100 Broilers and Fermented Feed Project

[kuntrygirl]

Ok, so the chicks were hatched on the 3rd and I received them on the 3rd, so on tomorrow (24th), they will be 3 weeks old - 21 days. The last weight was 1.21 lbs.

According to the gazillion charts, on tomorrow their weights should be either

1.717 or
1.909 or
1.48 or
1.54



I know some of the weights are for either male or female broiler.

 

[Coralietg]

I just read through the FF vs CF thread, I noticed some interesting comments towards the end about flavour. I wonder how much the fermented feed does effect flavour or the meat? There was a comments about sourness in roasted leftovers.

 

[aoxa]

I just read through the FF vs CF thread, I noticed some interesting comments towards the end about flavour. I wonder how much the fermented feed does effect flavour or the meat? There was a comments about sourness in roasted leftovers.

I never noticed anything like that.

 

[Beekissed]

Nope...hadn't noticed that either. I never saw those comments on the two FF thread I frequent, so not sure where you saw those. On the contrary, I've been dealing with old, old DP roosters for my meat supply this year and also very old spent hens and usually the meat would have a definite gamey flavor that tastes/smells of barnyard, corn and chicken manure no matter how you try to mask that in cooking methods....but that all disappears with feeding the FF. I've been raving over the flavor of these old birds to all and sundry because I've been eating old,spent layers all my life and had grown used to that barnyard flavor and know it well~but this meat has a mild, nutty and most flavorful taste and I believe it's the best tasting chicken I've ever had~bar none.

Same with the eggs...mild, no sulfur smell or flavor, just nutty and sweet goodness.

 

[aoxa]

Nope...hadn't noticed that either. I never saw those comments on the two FF thread I frequent, so not sure where you saw those. On the contrary, I've been dealing with old, old DP roosters for my meat supply this year and also very old spent hens and usually the meat would have a definite gamey flavor that tastes/smells of barnyard, corn and chicken manure no matter how you try to mask that in cooking methods....but that all disappears with feeding the FF. I've been raving over the flavor of these old birds to all and sundry because I've been eating old,spent layers all my life and had grown used to that barnyard flavor and know it well~but this meat has a mild, nutty and most flavorful taste and I believe it's the best tasting chicken I've ever had~bar none.

Same with the eggs...mild, no sulfur smell or flavor, just nutty and sweet goodness.

Those egg yolks are insane. My silkies are getting FF where my layers are not because I don't have heated dishes in the big coop. The difference between the two is night and day. The silkies - you know how small they are, their eggs are tiny! - the yolks are the same size as the layers. That is saying something right there. I notice the whites are definitely thicker as are the egg shells..

I find my meat very tasty. I don't like the texture of spent birds or roosters, but cooking them slow takes care of that.. Nothing off at all. Maybe they were cooking them wrong.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Nope...hadn't noticed that either.  I never saw those comments on the two FF thread I frequent, so not sure where you saw those.  On the contrary, I've been dealing with old, old DP roosters for my meat supply this year and also very old spent hens and usually the meat would have a definite gamey flavor that tastes/smells of barnyard, corn and chicken manure no matter how you try to mask that in cooking methods....but that all disappears with feeding the FF. I've been raving over the flavor of these old birds to all and sundry because I've been eating old,spent layers all my life and had grown used to that barnyard flavor and know it well~but this meat has a mild, nutty and most flavorful taste and I believe it's the best tasting chicken I've ever had~bar none.

Same with the eggs...mild, no sulfur smell or flavor, just nutty and sweet goodness.   

Really. I didn't realize that.

I do notice that the smell is not as bad with the FF as it has been with regular crumble.

 

[foreverlearning]

I can chicken, you might want to read this thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/550886/canning-chicken-meat

The most important thing is if you leave the fat in you need a little extra head space to prevent the fat from getting under the seal. I pressure cook my bird carcases for 10 min at 10# so they fall off the bone and I get every scrap of meat then I hot pack can with the broth from cooking at 50 min for 15#. You have to have a pressure canner because the acid level is low. If you cold pack it will take longer (90min). Botulism presents in a really rancid smell and a bubbled top. Very easy to spot!

The 12/12 feeding schedule suggests that you start it at 3 weeks to allow their body to catch up. Everyone has different setups and feed so there is no guaranteed way to know what yours can handle. You take very good care of your animals and you know when there is something wrong so trust your gut.

The weight charts are for very limited circumstances, as long as yours are healthy you are good. It's like those weight charts they have for kids at doctor's offices, one size does not fit all. Unless you copy their exact pattern you will not get the same results as they did, and even if you did your birds are still individuals.

Breath, relax, you can do this!

 

[Beekissed]

I canned all of mine and the taste is out of this world....if I had chicken that taste like that all my life I would have been completely spoiled. Now that I taste it, I'm getting that way...all other chicken is so bland. The stock I made tasted better than any I've ever had and even my old mother, who has tasted a lot of chicken in her day, couldn't get over the flavor of these nasty old roosters.

One lady in one of the FF threads hatched out chicks from FF sourced eggs and the chicks were huge and healthy, active and vigorous. I was worried the thick shells would hinder the hatch but she said they had no problems. I had wondered about the increased health and size of chicks from yolks of that magnitude and it seems I was right....it matters! Others were concerned about hatching from such thick shells but I'm thinking these chicks with this superior nutrition of the larger yolks might not have had any trouble because they were just stronger chicks.

 

[foreverlearning]

I just read through the FF vs CF thread, I noticed some interesting comments towards the end about flavour. I wonder how much the fermented feed does effect flavour or the meat? There was a comments about sourness in roasted leftovers.

I haven't noticed a flavor difference in the FF but I have in maturing giant breed roosters that I have processed. In the roosters I think it has to do with the hormones they produce because hens of the same age and breed didn't have the same off putting taste.

 

[aoxa]

I canned all of mine and the taste is out of this world....if I had chicken that taste like that all my life I would have been completely spoiled. Now that I taste it, I'm getting that way...all other chicken is so bland. The stock I made tasted better than any I've ever had and even my old mother, who has tasted a lot of chicken in her day, couldn't get over the flavor of these nasty old roosters.

One lady in one of the FF threads hatched out chicks from FF sourced eggs and the chicks were huge and healthy, active and vigorous. I was worried the thick shells would hinder the hatch but she said they had no problems. I had wondered about the increased health and size of chicks from yolks of that magnitude and it seems I was right....it matters! Others were concerned about hatching from such thick shells but I'm thinking these chicks with this superior nutrition of the larger yolks might not have had any trouble because they were just stronger chicks.

I'm just really starting to hatch the birds from my eggs, and I am ensuring all of my breeding birds get FF. It's only my layers on dry, and I hate feeding them dry - because they complain.. They know the difference, but it freezes so darn fast I can't do it unless we have warm(ish) weather. All my pens have heated dishes for the FF.

I only got one hatch out before the fire last year when they were on FF, and I had 100% hatch. Not one single loss. 75% were girls too.