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Why We Raise Freedom Ranger Chickens
At Rustic Roots Heritage Homestead, we intentionally raise Freedom Ranger chickens instead of the fast-growing Cornish Cross.
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This choice affects how our birds live, how they’re raised on pasture, how they taste, and how they’re cooked. We believe you deserve to understand where your food comes from — not just buy it.
What Is a Freedom Ranger Chicken?
Freedom Rangers are a slower-growing, active chicken bred for life on pasture. Unlike industrial chicken breeds, they are meant to move, forage, and express natural behaviors outdoors.
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They grow at a more natural pace, which supports better leg health, stronger immune systems, and a life spent outside — not confined indoors.
Our Experience Raising Cornish Cross Chickens
Before choosing Freedom Rangers, we raised Cornish Cross chickens ONE time. We went into it with good intentions, proper care, and a willingness to learn — but the experience was heartbreaking for us.
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Cornish Cross chickens have been selectively bred over decades for extremely rapid growth and feed efficiency within industrial production systems. As the birds grew, we witnessed serious mobility challenges, birds spending all of their time sitting at the feeder, and sudden deaths consistent with cardiovascular failure — some occurring when the birds were only a few weeks old.
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Their bodies grew faster than their skeletal and cardiovascular systems could comfortably support. Even with attentive care, we saw birds struggle to walk, suffer injuries simply from trying to stand, and pass unexpectedly.
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That experience forced us to confront a hard truth: efficiency does not always equal welfare. We realized we could not continue raising a breed whose quality of life felt compromised by the very system it was designed for.
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That moment is what led us to choose Freedom Rangers — a slower-growing bird better suited to movement, pasture life, and a quality of life we could stand behind
Choosing Freedom Rangers is just one part of how we raise food with intention.
We believe transparency matters — which is why we invite you to watch our birds live on pasture, learn how to cook pasture-raised chicken properly, and ask questions when you see us at market.