I guess I should have asked this BEFORE I ordered my 50 chicks from the hatchery...oops. Im afraid I have made a mistake by ordering the dark cornish and the barred rock. If any of you had to name the breed or cross that would produce the best meat birds, what would you choose? And why?
We have grown many breeds for meat,but mostly the rocks and wyandottes. They are excellent meat birds. The white or light colors have less noticable pin feathers but they are still there. We have tried the White mountain and other fast growing birds but they eat alot. I feel the white rocks are an excellent choice. They may grow a bit slower but will rustle a lot of their feed. The course we take is to skin them. No pin feathers to singe off, and less fat too.
Your birds will make good meat birds, just don't expect them all to be ready to butcher at the same time or age. We used to find that the various Sex-links were mostly ready by 9-10 weeks, and kept a couple for big roasters for another week or two. I go by weight, as I like large fryers that will dress out at 4 to 5 pounds, and I cut them up and package them by number of people they will serve at one meal. Company pkgs, lesser pieces together for lunch for one or two at home, and gizzards are all saved for the most flavorful soup broth imaginable. But I would never skin mine, as I think the meat stays moist and more flavorful. Also, I usually have some youngsters (or others) for chicken dinner, who love the fatty skin, well browned and seasoned! I skin mine after cooking and the dog gets it, if no one snitches it in the kitchen! CJR
CJR, I have had to trick my family to get them to eat the home grown poultry. (I have lied to them and told them it is "turkey" so their expectations will be far from "KFC" quality (mush meat).
Infomaniac. Sorry, I do my chicken, fried, the old fashioned way. Shake in a sack with flour, salt, pepper. Fry in big black iron frypan with Safflower oil, brown well to crisp the skin, sprinkle with lemon pepper, then a lid for about 20 minutes on lowered heat . Serve with big paper napkins for finishing off the bones! Alternate method, melt butter in oven broiling pan, place chicken, prepared as above, turning to get butter on both sides (BUTTER, that is). 350 for about 30 minutes, according to size of pieces. I roast chicken just like a small turkey, with my grandmother's Scottish dressing. 350f for about 45 min to an hour. Tried to get an oven bag last Thanksgiving for a wild goose that we were given, skinned, and I could not find one anyplace. So it was well sealed with foil, same "dry" dressing, surrounded with small onions, elephant garlic, carrots, mushrooms added later, and because I have such a productive plant, Rosemary branches layed across the goose breast-- and it was SUPER good! Was given a smoked wild duck, also, and we added a small turkey--what a feast!
A kikely answer to "Who is in charge" The media comes instantly to mind.
Thank you ,CJR....I grew up in a different century too.... and I can tell you... I am NOT in charge!!!! LOL!
Thanks so much for all the help and advice..especially the receipes! As I am from this century and have never had any farm fresh products. So you guys are all the help I have in this department. However, my kids will never be able to say the same because I AM in charge of them for a while longer anyway...LOL I am looking forward to raising and trying these birds.
Thanks for helping a new comer. :-)
By Robbpa on Wednesday, January 16, 2002 - 09:47 pm:
By Cjeanr on Wednesday, January 16, 2002 - 10:27 pm:
By Infomaniac on Wednesday, January 16, 2002 - 11:00 pm:
How do you cook yours? I roast in an oven bag 90 minutes for a thawed bird and an extra 30 minutes if the bird isn't completely thawed. I have tried pressure cooking but without a lot of success, according to my family. My "pasta salad" (shell macaroni, mayonaise, celery, onion, 4 dashes of Tobasco, salt, pepper and one 16 week old cockerel) which I made today is a big hit and my secret is to use a little bit less mayonaise and season with the drippings (chicken fat) from the roasting. No one asked today if it was "turkey" or not (of course, it wasn't).
But, I don't have many recipes for home-grown chicken that my family likes. They won't eat my fried chicken or teryaki chicken, or barbeque or crock pot chicken.... Roasted in oven bag and served like turkey, noodle soup, and pasta salad are just about the only recipes of mine that they like if I make it with home-grown.
By Cjeanr on Thursday, January 17, 2002 - 03:31 am:
And my family had VERY LITTLE KFC, Deli, or other fast food chicken--AND they have no choice of food, anyway, when I fix food--THEY EAT IT! (never made anyone eat--but there was no alternative junk available!) And happily, they learned to love it. And they are truly adventurous with food now--a joy to travel with abroad or where regional foods are so great! Girls are grown, seem to serve their families pretty much the way they ate at home--but they have husbands, who love to cook, too. That was a PLUS. MIne made sourdough pancakes on Sundays, but that was it! And home grown chicken, wild duck, home butchered beef, pork, home cured hams and bacons (like nothing you can buy these days) home smoked sausage--I grew up in a different century--not quite as much variety in food, except seasonally, but all the fruit and veggies (my family ate what they were served in that dept. too--even broccoli)-and eventally learned to like all the foods rejected by lots of today's kids, who want only fries and the like! Whose in charge??? CJR
By Robbpa on Thursday, January 17, 2002 - 09:50 am:
By Infomaniac on Thursday, January 17, 2002 - 11:33 am:
By Mamahen33 on Thursday, January 17, 2002 - 01:37 pm: