Chronicles of Raising Meat Birds - Modern Broilers, Heritage and Hybrids

That's DH's big problem with it. No matter how carefully I cook it, he always approaches breast meat with suspicion -- and I have to say that the only truly reliable means of it not getting dry is breading it for deep-frying as homemade chicken tenders that I cut to cook fast before it can get dried out.

We do plan on trying some meat ducks and are considering turkeys if we can find out what the blackhead situation is in our county.
I like to slice the breast meat thin and grill it on the BBQ. Almost fat free, husband likes it even cold leftover on a salad or make it into chicken salad sandwiches. I prefer dark meat, but cooked fast in thin strips the white meat is not dry.
 
I like to slice the breast meat thin and grill it on the BBQ. Almost fat free, husband likes it even cold leftover on a salad or make it into chicken salad sandwiches. I prefer dark meat, but cooked fast in thin strips the white meat is not dry.

Fat-free is actually a downside for us.

We do low-carb because DH is diabetic and I'm 75lbs along a quest to lose at least 100lbs, possibly up to 130lbs.
 
Fat-free is actually a downside for us.

We do low-carb because DH is diabetic and I'm 75lbs along a quest to lose at least 100lbs, possibly up to 130lbs.
Us too! I lost 100lbs. DH lost 35. You think the thing that's gonna be the big deal is buying smaller clothes & allowing your family to include you in photos, but really, the big deal is completely how much better you feel! :celebrateCongratulations!!!
 
As promised, info from Moyers on these hybrid broilers.

ALL the hybrid pasture or ranging broilers (red broilers, red rangers, freedom rangers, Dixie rainbows, kosher king, Robust white, etc etc) are Hubbard genetics. All of them. Hubbard has developed many, many lines for grandparent and parent birds and a hatchery or producer gets with Hubbard to discuss what kind of end result they are looking for, and how it can be made. Moyer went to Hubbard with a desire to create a modern broiler that could truly thrive in a pasture environment based directly off the conventional Cornish cross. To accomplish this, out of all the various strains of broiler, Robust white has the most conventional broiler in its blood. As far as John knows, Moyers is the only one doing this and trying to retain some conventional broiler genetics into the pasture bird. The other specialty broilers fall in line with other strains of broilers from other producers.

If you imagine meat chickens on a continuum with Cornish cross at one end and heritage chicken at the other, from the various breeds we have been discussing, this is where things fall. It’s hard to compare specifically the strains owned by various hatcheries, because only they and Hubbard know the genetics used to create, but this is pretty close.

Cornish cross
Slow Broilers

Robust White

Royal red
freedom ranger color yield

Freedom ranger

Dixie rainbow
Kosher king
Moyer Imperial

Heritage breed broiler

I also spent some time asking a few other questions. @Compost King remember I mentioned I had heard of dwarf genes in terminal hybrids for broilers? John says it’s not particularly dwarf genes as size and bone genes. For example, and I may have this a little wrong, but a small bone genetic trait is used to create the meat/breast constitution of the Royal Red. Because of the hybrid nature you won’t be able to isolate that and how it reacts with other genes, so for example you could end up with smaller birds than BROILERS, but there’s not rampant dwarf genetics going on in these breeder flocks. May be interesting to get ahold of some reds since they have more conventional Cornish cross blood in them than the freedom ranger

In addition, we discussed a bit how hatcheries work. There are hatcheries that do their own hatching, and hatcheries that resource out and have drop shipped items. Those that do their own are specialized in heritage and laying chickens, OR broilers. Meat birds take an entirely different protocol for hatching and handling.

Some of the hatcheries that hatch their own broilers are typically where the less healthy broilers come from. The healthiest meat birds will come from the broiler hatcheries (Moyer, freedom ranger hatchery, etc). In addition, the hatcheries that sell the broilers (25 minimum no mixes) to be drop shipped are great because those birds are coming from the broiler hatcheries.

Interesting, and something I hadn’t thought of.
I have raised cornishx for many seasons to donate for 4H and holiday meals, but we keep muscovy ducks for our meat, and a blue strain of Khali cambells we have been selecting for the mutation many years as the babies are autosexing. Consistently autosexing. Also, ducks are heavy layers of extra nice eggs in impressive numbers and leas stress and predator losses. I can offer proof they outlay, are healthier and forage and outdo chickens. But....(wait for it! ) The usual provider of cornishx suddenly decided that we, whom don't eat our birds, and donate time, feed, and Trabsport kids to shows whom we donate the ones out of the birds annual order of 300, often means feeding and meeting those kids own eating needs etc. So although ordered in august, in feb. WE WERE TOLD WE WERE HOARDING AND would be put second to brand new customers getting minimum birds due to panic. Well, we decided that after all these seasons and money, we'd just let the place do as it pleased and go elsewhere. It proved to be a sickening jolt to what the hatcheries were going thru. So, since we were already sold due to hatchery situation, we started seeking another place. Wow! Like going to the bathroom and realising that there is no toilet paper! So, I tried for some suggestions from back home, the east coast..specifically Amish kinda family business. And Ken Fix set us up with 160 freedom ranger Sr and no hassle! Absolutely professional and addressed my concerns for these wouldn't meet our cornishx profile. Darned if those little golden nuggets showed up vigorous, beatific and ready to go! Well, I can tell you I'll keep these birds from now on instead of cornishx, and we love how they are eager foragers, grow and aren't like the "frankenchickens". We ordered some Kosher kings from Freedom Ranger and they would be nice but the post office lost track of them here in our Texas heat and that was a major setback for the kosher but not Freedom Rangers fault. We were supposed to get some color yields from them but I did not hear from them. They were fantastic in communication about the rangers, and the kosher so we did not inform them of any kosher losses as it was the postal service whom created that . I was told when I called that the birds I reserved in early July for August, would instead not be available until almost Halloween. So, with heavy heart, we told them to let another have those October birds and we'd look elsewhere. Ironically, I felt we'd not be getting the fine birds we got from Freedom Ranger so when I looked around for more babies we decided to get ducks. Fifth Day Farms is part of that family so I'm sure they will be exceptional too! 8m going to keep a few freedom pullets and breed them to a rooster a guy specifically developed for organic restaurant supply that had heritage healthiness, flavor and beauty. His "Rustic " rambles ate straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting and what your grandparents would raise. So It's the rustic rambler, now that will will sire chicks fir spring and our fall brooder will have ducks and not chicks. I look forward to more freedom rangers in spring but am joyous we are increasing our home flock with more ducks. FREEDOM RANGER chickens are the way to go just for service and this whole families committed joy in raising the best chicks. And by gosh those Freedom Rangers prove it! I'm saddened we didn't get to prove the kosher and their losses, but it wasn't Freedom Rangers fault. I highly recommend the freedom rangers over the cornishx and hope they work for you.
 
Us too! I lost 100lbs. DH lost 35. You think the thing that's gonna be the big deal is buying smaller clothes & allowing your family to include you in photos, but really, the big deal is completely how much better you feel! :celebrateCongratulations!!!
Wow that is a huge accomplishment :clap

I am plant based and I have only lost 50 lbs. I have lost 10 lbs just this month I am not sure why, but I am not complaining and neither is my closet now that I fit into all the clothes my mom gave me. All of them had tags on them. She gave me all her size 8's and I used to be a size 16. Mostly was health related nothing to do with eating poorly. Lots of steroids...
 

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