Ohiofarmgirl'sAdventuresinTheGoodLand-where ya been? whatcha been doin

[ksalvagno]

I'm looking at the cost of the Freedom Rangers vs getting something like a White Plymouth Rock from Meyer (which about 5 miles from my house). Do you find that the costs even out between bird purchase and feed? I really like those Freedom Rangers but wouldn't want more than 25 at a time which would be an approximate cost of $2.50 per bird as opposed to getting something from Meyer at a cost of either $.71 or $.88 per bird (all males) from Meyer. I do understand that something like a Plymouth Rock or Buff Orpington would take longer to grow than the Freedom Rangers.

I'm trying to think ahead for next year. This year we got suckered in at TSC with all those cute chicks. I have 8 Cornish X which I don't like how unnaturally fast they are growing. Then I got 10 of another egg laying breed that the TSC employees had no idea what kind but were selling for $.75 a piece. They are much more active but I'm finding that they are also more aggressive. So I don't like either of the breeds that I got this year. I figured I would be better off ordering something that I liked instead of getting the chicks at TSC again.

 

[bibliophile birds]

I have had the AC on. I am a humidity wimp. I don't function at all when it's humid.

me too. there are lots and lots of things i'm willing to do without, but AC in the United States isn't one of them. i can tough it out with the best of them when the time calls for it, but living in the South means i set the AC to 70 in March and it doesn't budge until September.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

hey Karen!

i just talked about this here:
http://adventuresinthegoodland.blogspot.com/2010/05/creepy-meat.html

and yep there are my creepy meats for all the world to see.

but lets back up the bus.. you are FIVE miles from meyers!??! ohmigosh. so um... i'd be over there every day. tell me about the 'bargain bins!"

but really - you should order something that you like if only for peace of mind. we did a mix the first year b/c we didnt know what we wanted. we found out that the Golden Campine is The Worst Chicken On Earth. but we also found that we love the buff orps and the barred rocks.

the master of feed conversion is either Jaku over on BYC (meat section) or our own Buster. the argument comes down to feeding a lot for a short time...vs feeding not so much for a longer time. the further argument goes that Big Poultry makes a lot of money every year by raising the CX's and who can argue with that?

well, me. (yikes!) just because this is the industry product it that doesnt mean that its best for you (or me). but it also doesnt mean they dont pay off.

we think in terms of everything they bring to us. including the hassle factor (we keep our separate so our own hens dont kill them), what "outputs" they are giving (manure, bug catching, amusement), and the feed costs.....and what kind of industry you want to support. there is a market for creepy meat because it works.. but that doesnt mean that i have to "buy" into it.

as far as feed goes... its hard for me tell. sometimes we have our own chicks so splitting a bag of feed between the meats and the layers doesnt even cause a blip in our feed costs.

and last year we had really reduced cost because we finished the Red Broilers (Ideal's answer to the Freedom Rangers) in the old-timey way. we fed them corn and goat milk for the last several weeks (and they free ranged really well!) for next to nothing. this old-timey way gave us a lot of fat (which we knew) but Jaku would say it was a waste and you want to feed high protein (more expensive) for increased muscle mass.

this year we have our own chicks so we just roll the costs in together. the difference is that Runner (our turkey hen who hatched them) takes our chicks out and about to free range .....and our meats just sit there being gross.

the last point in this LONG answer (sorry!) is that our regular chicks are just part of the landscape. we make everyone get out there and free range (because its FREE!) so we get a ton of 'outputs' from the hens for next to nothing in the summer. in the winter we start thinning the ranks.

we also include the benefits of having 'natural' chickens - including all the saved feed costs when we get the eggs for the pigs, goodwill in the community with folks we give them too, our own "free" food, supplements for the dogs etc... so thats another thing to consider. there is nothing wrong with having laying hens (and the roos) until they become stewing hens - but you'll get rid of the roosters sooner!

the Red Broilers were WAY less creepy and we kind of liked them so i wouldnt warn you off from the Freedom Rangers at all. but if you dont mind having chickens for a longer time take advantage of a slower growing bird (we have no ticks this year).. get the cheapies.

hows THAT for a long answer!?

bottom line is do whats best for you.

 

[ksalvagno]

Meyers - unfortunately, they don't offer any bargains. They always have a tub full of chicks but you pay the regular price. People seem to buy them up (including me) so I guess they don't have to offer ones at a bargain price. But.....you can find the rarer breeds in those bins that they don't seem to have a lot of if you order, so if you stop by often, you can end up with some good things. I do buy my chicken feed there so I am stopping by there often.

