Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently patient fool!
I hate people who use big words just to make themselves look perspicacious.
Andrew Mayflower wrote:Freedom Rangers don't breed true. They're an awesome broiler bird. I've raised them the last couple years, and will again this year. When I did a side by side taste test with a Wyandotte rooster I culled nobody in the family could tell the difference vs the Freedom Ranger, despite the Wyandotte being 18-20 weeks old at slaughter vs the 10 weeks for the Freedom Ranger. But adding them to a breeding program might, or might not, give you the results you want. My guess is you'd get inconsistent results. Some fantastic birds. Some very disappointing.
If you want to breed your own Freedom Rangers you could try to figure out the approximate crossing they do, and get some of those breeds. There's some information out there, and if you call them they might even tell you (don't know, maybe not depending on how secretive they are).
Louis Fish wrote:
Andrew Mayflower wrote:Freedom Rangers don't breed true. They're an awesome broiler bird. I've raised them the last couple years, and will again this year. When I did a side by side taste test with a Wyandotte rooster I culled nobody in the family could tell the difference vs the Freedom Ranger, despite the Wyandotte being 18-20 weeks old at slaughter vs the 10 weeks for the Freedom Ranger. But adding them to a breeding program might, or might not, give you the results you want. My guess is you'd get inconsistent results. Some fantastic birds. Some very disappointing.
If you want to breed your own Freedom Rangers you could try to figure out the approximate crossing they do, and get some of those breeds. There's some information out there, and if you call them they might even tell you (don't know, maybe not depending on how secretive they are).
Everything I've read says they're pretty secretive about it and I can't say I blame them. Since I'm making my own crosses and not trying to breed them true to type (yet) I don't mind so much. Keep the good performers and cull the rest then try it again. Rise and repeat and be patient and observant. That's the permaculture way, right?
Andrew Mayflower wrote:
Louis Fish wrote:
Andrew Mayflower wrote:Freedom Rangers don't breed true. They're an awesome broiler bird. I've raised them the last couple years, and will again this year. When I did a side by side taste test with a Wyandotte rooster I culled nobody in the family could tell the difference vs the Freedom Ranger, despite the Wyandotte being 18-20 weeks old at slaughter vs the 10 weeks for the Freedom Ranger. But adding them to a breeding program might, or might not, give you the results you want. My guess is you'd get inconsistent results. Some fantastic birds. Some very disappointing.
If you want to breed your own Freedom Rangers you could try to figure out the approximate crossing they do, and get some of those breeds. There's some information out there, and if you call them they might even tell you (don't know, maybe not depending on how secretive they are).
Everything I've read says they're pretty secretive about it and I can't say I blame them. Since I'm making my own crosses and not trying to breed them true to type (yet) I don't mind so much. Keep the good performers and cull the rest then try it again. Rise and repeat and be patient and observant. That's the permaculture way, right?
My point was that the Freedom Rangers would give inconsistent results. A good preforming offspring (Freedom Ranger x Freedom Ranger) will also produce inconsistent results. Unless you line breed the offspring you won't get rid of that inconsistency, and even then it would take a few generations. They'd also probably never perform as well as the original Freedom Ranger either.
If you try it please post up the experience. I'd be really interested to see if you can get them to work as breeding stock, and how it all turns out. Personally I probably won't ever breed my own broilers, but that's got more to do with an intolerance for the noise of the roosters than anything else. Maybe someday if I get additional acreage I will. You're on the other side of WA from me. If you were closer I'd consider buying chicks from you if that worked out well.
Have you ever tried Muscovy? They're not fatty like Noisy Ducks (Mallard domestics), are incredible moms, and they eat grass (Muscovy are closer to a goose than a duck genetically speaking). Their breasts have colour and texture, and are more like a dark meat than chicken legs are.So is breast meat since my family prefers darker cuts of meat: thighs, legs and backs.
Visit Redhawk's soil series: https://permies.com/wiki/redhawk-soil
How permies.com works: https://permies.com/wiki/34193/permies-works-links-threads
Jay Angler wrote:Louis Fish wrote:
Have you ever tried Muscovy? They're not fatty like Noisy Ducks (Mallard domestics), are incredible moms, and they eat grass (Muscovy are closer to a goose than a duck genetically speaking). Their breasts have colour and texture, and are more like a dark meat than chicken legs are.So is breast meat since my family prefers darker cuts of meat: thighs, legs and backs.
Visit Redhawk's soil series: https://permies.com/wiki/redhawk-soil
How permies.com works: https://permies.com/wiki/34193/permies-works-links-threads
Sam Stephens wrote:To the OP,
You might want to research the Delaware breed as well. I have been raising them as dual purpose birds for a year now and the fit the bill.
Louis Fish wrote:
Sam Stephens wrote:To the OP,
You might want to research the Delaware breed as well. I have been raising them as dual purpose birds for a year now and the fit the bill.
Thanks for the tip! I'm loving the look of the roosters. About how many eggs do you get from your hens a year would you say?