs or symptoms. At 9 weeks, they're still babies - they will still be chirping. My FR chicks came on Friday and went right out into the unheated coop (with lights, of course). That's where I started my Cornish X when I raised them, too. Didn't hurt them a bit. I think yours may be slower because they are free ranging, but I also think that will give you a better quality bird in the long run. On that note, have you raised chickens for butcher before? If not, be aware that the meat will have more texture and flavor than the white, flavorless stuff you buy at the store.

 

[cheep1cheep]

Thanks for the response. 9-11wk maturity date should mean that they are at least not chirping anymore and fully feathered out though right? And again, my neighbor's are all fully feathered and not chirping. I haven't noticed any concerning fecal matter but they do have a lot of land on which to roam. We were supposed to process them this Friday but I think I'm just going to do my RIRs and wait it out for the FRs. This might sound overly concerned but in case they have coccidia or any other disease and I don't know it will that be something the processing plant will be able to identify before hand? I don't want to send them sick birds and then it contaminate the plant for all the other processing.

And yes, this is my first time raising birds for butcher

. I'm aware that there will be some changes from the store-bought stuff and since I'm particular about my food it may be an adjustment for me (not my husband as he will eat anything) but it is an adjustment I am more than willing to make for the quality.

 

[cheep1cheep]

Also, as far as sickly-looking goes, they look like they did when they were first feathering in. Bald butts and necks and porcupine-looking skin (from the feathers coming in). I've never had chicks before so when I first noticed this in my FRs i nthe beginning I thought they were sick and dying until I rushed over to my neighbors and saw hers were the same. But again, hers outgrew that a while ago whereas 90% of mine don't seem to changed at all in feathers or size.