Frequently Asked Questions

Ordering

How do I place an order? You can place your order on our website or by calling us at 717-336-4878.

What payment methods do you accept? We accept Visa, MasterCard & Discover.

Can I pay by check or money order? You can send payment in advance by check or money order. You must call us at 717-336-4878 to get a complete quote before sending your payment. Checks may take one to two weeks to clear.

Shipping & Delivery

How do you ship? We ship all orders by USPS Priority Mail. We can ship Express if you prefer, but the shipping cost will be higher.

How is shipping calculated? Shipping is based on the actual weight and shipping zone. You can find the exact shipping cost by looking at our shipping chart. It costs us more to ship over summer than winter because we can put fewer chicks in each box due to the heat. Rather than change our shipping rates, we simply average the shipping out over the course of the year.

When will my chicks ship? We ship every Wednesday unless a Holiday is on Wednesday – Friday. Please specify the week you prefer your chicks. It takes 3 weeks for a chick to hatch so we should know at least 4 weeks in advance. We are sold out certain weeks so make sure you check on our website for the next available ship date.

How long will it take before I receive my chicks? It takes 1-3 days for delivery by Priority Mail. Your chicks will survive for 72 hours on the remaining egg yolk. Most parts of the US receive their chicks on Friday morning. Some rural areas won’t get there until Saturday morning. We cannot control the Post Office shipments. Please notify your Post Office that you will be receiving some chicks and they will call you when they arrive.

How can I track my order? If you want a tracking number, please let us know and we will email you one once your chicks have shipped. It is actually a delivery confirmation number, which most times isn't updated until they arrive at your post office.

What does the term STRAIGHT RUN mean? The term straight run means the males and females are not separated. Generally an order of 100 will have 50 males and 50 females. Normally we ship a straight run, but there is no guarantee you will receive 50 males and 50 females, and we reserve the right to substitute males or females for an order depending on availability.

What does the term PULLET mean? A pullet is a female chicken also known as a hen.

At what age can I tell males from females? You should be able to see a noticeable difference in size and feathers by 6 weeks.

How are chickens sexed as day old chicks? Freedom rangers are bred to be feather sexed. The wing feathers of the males and females are different when they are a day old.

Will our Post Office deliver our chicks to us or do we need to pick them up at the post office? Every post office is different. I would notify my local post office that I am receiving some chicks and find out their policy.

Do you ship out of the country? No, you must have a United States Postal Zip Code for us to ship chicks to you. We do ship to Hawaii but it must be by Express Mail.

Do you replace chicks that happen to die in shipment? We guarantee the chicks will arrive alive. We will replace them as long as there are enough chicks to make the shipment safely. Generally if your loss is only a couple of chicks, we will credit your account.

Can I start my chicks on newspaper? No, newspaper is too slippery and can cause splayed legs.

What type of shavings should I use? I would use pine shavings.

Can I mix my new chicks with an older existing flock? This is not recommended. All chickens have a pecking order established within the flock and if you add chicks they will become an immediate target. You should wait until the new chickens reach maturity to mix them together. There may still be some pecking as they establish the new order, but it will be less of a factor.

General Questions:

Are Freedom Rangers hybrids? Yes, they are a cross between 4 lines. The four grandparent lines have been selected for specific traits for many years and also the ability to combine these traits in the most desirable way.

I was wondering if these birds still develop a nice breast. I just ordered 100 to try on a free range pasture situation...also I would like to know if there is any info on the best feed ration and if keeping them in moveable houses or letting them roam and shutting them up at night is best. Any other producers experience would be appreciated as I was a bit disgusted by trying to free range the cornish X birds. Yes, they will develop a nice breast, it will be longer and not as wide as the cornish cross. Feed them a basic chick starter, grower and finisher. Either housing situation will work it all depends on your situation. The chickens are happiest if you let them roam, but if you have predator pressure that may not work.

I am looking to rebuild a dual purpose flock for both meat and eggs. You market your freedom ranger chicken as a broiler, but they look quite a bit like a number of standard "heavy breed" chickens. Would they be suitable as a laying chicken as well, or as with more conventional broiler breeds would it be unwise to keep them to peak laying age? They will work fine as a dual purpose chicken if you do not allow them to get too heavy for laying.

How long do I keep my Freedom range chicks on chick starter? How much do I need to order, I have 50 chicks? Also do I keep them confined indoors until they are 4 weeks old? Can I introduce grass clippings, weeds, worms, bugs before they can go outside? I would keep them on chick starter for about 3 weeks. For 50 chicks I would order 100 pounds and switch over to grower when it is all gone. You can feed them bugs etc. as early as one week old.

How long do I need to confine the chicks inside before they can go out on pasture ( how old do they need to be)? Do I need to do this gradually or can I do this all at once? I would keep them in for at least three weeks and then let them out gradually.

What is the feed conversion for the Freedom Rangers? If you harvest at 8-9 weeks it should be around 2.5 lbs feed per lb of gain. If you wait til 10-11 weeks, it will be around 2.7 -2.8 lbs feed per lb of gain. Depending on environment and other conditions, some customers will see a feed conversion that is higher than this, up to around 3.

What weights can I expect from my Freedom Rangers? Freedom Rangers take approximately 1-2 weeks longer for same weight as Cornish X. At 9-11 weeks they should weigh between 4.5 and 6 lbs live weight. Dressed weight is 68-70% of live weight.

My Freedom Rangers are having leg problems. What can I do about it? Leg problems are almost always due to a deficiency in diet. Add a vitamin packet to their water and it should help within 24-48 hours. You can usually get vitamin packs at a local farm store. Some organic/natural feeds are deficient in some of the vitamins the chicks need.

When will the males start crowing? They usually start trying to crow at around 8 weeks old or possibly earlier.

How will a Freedom Ranger fare at high altitudes? They do very well.