Meat birds

[Dani4Hedgies]

 

[CrealCritter]

I would like to try raising about 50 or so jumbo Cornish cross roos. Butcher some @ 2 to 3 weeks for Cornish game hens, butcher some more @ 5 to 6 weeks for fryers and the rest @ 9 to 10 weeks for broilers.

 

[Mini Horses]

CrealCritter -- Do you raise yours (assume pics from yours?) penned or in tractor on some grass?

And -- how do you peel your feet? Baymule posted how she did hers a while back & now I don't remember sr moments! Do you find the meat has texture & not just "mush meat"? Some of the birds you buy that are the fast growth, seem to have meat that is like pressure cooked, that is texture like tuna, sorta.

The nice thing about these birds is the short time start to finish. It does take planning because when they are ready, they are READY!! Can't survive much beyond that time & you could lose your flock....so be ready to butcher.

That is a great looking bird from the oven!

 

[NH Homesteader]

And I think they taste great. Not as much flavor as heritage but no complaints about texture. My husband wants to get away from the CX's but I like the meat, prefer it for anything except soups.

 

[NH Homesteader]

Nice! We're going to raise several kinds of birds for meat this year to compare. But I kind of want to do some CX and part them out. I miss pulling out some chicken breasts and not having to cook a whole chicken.

1.99 is about average. I usually pay that for males but the hens grow slower and healthier so I don't mind raising hens either.

 

[CrealCritter]

Peeling feet... After plucking, cut off feet, dip in hot water for just a few seconds (I use tongs), then toss in ice water. Once they cool off the skin peels off easily.

I never "aged" mine CCX they go right from the butcher table, into ice water buket, then in to vacuum seal bags and into the freezer. We never had a tough or mushy bird. They all seemed to be just right for us. BO's need to be aged to become tender or else the meat is too tough for us. RIR is tough no matter what I did so they are only good for soup or pressure cooking (at least that's my experience).

FYI... Last year I special ordered jumbo Cornish cross roos from Rual King for .99 each. They had straight runs in the store for $1.99. so special ordering saved me $1.00 a bird. The Rual King king manager Jennifer really likes me, so I don't know if that was a factor or not.

I also only raised CCX penned because our property backs up to the Shawnee national Forest I have to keep my birds penned and with electric fence wire run around the outside. If I didn't have them penned I would just be feeding shawnee national forest wildlife.

 

[baymule]

And chicken feet do make awesome broth. I scald, cool, and I cut the toenails off. Don't want anything that might be lurking under the toenails and I am NOT scrubbing them! I can broth and share with our DD and family. But not the feet broth, that stays home. It congeals when put in the refrigerator, full of nutrients my joints and bones need!

 

[NH Homesteader]

Go you! Welcome to meat birds. They're disgusting. Lol

 

[frustratedearthmother]

These folks act like they're doing you a favor to take your money.

 

[baymule]

Can we see a pic of the lil mc'nuggets?

I'll get one in the morning. I have 30 more coming in probably tomorrow...... why do I do these things to myself?