I'm really not necessarily looking for the absolute cheapest way to do chickens. More than anything I want healthy chickens that will produce good tasting healthy stuff for us to eat. Sure I want to keep costs down and I'm learning and working on doing that but ultimately I just want healthy animals that don't need a lot of vet care or sickness issues.

For egg layers I have Golden Buffs, Black Stars, Speckled Sussex, Rhode Island Reds, Plymouth Barred Rocks, Ameraucanas and Welsummers. I know most of those breeds don't get broody but so far the ones that can get broody haven't. I do have a rooster (by accident) but as soon as the meat birds are ready to go, so will he. He got mean and I don't feel like battling a rooster every time I go into the hen house.

I'm trying to decide if I want to get a rooster and some hens that really are more broody to hatch my own or just keep buying new ones from places like Meyers. It is fun to have the different breeds and have the different shape and color eggs. I will say that the Speckled Sussex, Ameraucanas and Welsummers don't lay as well as the others. Then again, I could save some money if I raise my own chicks for egg layer replacements and meat.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

yep we are kinda the same way. and really, we get so many other benefits that we just roll the costs in with what we are doing. the more we do this the more we see how having a balanced barnyard really pays off. everyone in a heap, completing the circle of life.. i mean food.

we got buckeyes last year and they are really something... kinda fiesty and not in a good way. but they range far and wide are arent afraid of anything.

the one lesson we learned from having the BBW (broad breasted white) commercial turkeys was even tho they grew out fast.. when we dressed them they just werent that special. good? yep. but nothing like our Bourbon Reds...which took longer to grow out but so worth it. and because the breed naturally (the BBW's do not), they are now "free"...we've got two hens on clutches and should be rolling in the poults soon.

we think the same is going to be true for these CX's... good but nothing special. i have to say, tho, the Red Broilers were really chicken-y and delish.

and i'll tell ya, free chickens are great. if i had my druthers i'd get a big old RIR rooster.

 

[FarmerDenise]

I'm kinda busy these days, so I am just catching up. Loved, loved your blog

 

[Farmfresh]

OFG I have a question for you (or your turkey guru).

I have never bred any turkeys myself, I always just buy poults. I have wondered if you kept some of the BB type hen turkeys and a heritage (Bourbon Red is my favorite) cock if they could cross successfully and perhaps produce a better meat bird with some of the good qualities of each?

I really like the speed the BB Bronze turkeys finish and also prefer their calmer quieter personality, but I totally agree with you, the heritage turkeys TASTE better and are more hardy.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

hey FF! good to see you!

from what i can tell the "meat" turkeys dont lay very well... so even if you could keep a hen alive and moving around until she matures.. i don't know if you'd get many eggs.

to be sure some folks have kept the BB's going... but they have similar risks of the CX's.... with the leg problems and the floppin' over dead.

i guess you could AI a heritage hen.. but um.. er.. ugh. there's a few things in life i that just wont do and um.. "recover biological matter" from a turkey is one of them
;-)

(and would you use a turkey baster to get the job done?? i dunno)

Turkey Steve is really the expert and some of us have seen him around on BYC (steve at sandspoultry)

they have some good crosses and other breeds out there that are less "wild" than the BR's.. i've wanted to try the Midget Whites as they are a smaller size. but really, we are sold on the BR's even if they are ridiculous and occasionally fly up into the trees
;-)

 

[Farmfresh]

BY THE WAY ---- "turkey baster!!!" I about wet my pants!

I HAVE kept a Cornish cross "Frankenbird" as an egg hen before. I did use a slower growing strain in the first place, however. She was actually a very GOOD egg layer! I did have to be extra cautious in the hot weather however.

When I keep meaties to grow on into roasters, I use a LOT of very careful selection. I keep only the ones that seem most vibrant and active, moderate growers, with nice straight bone structure and legs. I seem to have far less trouble with those birds even when they dress out at over 10 pounds!!

IF I ever get a chance to experiment with this idea I will be using some hard core selection to get a couple of the best BB hens to keep. I won't need too many eggs anyway, I just want to raise (by incubator) some eating birds for my family and possibly a few extra poults to sell to help offset the costs.

 

[Aidenbaby]

Ok, I have GOT to ask this because I have been meaning to for quite some time. What is the difference between a roaster and a fryer other than age and about $.20 per pound at the grocery store.