Ate my first bird, found it bland. Why?

[Mtnmomma3]

We butchered a large Cornish Cross and ate it a two days later. The meat was tender but bland. Not much different from an over-sized factory farm bird at Walmart.

Did we do something wrong? We've had tastier chicken from Whole Foods. I'm guessing they use Cornish Crosses too, but I don't know.

 

[donrae]

How was your bird raised? What did you feed it?

 

[Mtnmomma3]

It mostly ate Nutrena chick starter/ grower. They also free ranged most afternoons. I have to say, my Rangers free ranged, mostly the Crosses sat in the grass and snapped at bugs that happened to wander too close. Do they taste like what they ate?

 

[JessicaThistle]

This may seem like a silly question, but did you season the chicken? Chicken is not a flavorful meat on it's own, in my opinion. You must add a little salt at least. My Cornish Cross birds are delicious! I also fed them Nutrena feed.

Commercial chickens are packed in a salt water solution that probably enhances flavor.

 

[dfr1973]

Commercial chickens are packed in a salt water solution that probably enhances flavor.

Honestly, the brining adds water weight, and only a little seasoning.

What I did with Cornish-Rocks: got the little chubs out on grass in a tractor once they were feathered enough. I also feed all my chicks fermented scratch starting around the same time. I kept the CRs separate from other chicks, and they learned to scratch and graze just the same. That last batch tasted better than store bought or the ones I raised using the recommended methods.

This spring, I tried red broilers from Ideal. There was a lot of variation in my batch, with some being big enough to bother and a couple true runts. Meh. Taste-wise, they are a step up from CRs but still a step down from Wyandottes, so I am keeping the five largest pullets to breed with a nice big Wyandotte cockerel who feels big and meaty in his own right. You may need to end up breeding your own line to your family's taste.