Breeding for taste?

[Serina81]

How does one breed their meat birds for taste? Afterall, the potential breeder is already cooked by the time you find out it tastes amazing...

If this has already been covered elsewhere please point me to it!

 

[nivtup]

Tough question....

I would think you would have to hold the mated pair until the offspring are butchered and undergo the taste testing.

I would think it would require keeping a large number of breeders over a year to perform the required testing.

I would also think the feed they are on has at least as big of an impact, so couple the test matings with various feeding regiments and you have your hands full.


Then again, maybe I am wrong.

 

[orientphoenix]

usually people in my culture goes for birds that has a gamey taste like a game bird or birds of a minorca body shape, for example leghorns, oeg, phoenix, anything of that nature

 

[Oregon Blues]

It just takes some record keeping.

You'll need to keep track of the parentage. When you get an exceptional tasting bird, you add full siblings of that bird into your breeding flock.

Livestock breeders keep track of all sorts of things: depth of back fat, size of rib eye, number of eggs laid every year, pounds of growth per pound of feed.

Just be aware that what the chicken is eating affects the taste, texture, and tenderness of the meat, so you will want to have your test chickens raised in exactly the same way.

Another thing you will want to keep improving is size of the breast meat. That can be easily determined without killing your bird, so you want to keep the birds with plump breasts for your breeding flock.

If you really want to do this project, you could come up with a chicken with high demand once it becomes known that your birds have exceptional flavor.

(I am assuming you are talking about chickens, but any poultry can be bred that way, with an emphasis on taste)

 

[BoomChickaRocka]

It is entirely about your breed and the feed.

 

[Arielle]

This was my experience oh about 10-14 years ago. We raised 6 BBB for the standard 4-5 months. I tom, 5 hens. We fed commercial feed for turkeys made by BLue Seal. They were delicious!!! Everyone raved at the flavor!!!! Go figure.

 

[Serina81]

I raise Dorkings, which are supposed to be the best tasting breed. I just don't want them to be at the top of the list by accident because they could just as easily accidentally slip off the list lol.

I was thinking I'd have to keep the breeders and test (taste test) their babies. I was just wondering if there was any other standard way of doing it, but it sounds like breeders just cross their fingers and hope for the best?

 

[RareBreedFancier]

I'm going to be raising Dorkings in spring.

I intend to keep the breeders penned and mark chicks so I can take note of the breeding when I eat the cull birds. That way I will know if one pair are producing superior tasting offspring and I can use that information when making breeding choices.

There will always be plenty of offspring who'd be culled for faults so those are your taste testers while the potential breeders are growing out.

 

[Bossroo]

Not everyone will agree with what one individual perseives as superior taste.

Like... many prefer red wine, I prefer the sweet white wine.

Some prefer the HOT peper, while I sweat like I was in a sauna and my mouth feels like it is on FIRE.

Have fun with your trials !

 

[speedy2020]

Quote:
I am consider raising dorking, but after doing some research.... it will take 2 years for the dorking to fully mature. I am falling back to marans because it require less time. I may cross marans hen with dorking rooster in the future if can find one.