Belgian Malines Have Arrived!!!

[BCMaraniac]

Quote:
Great looking birds, Shellz! I am so glad you had some good backup.

 

[theoldchick]

Thor was a big fellow! Take comfort in the fact that he did not lack in creature comforts while he was alive.

Mr. Nagel, I hope you didn't think I was insinuating that your birds were somehow poor quality. Cardiac arrest can be a random event, and the avian species are prone to sudden deaths of unknown cause. This is the reason why many veterinarians don't like to work on any type of bird-they have a tendency to die while being handled. While we may never know why Thor died, he and his brothers and sisters are a testament to the effort and time you have taken to produce a high quality bird.

 

[Shellz]

Great looking birds, Shellz!  I am so glad you had some good backup.

Me too! Bart & his birds are awesome!

 

[Bart Nagel]

Thor was a big fellow! Take comfort in the fact that he did not lack in creature comforts while he was alive.

Mr. Nagel, I hope you didn't think I was insinuating that your birds were somehow poor quality. Cardiac arrest can be a random event, and the avian species are prone to sudden deaths of unknown cause. This is the reason why many veterinarians don't like to work on any type of bird-they have a tendency to die while being handled. While we may never know why Thor died, he and his brothers and sisters are a testament to the effort and time you have taken to produce a high quality bird.

Hi Old Chick, I wasn't offended or concerned. I just wanted to share my view and experience with this breed. Plus: There are so many people who think that rare breeds per definition have small gene pools which is not necessarily the case. That's why I shared my thoughts on the matter. I am particularly glad that Shelley is not discouraged. I like her enthusiasm.

 

[Shellz]

Alrighty, 7 lbs. before dinner - almost 5 lbs. dressed.
Only aged for 28 hours prior to roasting him & when taken out of fridge, the muscles were relaxed. Not so with previous breeds we raised that had aged 3-4 days in the fridge & were still stiff. We were quite pleased with the flavor and overall texture of our 17 1/2 week old Malines cockerel. My son likes the legs, I like the thighs & hubby likes the breasts best. They loved this bird! I did get one piece of the thigh that was like shoe leather, but overall was very good. I've got to say, this was THE BEST chicken we have ever raised! This guy fed the 3 of us for 2 meals. I'm so glad to be raising these birds. These are the only meat birds for us from now on.

 

[Shellz]

Here's a nice pic of my new future breeder.

 

[Our Roost]

Roosters are usually only good for soups and stews. Pretty much on the sinuey side and tough. Very surprized it came out that good for you! Wait until you cook up a few hens. They should be excellent. So glad you have finally cooked one up! I think we all had been patiently waiting for the outcome. Good job.

 

[BCMaraniac]

Roosters are usually only good for soups and stews. Pretty much on the sinuey side and tough. Very surprized it came out that good for you! Wait until you cook up a few hens. They should be excellent. So glad you have finally cooked one up! I think we all had been patiently waiting for the outcome. Good job.

I think this was a younger roo that she processed from a hatching that arrived when she began this thread....first week of July. I've got some Blue Copper Marans roos that I am processing soon. They are approx. 9 months old, so I am expecting them to be tough. I have decided to give authentic (the 2 day prep version) coq au vin a try with them.

 

[theoldchick]

Learn how to caponize them and see if you notice a difference in the texture and flavor.

 

[BCMaraniac]

Learn how to caponize them and see if you notice a difference in the texture and flavor.

Do you caponize?