Rangers are still broilers and the whole goal with them is to have them gain weight in a short time frame. While free ranging them will let them eat more pasture and bugs it also requires more land, more money, and more time. As many of the birds will take a lot longer to raise if allowed to free range as they grow slower. They also become aggressive feeders too consuming, in the long run, more feed compared to a tractor environment. The amount of grass and bugs they consume is not enough calories to meet the demands that it takes to walk and forage for these foods. So to refuel they turn to the feeders for grains.
Below is what they will look like in a tractor of what your talking about. Definately not too tight, you will get the same benefits of a bird that is free ranging as they are consuming fresh grass and bugs every day and in some cases multilple times a day.
It all depends on you... as if you let them sit all day and don't move them they will get dirty because they are confined. If you move them in the morning (this move is crucial) because they excrete their waste all night and any fresh pasture is quickly consumed at the first sign of light. Second move should be when you get off work or in the afternoon. Last move should be right before they go to bed that way you don't get an overload of manure in one spot.
Now if you want and have the time this is what I do in the morning. I prop the pen open and let all the birds out as they are normaly starving at the first of light and are eager to eat. They will search high and low for bugs and you can hear the sound of their beaks grazing the pasture like little lawn mowers... They will wonder close to 100 yards and if you do it in the morning they do not get hot as it's normally still pretty cool out. I let them do this for about 10-20 minutes and then fill their feed and waters up. By this time they are ready for grain and while they were feasting on the pasture I have already moved the empty pen and filled everything up. They keep their eyes on you because as soon as you fill that feeder up or carry a bag of feed to the field they run accross the pasture like bowling balls to get to the feed. Once they all run under to eat, you let the pen down and they are now all enclosed.... The next big move will be in the afternoon. Sometimes I let them do this on the last move of the day right before night but it just depends on my schedule.
You only need to do this when they are about 6 weeks old till slaughter day, before this they have plenty of room inside the tractor. I typically do this to run off any fat that has developed from sitting in a tractor for 5 weeks. It adds a little flavor to the meat because they exercise their muscles but they don't over do it as this will create the strong stringy taste that turns some people off.
Good luck as your going to need it. It's all trial and error, by the third batch of birds you will have it down to a T!
Below is what they will look like in a tractor of what your talking about. Definately not too tight, you will get the same benefits of a bird that is free ranging as they are consuming fresh grass and bugs every day and in some cases multilple times a day.
It all depends on you... as if you let them sit all day and don't move them they will get dirty because they are confined. If you move them in the morning (this move is crucial) because they excrete their waste all night and any fresh pasture is quickly consumed at the first sign of light. Second move should be when you get off work or in the afternoon. Last move should be right before they go to bed that way you don't get an overload of manure in one spot.
Now if you want and have the time this is what I do in the morning. I prop the pen open and let all the birds out as they are normaly starving at the first of light and are eager to eat. They will search high and low for bugs and you can hear the sound of their beaks grazing the pasture like little lawn mowers... They will wonder close to 100 yards and if you do it in the morning they do not get hot as it's normally still pretty cool out. I let them do this for about 10-20 minutes and then fill their feed and waters up. By this time they are ready for grain and while they were feasting on the pasture I have already moved the empty pen and filled everything up. They keep their eyes on you because as soon as you fill that feeder up or carry a bag of feed to the field they run accross the pasture like bowling balls to get to the feed. Once they all run under to eat, you let the pen down and they are now all enclosed.... The next big move will be in the afternoon. Sometimes I let them do this on the last move of the day right before night but it just depends on my schedule.
You only need to do this when they are about 6 weeks old till slaughter day, before this they have plenty of room inside the tractor. I typically do this to run off any fat that has developed from sitting in a tractor for 5 weeks. It adds a little flavor to the meat because they exercise their muscles but they don't over do it as this will create the strong stringy taste that turns some people off.
Good luck as your going to need it. It's all trial and error, by the third batch of birds you will have it down to a T!
