was-Freedom Rangers arrived today! Now-weekly results

[KathyK]

I'm new to this, so pardon my questions if they are silly. Are you folks in the northern states raising these birds indoors, or will they go out when feathered? Do they do okay in the winter in NY and WA? thanks
Kathy

 

[marquisella]

Quote:
I'm raising mine inside a barn. They have had 100w bulbs hanging in a brooder that is enclosed, top & sides with a tarp.

I just moved almost all of them at 4 weeks today, into a floor pen with a heat lamp because its bigger and not entirely enclosed. They are almost feathered out, so I figure they can stand it a little cooler.
I'll check on them during the day to see if they are ok several times.

Heres an interesting note....I had them all in the same brooder for the 1st 2 weeks, then I moved 2/3 of them to 2 cages with wire bottoms. When I was moving the birds into the floor pen, I definitely noticed a weight difference in the birds that were in the wire bottom cages. They were heavier than the birds I left in the brooder with the solid bottom.

The wire cages are suspended and the tops & sides I covered, but the bottoms were not so the droppings could drop to the floor. I had the same number of birds in each brooder.
THey were also taller than the enclosed brooder, although the enclosed brooder was longer but narrower.

I know that chicks won't grow as fast in an enclosed space as they will in an open space, so I guess the wire cages, although smaller in area, but taller was better for growth, or maybe it is just that it stayed cleaner without shavings & those chicks ate more food and not so much bedding?

Sue

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I'd like to chime in too, here is my quote from another FR thread

"I just finished butchering my first ever Freedom Rangers. They grew so fast and became huge. They reminded me of veloceraptor.
They were from Freedomrangerhatchery.
26 arrived, 1 died @ 1 week from unknown cause, 1 blew away in a windstorm their second night outside, possum ate another, 1 went lame at 7 weeks, 1 rooster was a runt that was only 3 lbs. 8 oz. at 11 weeks. Other than that all went well.
I fed 24% protein flock raiser till 8 weeks then switched to 15%.
Killed 3 at 6 weeks - they averaged 3 lb. 1.3 oz.
At 8 weeks they were 4 lbs.
At 12 weeks they were 5 lbs. 5 oz.
They were on pasture from 3 1/2 weeks on - they didn't like snow much though.
I was very pleased."

p.s. I butchered the lame one the day I discovered it.
I put an IR lamp in their house out in the field for the first couple weeks. They really didn't seem fazed by the cold.
Their house was in a hoop pen over one of my garden beds that had a cover crop of oats, wheat, field peas, buckwheat, winter vetch and some red & white clover. They wiped it out pretty good.
Their house was an A-Frame with both sides of the top galvanized roofing hinged to open up for access. It had the south side open with just hardware cloth. That windstorm came in from the south at night, blew the doors open and was followed by rain. I didn't realize it till morning. They were out there hours exposed to the conditions and no ill effects.

2 1/2 weeks

4 weeks

6 weeks

10 weeks

11 weeks That's the runt rooster in the middle.

I also think they were smarter than my hens who can't find an open door in their tractor if there are chicken out of the tractor on the side opposite the door.

The door into the FR house was a drop/drawbridge door that was quite high. Too high to just jump in. I noticed one trying to get inside, there was a railroad tie under the door and a brick on that. It looked at the RRtie and then at the brick, then at the door. It stepped on the tie then the brick and hopped onto the door. I could see it planning the route. Pretty wild.
From the time they were two days old the word that came to mind when I looked at them was - robust.

 

[marquisella]

Quote:
One of the reasons I put them in a pen on the floor was because they attacked me everytime I opened the door to the brooders, and some would fall out in their rush towards my hands. They were hungry little buggers!

I can see that in a week or so, I will be letting them loose in the whole stall in the barn. I think the fact that they are aggressive is good because if they were cute, little waddling things, it would be harder to dispatch them.

Sue

 

[ChickenCanoe]

That's right, I always try to remember every bad thing they did, like get into MY lettuce or crow too early or loudly. It helps on the last day.

 

[Lambingfamily]

Are you going to let them free range or only feed them? We are looking to get some of these for our family. A farm near us processes them at 10 weeks and charges average 7.50 a whole bird. This will be a new adventure for us and should I say I am really having to stretch myself with this idea. I promised my husband that we would try it once!!!! I love my chickens

.

 

[wyoDreamer]

Are you going to let them free range or only feed them? We are looking to get some of these for our family. A farm near us processes them at 10 weeks and charges average 7.50 a whole bird. This will be a new adventure for us and should I say I am really having to stretch myself with this idea. I promised my husband that we would try it once!!!! I love my chickens

.

This thread is from 2010 - those birds are long gone.