Is there such a thing as a self sustainable meat bird that is comparable the Cornish x's

[celinamariel]

Howdy! I have some Australorps, RIRs, and White Austras.(13 hens 2 1/2 roos) In the past we put 2 extra RIR roosters in the freezer (they were about 17 weeks) I didn't like the meat hardly at all! I know RIRs are known for being tough ect, And I know that Cornish xs are supposedly the kind you buy in the store, but you cant breed them to maintain your flock. Does there exist such a breed that is comparable in taste and texture as store bought chicken AND able to be bred to maintain a self sufficient flock? I just cant get around the idea of buying a batch of meat birds every time I wanted to fill the freezer.

 

[Ridgerunner]

We all have different tastes. I recently took a 3-year-old rooster that had been cut into pieces and frozen but no brining though I did let him thaw in the refrigerator for about 4 days, rubbed him with oregano and basil, put him in a baking dish with just a little water, and cooked him at 250 degrees for about 4 hours. Tender and delicious. He did have some flavor. That comes from age. But how you cook them makes all the difference.

To answer your question. No there is nothing comparable. The closest is the Freedom Rangers. You might check them out. I haven’t raised them myself but there have been some threads on here form people that have. From what I’ve read they are hard to keep them for breeding purposes but some people have.

The tenderness and exceptionally mild flavor of the broilers comes from age. They are butchered very young. It’s much like beef veal is more tender and less flavorful than a steak.

The broilers have been specially bred to pack on a lot of volume of meat quickly and be very efficient at converting feed to meat. They are normally butchered at 6 to 8 weeks of age so they are really tender and don’t have a lot of flavor. If that is what you are used to, then you might not like any chicken that is much older. We all have different tastes.