I am so excited to be able to share this news with you guys!
After long and strenuous research & saving our pennies, we FINALLY are taking the leap into raising meat chickens.
The breed we decided to choose was the Freedom Ranger. 'Why' you may ask....here are a few reasons why.
We are trying to be as natural and organic as possible here on the homestead. So, we wanted a breed that wasn't messed with to be bred into GIGANTIC chickens, such as Cornish X Rock crosses. So that is why we didn't choose the most popular broiler chicken.
The Freedom Ranger is developed from French genetics that go back to heritage chicken breeds. Being of heritage genes is very important to us. To me it means a healthier bird. Freedom Rangers are able to lay eggs as well. We eventually want to breed our own meat chickens, so being of heritage genes, you are able to breed the chickens. Where as the Cornish X Rock crosses are bred to not lay eggs and produce only meat. To me having a chicken that is suppose to lay eggs be bred not to...is just unhealthy to me....but that's another story.
One last reason on why we chose Freedom Rangers. They thrive on free ranging, pasture grazing, and foraging. Being able to have our chickens be happy and healthy and free to roam is another important thing to us. Also, the feed cost is much lower then if you were raising conventional broiler chickens. You aren't sitting there and feeding them only grain all the time...they forage. These chickens produce tender & succulent meat and has more yellow omega 3 fat and less saturated fat than fast growing breeds.
Our chicks will be arriving on May 6th...and I am SUPER excited!!
I will keep you guys posted through our facebook page and on here, thanks you guys for following along with us!
"And on the 8th day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, "I need a caretaker." So God made a farmer." - Paul Harvey
