Raising Freedom Rangers

Last year we raised 25 Cornish Cross broilers. After 8 weeks and a couple days they dressed out at an average just over 6.5 pounds. They were so strange to range after being around regular chickens for so long. They were content to sit all day, eat and drink, then sleep, then repeat the whole process.

They tasted amazing though, and after swearing to never raise them again, eating the first bird made me rethink that promise. This year we went with Freedom Rangers. They are a bit more "chickeny", but they're still not the normal chicken that roams the homestead making a living. They were fully feathered and ready to go into the tractor about a week earlier, but they're gaining weight much slower in comparison.

The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. So we'll see how they taste, but right now my guess is that we'll go back to straight run Cornish Cross that give us two distinct sizes, and allows us to be down with the process in under two months.

Free Range Chickens - Successes and Failures

We ordered 25 of the Ideal 236 chicks (they were all supposed to be females) back in late September of 2016. 26 arrived alive and they did very well for themselves as chicks. We lost 3 to snakes early on, and then discovered two roosters amongst the survivors, which were were happy about to be honest.

Testoterone is a heckuva drug, and both of those young roosters decided to test their kung fu versus hawks in a death match. Hawks 2 - Roosters 0. We lost another 2 young pullets to coyotes before they learned the difference between our friendly Pyranees cross dogs and the jokesters of nature. The flock has stabilized at 19 laying pellets, and we haven't had any more losses since early February 2017.

They are completely free range now, coming and going as they please, making a living for their food each and every day. They all have the ability to fly on top of a 20 foot tall barn to evade coyotes and talk smack once they're up there. We've done our best to plug the holes in the fence around the pasture. That, coupled with the electric paddocks has cut down on visits from both coyotes and feral dogs.

Before several went broody (which isn't a bad thing as it helps us have a self sustaining flock) we were consitently getting 17 of their white eggs each day. With 4 broody now that number has gone down to about 13 per day. They lay medium to large white eggs, with beautiful orange yolks. We couldn't be any happier with the quality of the eggs themselves, though I think our customers would like to see more brown eggs in their packages.

Moving forward we think we have enough demand to merit another 12 hens, and the plan is to get 6 Americaunas and 6 Buff Orpingtons to add variety to the egg colors. We've had the Easter Egg laying Americaunas before and really enjoyed them, and hope the broody reputation of the Buffs, along with their brown eggs will be a good fit for us.

Embrace Your Inner Lunatic

Ermbracing your inner lunatic. You have to. The journey Andrea and I embarked together 6 years ago was destined to be unconventional from the start, after all it involved a pug dog and 4 of the first 5 years of our marriage living apart.

By the time she, the Reds, and the pug dog made it to Texas the vision of the Homestead was fuzzy. I’d planted more than a dozen fruit trees on our third of an acre lot in Idaho, along with grapes, raspberries, a very productive raised bed garden, ducks, and chickens to help us get ready. Don’t let anyone tell you that stuff doesn’t matter, it does! After you get a little experience there it’s easier to scale when (if you want) to get bigger.

Here’s the down side of your journey. You will have people not like the way your paddocks look, or understand why in the world your chickens get to go wherever they please. They will be offended by the lack of uniform grass because you’re paddock shifting your livestock. Some of them will let you know in no uncertain terms that: You’re crazy; Your place looks trashy due to the wildflowers you mow around in your yard; You’ll never make money this way. Haters gonna hate as they used to say. 

Some folks you can explain what you’re doing for a bit, and the light will come on. Some folks will see the progression and they’ll want to learn how to emulate what you’re doing. Some folks will simply choose to ignore you. The final group will confront you, be unwilling to listen, or see, what you’re working towards – it is here my friends that you have to unleash your inner lunatic. Put on your craziest smile, pick up the chicken nearest you, and do your best Joel Salatin impression, with all the love in your heart tell them you’ve got a chicken tractor to move by hand and move 1000 pound cattle held in by nothing more than a single strand of 14 guage wire and voodoo, then excuse yourself to go eat some amazing food with the people you love. 

Maniacal laughter is always appropriate.https://www.instagram.com/p/BTiE5ckha9a/