Farming and Homesteading Heritage Poultry

[Robert Blosl]

I tried to eat free range chickens when I started and they where tough because they are always on the move. I put them in cages 4x4 three to a pen and after say a month or so the were so much tender and better to eat. I dont think feed is the key to the taste as I asked Frank Reese for a ration to use to make them taste good he said it was in the breeding not the feed. So much for that idea I thought more corn like we fatten a young steer in the old days in a small corral would be more like the secret.

I have no idea as I am not much into that department but if people have a secret it would be great to know.

 

[neopolitancrazy]

Thanks, Bob and Saladin!
Our Dorkings were butchered at ~ 15 weeks of age, and are mighty tasty and tender baked, we have not been frying them as we are trying to eat healthier. (That's hard for us Southerners

!)

I have no idea how much purchased feed the butchered chickens ate, as they were not allowed to eat until the ~ dozen layers were done, but they did leave food for the 20 ducks as well. I do know that feed consumption went down dramatically when the chicks then the ducks were allowed to free range at 6 weeks of age.

I know that eggs, dairy, and the red meats actually become heart healthy when the animals are on pasture up until harvest. I also know that I prefer the taste of corn-finished beef to the grass-finished beef I have eaten, and am glad to hear from you, Bob, that my feeding regimen probably won't affect the taste of my chicken.

Anybody else with opinions or research out there?
Thanks,
Angela

 

[Arielle]

Quote: THank you.

I need to find a thread about beginning the marketing of meat birds.
Quote: We think alike.

Quote: I always had Single Combs. In my climate that is a good breed in the cold climate the Rose Comb takes the cold better. Warren would be my first start you should be able to drive to his place one day in the spring and pick up some eggs and bring them home or some started chicks. Crossing them onto SIngle Combs can be done. You got to breed out the hollow combs on the Rose Combs for a few years. The best bet is to get the right stuff and get a mentor to help you. He is one of the best. Many go the off beat route and then in three years give up the breed. Its very common in people who get Reds. Thats why ther are so few people to go to who have had them for ten or 20 years.
I think that you have drilled it into me that I would not cross these birds to my current flock, but keep them separated. I'm mulling over how to keep 2 heritage lines and crossing the two for the bulk of the meat birds, and have pullets/ chicks for sale. So far I have notcied people will pay more for a purebred than a mutt even if the mutt is a better producer. Unless it is a sizzle thing.


I wonder if anyone makes Dels using RC reds? COuld it be done? From what little I know, there needs to be silver in one of the lines. IS it the reds or the BR? Me thinks the BR. ANyone know? Mybe Kathy will chime in.

 

[capayvalleychick]

I think the Dorking is best as an old fashioned roasting chicken. It predates fried chicken

. The best results that I've had have been in adjusting to roasting low and slow. 300 degrees until done.

Mine get some greens in addition to feed, since they day range. The meat taste is improving as my birds improve. That may be because I'm getting used to it, after being raised on supermarket chicken or because I've learned to cook it right. My DH actually likes my home grown chicken now and he hated it at first.

Off topic, but you all who prefer corn fed beef should try some of my grass only raised Dexter. Best tasting beef ever! We can't even enjoy going to a prime steakhouse any more. My customers say the same thing and claim that it has helped their health, although I make no claims for that. My pasture is sparse and full of weeds but this old breed puts on weight just fine. The butcher always comments about the fat layer & marbling, says you only see that with corn fed. But my cattle never touch grain.
Sorry, had to brag. My chickens still need a lot of work, but I'm very proud of my preservation efforts with my cattle.

 

[aveca]

Loved the story about your cattle..sounds delicious..keep breeding good stock like that..someone told me the Scottish belted cows are excellent also but i Havnt tried it so just hearsay.. polet de bresse best chicken I have ever eaten.the way they are pasture fed. Then caponed. Then finished with a milk and grain..yum

 

[Arielle]

Has anyone checked out Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds?



Quote: THanks for sharing Jim, you always have good thing to pass on!!

 

[Arielle]

Quote: THere is another seed catalog that specializes in TOmatos, eggplants and peppers, and I also had a hard time deciding. I did whittle the selection down to 25!! BLack tomotos, whites, zebra striped, OMG--kept me reading for days! WIll post it when I find the name.

 

[fowlman01]

THanks for sharing Jim, you always have good thing to pass on!!

