Do broilers taste as good as good as dual purpose birds?

[SherrieT]

We ordered 25 Cornish X while we build up our DP flock. Only 17 made it to harvest day. A week before harvest we were checking them out, we turned around and one had just dropped dead. Maybe some hatchery birds are better than others?
I never realized that the legs and thighs would be so white. Don't think we are going to do it again. I'd rather have a stewed bird with real dark meat than a fried white meat bird

 

[Eowyn2]

Did it die from "flip"? I read about that recently, and it's just plain weird.

 

[SherrieT]

Did it die from "flip"? I read about that recently, and it's just plain weird.

I don't know what flip is. We decided to practice skinning on it (hadn't ever butchered before) and I saw that it's heart was big and spongy.

 

[gg706]

This doesn't really answer your question, because it doesn't say which bird out of *all* of them tastes best. But it is an interesting article about several heritage breeds and which taste best (in which applications) out of the ones they tested.

http://goodfoodrevolution.wordpress.com/2010/02/11/slow-food-heritage-breeds-chicken-tasting/

That was a VERY interesting article! I wonder if the birds were fed all exactly the same? I don't believe it said. I think the diet could definitely affect the flavor.

 

[Life is Good!]

That was a VERY interesting article! I wonder if the birds were fed all exactly the same? I don't believe it said. I think the diet could definitely affect the flavor.

Since the birds all came from the same farm, the likelyhood of all being fed the same feed would be high. However, depending on the farm's flock management (seperate pens for each breed vs. all free range together vs. all together in a barn and never seeing grass, etc.) could produce a different result. In other words, the 'mushroom flavored broth from the Jersey Giant' might have had a fringe of woods in their pasture, so they actually ate mushrooms! We'll never know that part, unless someone here re-creates the experiment. Not me, I don't have all those breeds! Only have Java's and FR....but it's a start!

 

[Eowyn2]

I read about it in a book first, but here's a link to the Merck vet manual about it:

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/202500.htm

Guess it's common in the fast-growing meaties. Strange.

 

[Paul Ewing]

This is why I no longer mess with dual purpose breeds for meat birds despite people believing the marketing about ho good heritage breed chickens are. The following is part of an email from one of my mixed meat co-op/CSA customers:

"The pieced-chickens you gave me last month were much meatier than the whole intact birds from previous co-ops. Is there a reason for this? My husband had been disappointed before when the meat weight was less than half the bird weight."

 

[Island Roo]

We raised DP heritage birds last year. At first I was disappointed using the same barbecue method I use on CX birds from the farmer down the road. Since I started using the crock pot, a whole new flavour and texture is on our menu. So I like both for different reasons. I also had to get used to the fact that the dual purpose bird has less meat on them

This year we have a batch of CX and I must admit I enjoy raising the heritage birds more than the CX. They smell better, look better, and have more entertainment value (CX are lazy).

I am not sure about the cost/pound but those CX go thru the food about 3 times faster than my heritage birds. On the other hand I'll need to feed the heritage birds for 4 months longer.

 

[LilyD]

Island Roo~

I agree with you I think there are merits of both birds. The CRX is great as a roaster and is more tender but since it's much younger it also lacks a lot of the flavor the DP birds have since they are alive longer. The CRX does eat much more food since it is very food driven so you can't leave a free feeder in front of it. I fed them using the scatter method so that everyone got enough food. I would toss out the desired amount of food each morning and night, they would eat and then lounge around for the most part. With my DP birds I can put a feeder out full of feed and it would last a really long time since they were eating bugs, veggies etc from the yard.

I have had tons of people saying that they want to try my DP birds even after I tell them that they lack breast meat. I just make sure that the meat has been rested enough for them before I give it to them. I have had no complaints yet. So far the flavor wins out over everything else.

 

[dorkings]

Beekissed, I am trying like heck to eduicate myself on selecting a meat bird. The CX bird the way it grows I just think is wrong and not fair to the animal not to mention the whole heart attack thing. I have them now and it breaks my heart that they just sit at the feeder eat and sleep. I think they have taken this breed to far and would like a happy medium. I grew up with this cross years ago and they ate and were free range all day and at 90 we had the best tasting chicken ever, and I miss that.