How long is fresh chicken good in the fridge?

[rebel-rousing-at-night]

Quote:
I processed one a few months ago I had raised.There were no punctured intestines.

I didn't know about the brine deal but I understood to wrap loosely. I put plastic wrap around him but it was not closed up.It was 8 days before I got him cooked. The part that was a bit exposed to air too much turned a dark purpley off color. It smelled fine.

After he was cooked I didn't get the leftover part out for weeks.I know I'm ashamed to admit that but I have Jonny cat here.I kept putting off throwing away the leftovers because he would have torn that trash bag to pieces and I didn't want him or the others to eat the cooked chicken bones.

As time went on I couldn't bare the thought of taking the plastic off to be hit with a rotten putrid smell. Imagine my surprise when maybe a month had passed and the meat and gelled broth smelled fresh. I took a taste and it didn't even taste bad. Not to push my luck I threw it away.Far away that is as I took it to the trash dumpster myself.

I am not saying to do what I did as far as the timelines but that was my experience.

If it matters I used the broom method to kill him and skinned him.

 

[cassidy22]

We typically freeze our birds after processing. They chill in a tank until the meat is cool, then get bagged and frozen.

However, for Thanksgiving turkeys, based on research we have done - 1 week is all we will give freshly processed birds in the fridge. Those were the guidelines we found when we researched, and why we process Thanksgiving turkeys the weekend before Thanksgiving, and no sooner.

I don't know if your fridge is kept at a colder temp than mine, but even after defrosting (from a -10degF freezer) I wouldn't have thoguht 3 weeks would keep a bird fresh. I wouldn't have had the stomach to try, either. I don't let anything go longer than a week. I prefer to eat fresh meat within a few days, and if I can't, it gets frozen.

 

[vinegarfly]

This is my second year raising broilers and find the best amount of time is two days in the fridge after butchering, for the right tenderness. As for how long after that, I had some in there for a few weeks and they seemed a lot fresher than store bought. Cheers!

 

[happydog]

Last year I forgot to double check the setting in my barn fridge. I canned up most of the birds by the end of the first week and only had 8 left to go. I checked the birds after about 10 days and they were already starting to smell off. I looked at the thermostat and to my horror it was set to 40 degrees.

And so I learned that the most important thing is the fridge temp. The first year, I had the thermostat set down in the low 30s, as low as I could get it before they started to freeze. And the chickens were perfectly fresh, sweet smelling and non-slimey, at 21 days. But at 40 degrees they were spoiled by 10 days. So remember to set your thermostat low, and check it frequently.

The other thing that I think made a difference was packaging. The first year I used 2 gallon zip lock bags. Perfectly fresh carcasses at 21 days. Last year I tried to save a few bucks and wrap them in walmart bags instead of zip locks. That was a mistake. Any part that was exposed to air turned red and tough. I won't do that again. A box of zip lock bags only costs a few dollars. And it helps keep the meat cleaner and fresher.

One more thing that I think makes a difference is how well they're cleaned. I like to use a hose with a pressure nozzle and "pressure wash" the insides of the carcasses before tossing them into the barrels of ice water. I double and triple check to make sure I've gotten out the testes (looks like little white kidney beans) and all the kidney and lung tissue.

 

[happydog]

One more note about using zip lock bags vs walmart bags. When you put your birds in the fridge after soaking in the ice water there will be bits of ice left in the body cavity, as well as water draining out. When you use zip lock bags that water stays in the bag. When you pull out your last bag of chicken, the fridge is nice and clean. But when you use walmart bags they leak. Much of that water leaks out, dripping over the lower birds and making a big fat mess all over your fridge that you will have to scrub out later. I don't know why this didn't occur to me BEFORE I did it. lol

 

[vinegarfly]

Happy dog, I was wondering what those white kidney bean looking things were! Good information, thank-you!

 

[Pancholoco]

We eat them same day as they were culled.

 

[vinegarfly]

Do you find them tough at all?

 

[Pancholoco]

Nope. We use same recipe as my great great grandmother

 

[vinegarfly]

I'm very interested! I tried cooking after 1 day and found it was tough. These were young broilers. Did you do anything to it before cooking?