This spring I only probably want to do enough meatbirds that I can butcher them here at the house and fill the freezer a little...remember gotta leave room for fall hunting My two options are... Order 15-25 Colored Range chicks from JMhatchery or Pickup 6-12 Cornish Cross chicks from TSC I'm leaning more towards the cornish just because I don't have to get the 15-25....but I was really set on trying out some of those freedom rangers. But Cornish might just be easier because it is a 10 minute drive to pick them up and I can just let them live in the chicken run. What are others thoughts on this? I know there are many posts about Cornish vs. Freedom rangers...and I'm really not trying to make another just want to know if there is really any other bennefit to the CR chicks other than they don't stink and get have leg issues, etc like the Cornish? Thanks!
Quote:The Cornish X's don't really have leg issues- they CAN get them, but you can easily avoid it with almost no effort. I might be wrong on this, but I think any meat bird, including CR's will stink due to the food, and big appetites????
Yah I don't care about stink at all...and as far as Leg problems go I have never seen more than 1-2 birds develope these. My buddy raises about 100 cornish every year. So I have been around them a lot. I think I will probably just go with cornish chicks from TSC for this year.
If you are worried about freezer space, go with the rangers. When butchering time comes, cut up the chickens and package them any way you wish (all the pieces of one bird together or six thighs or all the wings---great for BBQ wings). This way takes SO much less space than for whole birds. The backs and necks you boil the next day and make wondeful chicken broth to freeze and then pick off the meat to make chicken salad. As long as you are going to be feeding these guys out, you might as well do enough to make it worth your time. It is not going to take you any more time to feed 25 birds than to feed 10-15. There is nothing worse than running out of chicken 2 months before you can raise some more.
ORDER them. the chicks at stores can be quite 'handled' by the time you get them. especially if they are the ones in the bins. and i love to watch the kids picking them up and putting them in with another breed/cross. or picking their noses and holding chicks. i like to know i get what i paid for, healthy and correctly identified birds.
