Butchering them tomorrow!

[KikiDeAnime]

We're butchering our 2 'Slow white broiler' hens tomorrow and I'm very excited about the meat they will provide. First time raising this type of chicken as we've raised the terrible CornishX ones before.
These slow white broilers were bought as chicks in early summer so they've had a wonderful couple months and a lot care from us.
They got to live a free range life, which is the best life for any chicken, and became buddies with our other hens.

I plan on buying more next year as it was fun to raise them.

I will post pictures below of the process after we butcher them.

 

[RUNuts]

Sorry to hear you had problems with the CX. There are so many variables. We've had moderate to good luck with them. But we are still learning a lot. Ours free ranged and did chicken things. Ate a lot of grass and the rest of the garden. All would run to us when we came to the garden gate.

Glad to hear you are having a better time with slow white. What hatchery sells these?

 

[KikiDeAnime]

Sorry to hear you had problems with the CX. There are so many variables. We've had moderate to good luck with them. But we are still learning a lot. Ours free ranged and did chicken things. Ate a lot of grass and the rest of the garden. All would run to us when we came to the garden gate.

Glad to hear you are having a better time with slow white. What hatchery sells these?

I'm not sure because our local feed store orders them from some hatchery or farm but they don't tell us.

 

[Mrs. K]

I have to say, I did the cornish cross, and loved them. I think they are getting better.

 

[KikiDeAnime]

So I need to clarify that we didn't have problems with the Cornish X, its just we don't like GMO birds. These Slow white broilers are more of what we want in a meat bird because of how natural and healthy they are.

Also, I forgot to lock them up without food so they are still digesting the food they ate with the flock this morning at 5:30 AM.

Question:
Are there going to be problems with them still digesting the food when we butcher them soon?

 

[ShannonR]

So I need to clarify that we didn't have problems with the Cornish X, its just we don't like GMO birds. These Slow white broilers are more of what we want in a meat bird because of how natural and healthy they are.

Also, I forgot to lock them up without food so they are still digesting the food they ate with the flock this morning at 5:30 AM.

Question:
Are there going to be problems with them still digesting the food when we butcher them soon?

CornishX are not gmo, that is a very common misconception. It's all the work of intense selective breeding.

Anyway. Yes, they will still have food in their crops if you don't withhold feed for several hours before butchering. 12 hours is recommended. Honestly though, I find it easier to locate and remove full crops, so I don't bother taking the feed away before butchering.

 

[KikiDeAnime]

So I forgot to take photos of the butchering process but good news is we only butchered 1 of the 2 hens we had so I can take photos next time.
The other one was a little sickly, which I didn't notice until close to butchering time, so it gets to live a bit longer to get healthy again. Luckily I have what I need to help it get better.

We were able to save the neck, liver, and heart for later. The dogs are getting the liver and heart while we will use the neck for stock or soup.

 

[RoosterML]

CornishX are not gmo, that is a very common misconception. It's all the work of intense selective breeding.

Anyway. Yes, they will still have food in their crops if you don't withhold feed for several hours before butchering. 12 hours is recommended. Honestly though, I find it easier to locate and remove full crops, so I don't bother taking the feed away before butchering.

X2 Cornish cross are not GMO, I took the food away the night before butchering and had no food in the crops 16 hours later. It's funny you say that about being able to locate the crop easier, our first time this year doing meat birds and while doing the first one I kept looking for it. It is tougher for an inexperienced eye such as myself to locate it empty at first but you pick it up quickly.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Cornish Cross, Ranger type meat birds, and the hybrid layers are not GMO birds. They've done all that with selective breeding. The Cornish Cross were developed in the 1950's, long before gene splicing were even possible. Whoever is telling you that Cornish Cross are GMO don't know what they are talking about or are just not telling you the truth.

I don't bother withholding food. If something gets on the meat I rinse it really well. It's going to be cooked well anyway so I don't consider it a big deal. I can understand why some people would be bothered by that though.

 

[Redhead Rae]

Welp sells them. https://www.welphatchery.com/other-meat-type-birds/broiler-slow-white/

It sounds like they are a hybrid similar to Red Rangers. Some people commented that they bred the birds and they do fine.

If you want a really nice table bird that will breed true, I recommend Large Fowl Cornish. I love my Darks. They look a lot like a grocery store bird, but take twice as long to grow out.