Bad smell while butchering and very little breast meat.

[nagem92]

I have two questions regarding butchering our own meat.

First, we butchered 5 extra roosters a couple days ago. While eviscerating one of the roosters, we noticed an INTENSE (gag inducing) smell. None of the others smelled that bad. Is it safe to put in the freezer and later eat or is that I sign we shouldn't eat that one? Like a disease or something?

My next question is the breast meat on all the roosters were pretty small. The breeds were 1 Jersery Giant, 2 barred rock, 1 RIR, and 1 lavender orpington. Is that normal for backyard raised chicken. We are used to commercial chickens. I knew coming into that the meat would probably be smaller, but I wasn't expecting THAT small. any advice?

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

The breast meat thing is probably normal. Commercial meat birds (Cornish X) are bred to have abnormally large breasts and when you're used to that, normal chicken breasts can look tiny. Next time, you may be able to boost that a little with a higher protein diet, but it still won't be as big as the CX.

With the smell, did you accidentally nick an intestine or other organ? Some gross smells (definitely gag-inducing in some cases) can come from the digestive system if you accidentally cut something open. Could you identify where the smell was coming from, or was it the whole thing? Honestly, I'd piece it out (cut into breasts, thighs, wings, and drumsticks) and see if there is still a smell. Make sure everything is rinsed well. It may have been one of the organs. But trust your nose. If it smells off, don't eat it.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Is it safe to put in the freezer and later eat or is that I sign we shouldn't eat that one? Like a disease or something?

I agree. Piece it out, rinse well, and smell. It's not worth taking a chance.

Is that normal for backyard raised chicken.

How old were they? They take a lot longer than a CX to fill out and when they do they are still a lot smaller. Most of them have more meat in the leg and thigh than the breast at their best. So it sounds pretty normal.

Most of us left the farm and became urban several generations ago. Those chickens are what a lot of our grandparents or great grandparents ate. We've become spoiled with the CX.

 

[nagem92]

The breast meat thing is probably normal. Commercial meat birds (Cornish X) are bred to have abnormally large breasts and when you're used to that, normal chicken breasts can look tiny. Next time, you may be able to boost that a little with a higher protein diet, but it still won't be as big as the CX.

With the smell, did you accidentally nick an intestine or other organ? Some gross smells (definitely gag-inducing in some cases) can come from the digestive system if you accidentally cut something open. Could you identify where the smell was coming from, or was it the whole thing? Honestly, I'd piece it out (cut into breasts, thighs, wings, and drumsticks) and see if there is still a smell. Make sure everything is rinsed well. It may have been one of the organs. But trust your nose. If it smells off, don't eat it.

Of all 5 roosters all I got was a 1lb of breast meat all together. If that's normal, then that's fine. Just curious.

As far as the smell, I smelled it when opening the abdominal cavity. I didn't see any poop/liquid that I shouldn't when I opened it. I guess its always possible though.

 

[nagem92]

I agree. Piece it out, rinse well, and smell. It's not worth taking a chance.


How old were they? They take a lot longer than a CX to fill out and when they do they are still a lot smaller. Most of them have more meat in the leg and thigh than the breast at their best. So it sounds pretty normal.

Most of us left the farm and became urban several generations ago. Those chickens are what a lot of our grandparents or great grandparents ate. We've become spoiled with the CX.

They were 6 months old, and I got 1lb from them altogether.
I totally agree. We are trying to get closer to the source of our food.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

I just processed a few extra roos today one was a year,one was 6 months and one was 10 weeks. my year old seemed big but prolly unedible due to age the other two should be fine esp the 10 week old I forgot how much i hate processing it to much time involved lol

 

[FunClucks]

I just processed a few extra roos today one was a year,one was 6 months and one was 10 weeks. my year old seemed big but prolly unedible due to age the other two should be fine esp the 10 week old I forgot how much i hate processing it to much time involved lol

Anything over 5 months I pressure cook it just to be sure it will be tender. Year old roosters make the best flavored chicken soup and BBQ and are always tender after 20 minutes at 15 lbs pressure, with the canner half filled with water and all the veggies for chicken soup.

 

[FunClucks]

They were 6 months old, and I got 1lb from them altogether.
I totally agree. We are trying to get closer to the source of our food.

I've done 21 CX, six 3m broilers (Ginger Broilers), a year old production red and a year old GB, and have more scheduled for this spring/summer. I've found that what the roo eats and lives in determines the smell of the meat encountered while processing. Different meatbird food has different smells, also if you raise them on All Flock the meat smells different (better, IMO - that's what I feed my eggers), and the food smell influences the smell of the meat. Also if you raise them on wood chips vs. pine shavings in a crate, it changes how the bird smells when processed, and somewhat the flavor if you're scalding it and the smell gets into the meat. I expect a bird kept free range on grass would taste best, but you don't entirely know what they have been eating. (I can't do that in my setup due to predators.) Sounds like your rooster either ate something that made him smell bad at processing, or he was sick(?), or you nipped something during processing and didn't know it.

Normally i keep mine in a covered run on wood chips, but happened to process a roo and some hens after they had been living on pine shavings for a month in my garage (a flood destroyed one of my coops/covered runs and we had to rebuild. A month into the rebuilding, I realized it was going to take a lot longer than I thought and ate some of the ginger broilers to give my eggers more room.) I've also processed an egger roo who lived entirely on 20% all flock vs. my meatbirds who I generally raise to processing on 23% meat bird feed. The egger roo smelled the best, hands down, even though he was a year old. Next I want to try and raise meatbirds with two different brands of meatbird feed and finish with all flock, and see how long I have to feed all flock until the meatbird smell/trace taste goes away. Figure I'll figure it out eventually.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

Anything over 5 months I pressure cook it just to be sure it will be tender. Year old roosters make the best flavored chicken soup and BBQ and are always tender after 20 minutes at 15 lbs pressure, with the canner half filled with water and all the veggies for chicken soup.

I crock pot my old ones and they still be chewy lol

 

[Ridgerunner]

They were 6 months old, and I got 1lb from them altogether.

I've never weighed mine but would have expected better. But no, they will never be great.