Cornish Cross tough

[robampton]

I want to ask a question about this bird. I am raising them for the first time. They are currently about five weeks old. I keep them in a 12 x 12 tractor that I move several times a day. Anyway, the other day when I was moving the tractor, it slid off the wheels and landed right on the back of one of my chickens. I gave it just a few minutes to see if it would be OK and when it was clear that it wasnt going to be, I butchered it. Anyway, I cant remember eating a bird with a breast that tough. Now, I did roast the chicken, cut in half, and with no skin on it, so I know that wasnt the ideal way to cook it, but I figured this little bird would still be delicious.

Anyway, I am stressed that my other birds could be this way too. It wasnt worth eating and I have 65 more of them.

My question is, could the trauma have caused it?

Was it that I ate it the same day I butchered it? I have seen different opinions on the need to rest them.

All I know is I was expecting one of the best pieces of chicken I have eaten, and I got hands down one of the worst! I either need help, or a buyer for sixty five cornish X

 

[carolinagirl58]

If you cook it within an hour of killing it, the meat would be fine. But then the chicken goes into rigor mortis and it will be very tough if you try to eat it. you have to wait until the rigor passes before freezing or eating the chicken. This takes around 2 to 3 days. If you can move the drumstick easily, rigor mortis has passed.