Honestly, I tried eating a bucket of fried chicken, a nd could not do it. I hold a piece in my hand and think “I wonder what kind of chook this was? Friendly and trusting, maybe someone’s unwanted pet, or worse, one of those unfortunate caged ones that were specifically hatched to be food?” No I can’t eat chicken.
There's likelihood that the fast food and commercial restaurants and super markets have used the fast-growing Cornish Cross chickens since the 1950's. Those poor human-engineered monster chickens that grow so fast in 6 weeks that their bodies and internal organs cause horrid physical disabilities and early death if not slaughtered by 2 months! How healthy is that to eat deformed birds? Feeding them organic feed doesn't make them any safer to eat.
The info is tragic enough to make one go vegetarian! Plus, (not all but a lot of) USA meats are "imported" and mixed together at meat packing plants and those birds are mostly CC's also.
DH & I think twice before purchasing super market or restaurant meats!
In the same vein (as personal choice only) we have avoided backyard chicken breeds of human hybrid engineering that are bred to be bigger backyard meat birds or bred to be non-broody to develop more prolific egg layers which shorten a bird's natural lifespan. Many hatcheries are adding to this problem.
Look at the hardiness of Hawaii's feral chicken population. Hawaiian hurricanes have tossed domestic farm birds into the island forests where for decades they have lived survival of the fittest -- birds that retained broodiness to reproduce naturally/seasonally, slimmer bodies, and developed great foraging skills. No heavy, or prolific egg-laying ferals are seen on those islands!
On my folks' farm many small Leghorns whether roo's or old hens made many a dinner meal. They were tastier than any CC's today. Cornish Cross meat today is so tasteless you have to brine it, marinade it, BBQ it, coat it in heavy spices or herbs to mask the fact that it is flavorless.
From the time my city born DH chose chickens as our choice of pets he refused to use any of our birds as dinner. Even two of our accidental cockerels were placed in rescue sanctuaries.
Ok, rant over!
too
