Cornish Cross finders keepers!

[Coops Dad]

My workplace is right across an industrial road from a Sanderson Farms processing plant and, a month or so ago, I spotted a large white chicken in the field next to our place. I had just come in from a long trip (I'm a truck driver) and was going home for at least the next 12 hours or so. Long story short, I easily caught her and took her home.

She was a kinda lean (for a Cornish X) so I put her in one of our unused chicken tractors with some food and water. After a couple of weeks, I integrated her into the main flock. She got along great and embedded herself in the clique of BBW turkeys who are guests until November; it's like she was a smaller BBW to them.

My intention was to feed her out until she got chubby again but I lost initiative with the heat wave that's hovering over Texas in general and my house in particular. That changed today, though, when I found her down with a twisted leg.

So she and the largest BBW were introduced to The Hatchet and were converted from potential protein to protein in reserve.

She was 11.5 pounds at processing. She was a market-ready bird when she was transported to Sanderson Farms and made her escape; I'm not sure how long she was on the lam but she did juke me a few times before I caught her, and she was of nearly normal chicken dimensions at that time. Definitely not the Baby Huey body type you'd expect from a Cornish Cross. Built more like an Orpington with cankles. Huge legs. Giant feet.

She's resting in the fridge now, vacuum bagged as leg quarters and boneless breasts. I'll update after we cook some of her; my wife is thinking low and slow crockpot with veggies and dumplings.

Any other ideas?

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Haha that was lucky! I don't have many cooking ideas for you but I enjoyed reading this.

 

[Molpet]

I roast them like turkey

 

[Ridgerunner]

Market ready but maybe as a Cornish Game hen? I think those are typically 4 to 5 weeks old instead of 6 to 8.

At that age you have lots of options on how to cook her. The way I cook 5 to 6 month old cockerels or 8 to 10 month old pullets is to cut into serving pieces, rinse off but do not dry. Put those pieces in a baking dish with a tight cover. Cover it with herbs, think herb crusted. I typically use basil and oregano and sometimes add parsley. I grow and dehydrate those so I have and use plenty. Toss in a rough chopped onion, a clove or two of garlic, a carrot and celery, and bake at 250 F for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. Carefully remove with a slotted spoon, the meat can fall off of the bone. The liquid makes great broth.

Bake a sweet potato I grew and something from the garden. I like red wine with that. You just can't eat any better.

 

[3KillerBs]

my wife is thinking low and slow crockpot with veggies and dumplings.

Any other ideas?

If you've had her for a month and she was probably a maximum of 8 weeks when transported to the plant it seems you've got a prime roaster there -- sort of a waste to crockpot her like a retired layer, IMO.

But I'm exceedingly fond of roasted chicken and am hoping to raise some Cornish X to roaster size this fall.

 

[Coops Dad]

If you've had her for a month and she was probably a maximum of 8 weeks when transported to the plant it seems you've got a prime roaster there -- sort of a waste to crockpot her like a retired layer, IMO.

But I'm exceedingly fond of roasted chicken and am hoping to raise some Cornish X to roaster size this fall.

I don't know how long she was living in the field- she was bigger than any CX I ever raised but not heavy-bodied, probably around 8-8.5 lbs. In the 5 or 6 weeks that I had her, she plumped up nicely. She also had a really mellow personality, very friendly, quiet, became very attached to the turkeys. It was funny to see the turkeys begin to move out into the pasture and I could tell that all she wanted to do was lay in the shade. She'd make some noise, fuss a bit, then stagger to her feet and run after them like a drunk who couldn't quite control their legs.

If they were good layers, didn't have the "bottomless pit" appetite and had a decent life span, I think their personalities would make them a near-perfect dual purpose chicken.

 

[3KillerBs]

If they were good layers, didn't have the "bottomless pit" appetite and had a decent life span, I think their personalities would make them a near-perfect dual purpose chicken.

I haven't raised any yet, but I keep hearing that they're quite personable.

 

[Molpet]

, I think their personalities would make them a near-perfect dual purpose chicken.

They are the sweetest things. Pulling at my pants leg for food on harvest day about broke my heart

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

My workplace is right across an industrial road from a Sanderson Farms processing plant and, a month or so ago, I spotted a large white chicken in the field next to our place. I had just come in from a long trip (I'm a truck driver) and was going home for at least the next 12 hours or so. Long story short, I easily caught her and took her home.

She was a kinda lean (for a Cornish X) so I put her in one of our unused chicken tractors with some food and water. After a couple of weeks, I integrated her into the main flock. She got along great and embedded herself in the clique of BBW turkeys who are guests until November; it's like she was a smaller BBW to them.

My intention was to feed her out until she got chubby again but I lost initiative with the heat wave that's hovering over Texas in general and my house in particular. That changed today, though, when I found her down with a twisted leg.

So she and the largest BBW were introduced to The Hatchet and were converted from potential protein to protein in reserve.

She was 11.5 pounds at processing. She was a market-ready bird when she was transported to Sanderson Farms and made her escape; I'm not sure how long she was on the lam but she did juke me a few times before I caught her, and she was of nearly normal chicken dimensions at that time. Definitely not the Baby Huey body type you'd expect from a Cornish Cross. Built more like an Orpington with cankles. Huge legs. Giant feet.

She's resting in the fridge now, vacuum bagged as leg quarters and boneless breasts. I'll update after we cook some of her; my wife is thinking low and slow crockpot with veggies and dumplings.

Any other ideas?

I know this is old, but I live the way you told this story. Hope the chx n dmpls were tasty!