According to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Services, Fresh or Frozen Chicken from Farm to Table Food Safety Information (excerpts):
Quote: Product dating is not required by Federal regulations, but many stores and processors voluntarily date packages of chicken or chicken products. If a calendar date is shown, there must be a phrase immediately adjacent to the date that explains the meaning of that date, such as sell by or use before. The use-by date is for quality assurance; after the date, peak quality begins to lessen, but the product may still be used. It’s always best to buy a product before the date expires. If a use-by date expires while the chicken is frozen, the food can still be used because foods kept frozen continuously are safe indefinitely.
Fresh Chicken: Chicken is kept cold during distribution to retail stores to prevent the growth of bacteria and to increase its shelf life. Chicken should feel cold to the touch when purchased. Select fresh chicken just before checking out at the register. Put packages of chicken in disposable plastic bags (if available) to contain any leakage which could cross-contaminate cooked foods or produce. Make the grocery store your last stop before going home. At home, immediately place chicken in a refrigerator that maintains a temperature of 40 °F (4.4 °C) or below. Use it within 1 or 2 days, or freeze it at 0 °F. (-17.8 °C) If kept frozen continuously, it will be safe indefinitely.
Encyclopedia Brittanica
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/473031/poultry-processing/50392/Fresh-poultry states:
Quote:
The optimal storage temperature for fresh poultry is 26-32F. At these temperatures, the meat does not freeze, but it firms. It is sometimes a struggle, even in November in Michigan, to maintain those temperatures for an extended period of time. Since our turkeys are purchased live in advance by the buyers and then custom processed, we want to be sure they have their turkeys as quickly as possible and we pass proper storage information along.
When I raised my first turkeys, I was concerned about the food safety rules that said "refrigerate no more than 1 or 2 days" when my processing dates were a week ahead of that. My processor laughed, and assured me they would be perfectly fine for Thanksgiving. Today, nearly all commercial poultry changes state from fresh to frozen to fresh before hitting the shelves. There is no way of telling how old it is, or how long it has been thawed in a display case, before we purchase it. I have been eating my own turkeys that were processed up to 12 days before Thanksgiving and they have always been wholesome and delicious.
The minimum time between slaughter/processing and ideal cooking time is about 3 days. Until then, under refrigeration at about 32F, the meat is still stiff with rigor mortis, which sets in after processing and chilling. It relaxes and the natural enzymes tenderize the meat.
This article suggests a week of hanging for optimal quality.
http://www.poultryclub.org/poultry/keeping-birds-for-meat/
