Accidentally purchased meat bird, now what?

[TheChickenGirl16]

Thank you!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Maybe cooking her in the oven like a turkey would work? She may not fit in a pressure cooker or crockpot. You could spatchcock her first to hasten baking.

 

[TheChickenGirl16]

Maybe cooking her in the oven like a turkey would work? She may not fit in a pressure cooker or crockpot. You could spatchcock her first to hasten baking.

That’s a good idea….
I’m not a fan of cooking the whole chicken anyway…. So she could probably fit if the meat is off of the bone…

You’re right, though, she would never fit in a pressure cooker!!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

If you spatchcocked her or divided her in pieces you could cook what you want and freeze the rest.

 

[TheChickenGirl16]

If you spatchcocked her or divided her in pieces you could cook what you want and freeze the rest.

I am not familiar with the term “spatchcock”, what does that mean?

 

[ChickenChick46]

I am not familiar with the term “spatchcock”, what does that mean?

You cut out the backbone and flatten the chicken out so it'll cook faster and more evenly. It's pretty easy, and it does work.

I hate cooking whole chickens because I feel like I somehow over or under cook them every time. But spatchcocking helps a lot.

 

[TheChickenGirl16]

You cut out the backbone and flatten the chicken out so it'll cook faster and more evenly. It's pretty easy, and it does work.

I hate cooking whole chickens because I feel like I somehow over or under cook them every time. But spatchcocking helps a lot.

Thank you so much!
That definitely answers for me!

 

[ChickenChick46]

Thank you so much!
That definitely answers for me!

You're welcome!

 

[FunClucks]

I wish she could be a pet too….
She’s always been mine!
I guess the main reason I was so hesitant to crate her off, or cull myself, was because she’s always had such a spunky personality, and I would kinda hate to see her go.
She received the endearing title of “Fat Chick”. That has always been her name,(even though she’s not a chick at all now!) Everyone calls her that, even my friends.

I did try to give her the best life I could… they free range at least 6 hours a day, and she’s always been in surprisingly good health, considering everything I was forewarned.

Thank you for the breakdown. I will definitely keep that in mind!
I was thinking of starting at $15, and seeing what happens. If nothing happens for a week, I could go down.

It's hard with the CX. They're bred to be docile and friendly, and therefore easy to manage and cull. They've been some of my most inquisitive and calm chickens. I am always sad to see them go. But they aren't bred to have a long healthy life. At the most you can get a year or maybe a year and a half out of them if you have a very strict diet for them from day one before their bodies just don't work anymore. And at 14 lbs, I doubt she can get much heavier and still get around. Their legs can stop working, making them unable to walk and stuck in one place, and they are prone to heart attacks.

One of my CX about that size was drinking from her waterer, and fell over onto her back. She was so heavy, and the size of her body was so great compared to the size of her wings, she couldn't flip herself back over. She was literally stuck on her back, flapping her wings ineffectually. I think she might have died from stress/heart attack or something if I hadn't been right there to flip her back over. I culled her in my next batch, as I didn't want to have that happen again when I couldn't help her, and have her last moments be filled with stress and fear. IMO, a quick, painless end to a fulfilling life where she got to do all the chicken things is a good way to go.

Good luck sorting things out!