They are great to work with and they also put on the Heirloom Expo here in Santa Rosa, CA., which includes a chicken show. Jere Gettle, the owner actually raises chickens.

Walt

 

[Arielle]

Is anyone on this thread aware of a comparison of different feeding regimes/husbandry methods and how it affected meat TASTE?

I like the fine-grained meat we have in our hatchery Dorkings, much better than any other chicken meat we have raised, and certainly more than "grocery-store" chicken. Those chickens were raised on all the Purina Flock Raiser they wanted to eat, plus occasional table scraps and true free ranging from 6 weeks of age until the day before slaughter. I understand that small holders used different feeds and practices in raising their chickens, and wondered if anyone has done a comparison taste test on those?

I understand that resting the meat 2-3 days will make it more tender, and some people recommend resting the meat in a brine or other seasoned solution. I am looking for feeds or husbandry methods that improve the taste/texture of the meat, independent of the breed/ age of the chicken.

Just looking for ways to tweak the system, and improve the quality of what I feed myself and my family.
Thanks,
Angela

I understand your question and have kept a look out for this information. I know pig fat is very influenced by t he fats the pigs are fed BUt this doesn't happen with other livestock. IMO I no longer hold with the last statement after raising chicken and lamb.

I don't have the space to hold many carcasses for long, so I tossed all 40 + in the dep freezer. I pull out two and roast in my BIG tukey roasting pan. I find these birds are already salty without brining and no added salt before roasting. We pick at the meat for a few days, can be dry in places but we enjoy the variety of soft and dried; then the rest goes into a stock pot. SOme of the meat is fished out for nibbling and the rest is made into soup. Very rich broth this way.

At this point I don't consider mine roasters. I don't let them rest and I don't brine. THis is how I serve my family. I do think guests or customers would expect a different experience.

 

[Arielle]

Thanks, Bob and Saladin!
Our Dorkings were butchered at ~ 15 weeks of age, and are mighty tasty and tender baked, we have not been frying them as we are trying to eat healthier. (That's hard for us Southerners

!)

I have no idea how much purchased feed the butchered chickens ate, as they were not allowed to eat until the ~ dozen layers were done, but they did leave food for the 20 ducks as well. I do know that feed consumption went down dramatically when the chicks then the ducks were allowed to free range at 6 weeks of age.

I know that eggs, dairy, and the red meats actually become heart healthy when the animals are on pasture up until harvest. I also know that I prefer the taste of corn-finished beef to the grass-finished beef I have eaten, and am glad to hear from you, Bob, that my feeding regimen probably won't affect the taste of my chicken.

Anybody else with opinions or research out there?
Thanks,
Angela

Angela, I'll jump at this one as we are an intellectual bunch that like to share ideas a nd information.

There is still a lot of misinformation and incomplete information on the way to eat healthy. What I have been able to find so far is that the diet [ for humans ] can be high carb and low meat fats or low carb and eat any fats including beef fat. Sometimes if a person has a problem with cholesterol and high BP it because their body is sensitive to arachadonic acid. I on the other hand do just fine eating 6 eggs a day and plenty of beef. { THere are a LOT of studies that show a high carb diet provides the platform for developing a number of problems from heart attacks and strokes to gout and diabetes 2; the low carb diet fixes these problems. Surgeons aren't like to tell you if you change your diet you can avoid the knive. )

I do eat plenty of fats, BUT I cut out the high starch and high carb foods completely. I said good bye to homemade breads and cookies, good bye to potatos and rice and increased the amount of green leafy vegies and low carb vegies and low carb fruits. In return I have lost 30 pounds this fall and my blood pressure has decreased. Not that it was high, but it was borderline and the doctors were not saying anything about the upward creep. Most of the medical field is lagging behind on what our foods can do for our health. I find a rare few that get it. People can eat high fat diets, and beef, IF the rest of the plate is NOT filled up with high carb foods of any kind.

I know this information is NEW to most people. I did a LOT of reading and asked a lot of questions. I didnot accpt this at face value either. I lived it and found it to be true.

I enjoy meat fried in fat--but it is without a high carb breading. I joined a group that shares this method of eating and we share new recipes for coating our meat that is low carb and keep the extra pounds at bay. ANd improve our BW and blood profiles.

I see raising my own chickens and EGGS that are orange as part of a healthier way of eating. ANd I like the texture of the 20 week old CCKLS. Must be why I liked venison as a kid after hunting season.