Farming and Homesteading Heritage Poultry

[aveca]

there are some old 1800s ebooks that are living example of this subject..one is standard bred orpingtons..one story he told was how it was a win win for both poultry and orchard - keepers..the poultry were clearing a lot of pest buggs i understand they really like japanese beetles as well as fertilizing the orchard area. everyone benifits..they didnt have lawnmowers so they had sheep or goats graze the grass to a reasonable level for the poultry..some of those books are invaluable..most of them are free for your kindle ect...

Great thread idea!

I like all the talk about heritage poultry lately, but I am a little disappointed that the entire focus on these various conversation seems to be on aesthetic conservation, which is all fine and good...but wouldn't more people jump on the bandwagon on some of these breeds if we worked on preserving and regaining the various breeds original utility functions?

The Houdan springs to mind as a very good example of this, I believe you once had them? Originally a very important dual-purpose breed, in the few places it seems to exist now it is practically strictly ornamental.

I think first making these breeds more desirable as a modern homestead bird would go farther than anything else in assuring their preservation.

 

[flowerchild59]

Thanks for posting actual pics of your meat birds and crosses.

 

[mycountrygirls]

I finally finished reading this thread, wow what a lot of information! Thank you to everyone who has contributed!

 

[aveca]

Isn't 99.9% of all the information posted here anecdotal?

All I'm about is this, I got these chickens, x many weeks later this is what the carcass looked like, they tasted good or not.

I do think it would be useful to see what my cockerels, raised under my conditions, look like compared to somebody Else's raised under their conditions. Maybe I need to change my bloodlines or my conditions?

I am still too much of an Easter bunny farmer, hoping to get over that..I will eat the eggs but not the chickens..thou my family have a certified organic farm..the ones I have, cant get past it yet..

one thing the butcher told us is the secret is tha most people do not properly age the meat...poultry like beef is needing aging to be tender and juicy..he said most people get into meat birds, and im sure this has come up in here , they take them home freeze them, pull them out of freezer thaw cook and eat...complain too tough, doesnt taste great..he said after meat is thawed completly in fridge..allow it to sit for 2 full days..this is aging makes a ton of difference..

as for the conditions, im studying the polet de bress and how they treat those..i really wanted to buy some but they are 400.00 per bird at this point, st run..i know i would get a box of rooster for sure..if they could guarentee me a couple hens..i would do it..they are pasture fed in lg grass pasture..not sure if they supplement them any grains during that time..trying to learn that part..then at certian age they bring them in, capon them and feed milk and corn and also oats i beleive..this does something to the meat..might just be milk and corn..we had polet de bress in euroupe years ago..it was the best chicken i have ever eaten..i have never had anything as good since..it tastes like chicken should..not bland. they serve it in a cream sauce..ive been kind of studying them little by little when i have time..they are also called blue footed chicken..they were featured in arc of taste one year..

i never had a hudan..i know what they look like thou..its a sad story how many breeds falling away...i am beginning to understand why..if you hang with show people for a while you will get it....

 

[aveca]

your quite the cook there ken..i need to get over my easter bunny farmer syndrome..

18 week old Speckled Sussex cockerel, 2 pounds 12 ounces. I have one more of these and the one still living appears to be a good bit bigger than this one. Hatched and raised with the Dominique shown above.

The thigh meat on this bird was notably lighter in color than the Dominique was. I have not noticed any major difference in the activity level between the Doms and Sussex.

A nice fryer I think. Will post back after I actually fry and eat it tonight.

Edit to add photo of cooked bird, it was delicious.

 

[aveca]

ok , you guys are making me really hungrey here

A Sussex cockerel hatched April 27, 2011. I wish I had remembered to weigh it but did not. For reference though, this is a big skillet.

 

[aveca]

i think the dorking is one of the best table birds..

Greetings! I was recently contacted by someone reading this thread for a photo of a dressed bird, but I can't seem to figure out how to include a photo in a message response. So, I thought I'd post it on the general thread. I can't stress enough that it has been our experience that good meat comes from breeding to the standard and culling both with eye (visual assessment) and hand (feel of the bird):

ok , you guys are making me really hungrey here

A Sussex cockerel hatched April 27, 2011. I wish I had remembered to weigh it but did not. For reference though, this is a big skillet.

 

[bnjrob]

I am still too much of an Easter bunny farmer, hoping to get over that..I will eat the eggs but not the chickens..thou my family have a certified organic farm..the ones I have, cant get past it yet..

LOL - is that what it's called? We just started the flock this year, so we don't have anyone that we don't want anymore, but I'm thinking I might be an Easter Bunny Farmer too. I think if I could find someone to process them, then I could eat them, but I don't think I can process them or have hubby do it either.

 

[aveca]

there is usually a meat processor somewhere in your area..the processor we ( organic farm part of family) use sends the birds out so perfectly clean its amazing.'he does a perfect job..look in phone book meat processor or ask local butcher..he can tell you where the processor is..i had 2 birds i thought i might give it a whirl..but the one i use to baby sit another that is show bird..then one day i saw that cockeral gently pull a peice of grass stuck to the face of the other off and that was it..couldnt do it...my freind called me the easter bunny farmer..only eat the eggs..i wont buy meat birds, did that once long time ago..they died of old age as meat birds go...i get scolded, dont get attached they are food product, then that babysitting cockeral is so amazingly nice to handle, he will probably run around here and be an old man..i will send him out with the free roamers when he no longer needed for sitting..the minute he decides to attack anybody, i will hand him over..cousins can have him on the grill..

 

[cgmccary]

Quote: Not in my area of the country. The only meat processors do deer, cows pigs (mammals) but do not process poultry. And we asked our local butchers and the answer was "no." So, we are left to process on our own. Most people react to us like we're crazy when we tell them we process and eat our own chickens. I happen to think they are the ones crazy as they have no idea where their food comes from, how it is raised, what it eats or how it come to be processed. They'll eat those McNuggets like they the best food on Earth.