Freedom Rangers / How to cut up a whole chicken

Yesterday we processed our last batch of chickens for 2010.  Sharon tried a new breed of chicken this year called a Freedom Ranger.  The Freedom Ranger looks similar to a rode island red but it is bred specifically for pasture raising.  Unlike the Cornish Cross our standard pasture raised chicken, which grows very quickly and becomes very very slow as it grows, the Freedom Ranger grows a little more slowly and keeps its speed.  I guess I need to explain slow and quick in a chicken.  When we think of chickens, we mainly think of a bird capable of outrunning a human, like in the move Rocky, where Rocky had to run down the chickens to increase his quickness.  Those chickens were not the Cornish Cross meat bird!  Rocky's grandmother could catch a Cornish Cross... which is why Cornish Cross chickens are protected by their pen 24 hours a day as they move across the pasture.  If not, every predator in the area would being enjoying Cornish Cross chickens before we had a chance to sell them to our customers.  The Freedom Ranger on the other hand would give Rocky a run for his money.  The Freedom Ranger was allowed to run the pasture during the day, and at night they would gather in their pen and wait for it to be closed-up to protect them at night.  From a meat perspective, the Freedom Ranger takes a few more weeks to grow, is longer in the body, has a longer neck, and and doesn't have the appearance of obesity that a Cornish Cross does.  Additionally the Freedom Ranger has more feathers and the feathers are very soft.  When I mentioned the feathers to Sharon, she said the that Cornish Cross is actually bred with fewer feathers specifically with plucking in mind.  Plucking with the Freedom Ranger wasn't an issue at all.  They plucked beautifully and I thought the processing (gutting) was easier than the Cornish Cross.  Sharon still has to do the math to determine if the savings on feed (they eat less than the Cornish Cross) and management costs make up for the smaller size and longer growing time.  Oh yeah, and then there is the taste test.  We did sell some of these birds to customers at cost so that we can get opinions on the taste, texture, and finish as compared to the Cornish Cross.  We'll keep you posted on the taste and customer feedback.  One last note.  We put together a video on how to cut up a whole chicken to help our customers save some money. How to cut up a whole chicken