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| Graduation Day for the Freedom Rangers |
So the Freedom Ranger experiment went fairly well. Once we got them out of the brooder we didn't lose a single chicken. That's a big deal. Our big takeaway from the brooder this time was to double the size for the next batch and we hope we can cut down mortaility from how active the chicks can be. Between the Cornish and the Freedom Rangers mortality was a push, though with a larger brooder the Freedom Rangers probably would have won out.
In the end it comes down to efficiency, and the Cornish Cross win hands down. Even having fresh grass and being moved everyday, I couldn't see a noticeable difference in activity level between the Freedom Rangers and the Cornish. We butchered at just over 11 weeks, and the average weight of the straight run roosters was still considerably less than the mixed run of Cornish that we sent to the processor at 7 weeks. With the Cornish ready to go to the butcher a month sooner, and doing so with less feed, we'll only be doing Cornish in the future.
Again, I can't say enough good things about Nealy Farms' feed over in Waxahachie, and Cobb Creek Farms that processed the chickens for us in Hillsboro. Both are first rate places in what they do. Thanks for reading.
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