Getting Cornish Cross to have more flavor?

[QueenMisha]

So I'm raising up 15 CX in the front yard right now, they're a hair younger than 4 weeks. I also have 3 up at the coop, in the neighborhood of 10-12 weeks. I had 4 of them, but I butchered one last week. It was very good and tender, but my mom did complain about a lack of flavor - even less than a store chicken. Now, I know these birds are "flavor-challenged" but is there anything I can do when finishing them to make them a bit more flavorful? I've heard tell of using molasses livestock feed the last couple of weeks, but that's about it.

I intend on raising them to 10-12 weeks, or less if they start hitting 8-10 pounds before then. They are currently on Bar Ale 22% turkey growing ration.

Suggestions?

 

[GitaBooks]

That's a good question.

I guess providing lots of forage and tons of treats of nuts, seeds, fruits, squash, vegetables, insects, grains, ect would probably help improve the flavor. Some hatcheries sell slower growing Cornish Crosses, which are still economical but may have better flavor.

Best of luck!

 

[HeritageGoose13]

Some of the best-tasting chicken in the world from France are fed milk during the last few weeks, I believe.

 

[Nupe]

I think the key is age and variation in diet. I take underweight commercial rejects out of my brother's commercial houses and run them around my overgrown spare chicken pen for a week or so before processing them and even then you can definitely tell the difference. I process a few each weekend as they gain weight. By the time I get to the last of them, the vegetation in the yard is cleared and the birds themselves are even noticeably more aromatic and flavorful than those processed in the first week.