Integrated crop and livestock systems: comparison of Freedom Ranger and Ross 708 broiler performance, meat and bone quality, and feed cost across conventional and free-range housing systems

Implementing livestock into vegetable: cover crop-integrated systems improves soil health and system diversity. Comparisons of broiler genetic line, performance, and economics between pasture-raised versus conventional systems are limited. This study aimed to compare the performance and physiological outcomes of Freedom Ranger (FR, year 1) and Ross 708 (year 2) broilers raised in outdoor pastures versus conventional indoor settings. Two time-replicate chick flocks/year from spring to summer or summer to fall were brooded during the starter phase for 21 (FR, n = 2) or 14 days (Ross 708, n = 2) before random assignment to indoor floor pens (IN, n = 4) or outdoor, floorless, moveable coops (OUT, n = 4) for 6 or 5 wk, respectively. Performance was calculated from weekly body weights and feed intake. At the end of each replicate, 40 birds per housing system were harvested and processed for meat and bone quality analysis. Overall, Ross 708 birds consumed less feed, gained more weight, and were more feed efficient versus FR (P ≤ 0.05). Housing either breed in the OUT setting significantly increased feed intake and, therefore, increased feed costs by $0.59 per FR bird and $1.09 per Ross 708 bird (P ≤ 0.05). OUT housing significantly increased bone mineral density, breast fat content, thigh protein content, breast tenderness, and thigh meat color (a* values) while decreasing L* values (main effect: P ≤ 0.05). Both Freedom Ranger and Ross 708 birds cost more to raise outdoors than indoors due to increased feed costs in the outdoor setting. Breed and housing type influenced the type and saturation of fats in breast and thigh meat. Producers should select breeds based on local market preferences, consumer price tolerance for differences in feed costs based on housing, and local climate due to Freedom Ranger’s longer growth period to market.