Is there such thing as a NON-GMO bird

[Briani]

Was just curious.
Have you ever eaten a layer breed?

No I haven't. Why?

 

[Briani]

At what age did you butcher those Cornish X? By two months is pretty normal. With dual purpose breeds they are often butchered at an older age because they grow so much slower. That means if you butcher them really young like the Cornish X (which some people do) there is very little meat there so you may be disappointed in the amount. If you wait until the put on more weight the hormones of puberty can add some flavors to the meat, especially the cockerels. Some people like that, some people hate it.

Also as they age the meat gains texture. You can turn any chicken of any age and any sex into a gourmet meal, but the older they are the more restricted you are in how you can cook them and not turn them into leather.

It happens on here a lot. People that are only used to the chicken from the store or a restaurant/fast food place are used to eating Cornish X butchered at a very young age. When they taste our chicken with the additional flavor or experience the texture of an improperly cooked older chicken they just don't like it.

If you decide to got the dual purpose route I suggest that you sort of ease into it. There may be a learning curve in how to cook them but don't over-commit until you decide it is for you. I'm glad you had the experience of raising your own Cornish X so you have them to compare with. At the end of the day you may see why many people consider the Cornish X the "best" meat bird. You can make an honest comparison.

They were about 9 weeks

 

[aart]

No I haven't. Why?

Ridgerunner pretty much explained why.

 

[shedinator]

Also as they age the meat gains texture. You can turn any chicken of any age and any sex into a gourmet meal, but the older they are the more restricted you are in how you can cook them and not turn them into leather.

Ridgerunner is right, but I also don't want you to be too scared away here, so here's a slightly different perspective: DP vs Cornish X isn't so much a matter of one being more restrictive than the other as it is a matter of differing skill sets and practices required.

It's like the difference between natural yeast (sourdough) and active dry yeast in baking. You can't throw a tablespoon of starter into a recipe and expect to have a nicely risen loaf an hour or two later. But you also can't toss active dry yeast into a sourdough recipe and come back 12 hours later expecting to bake anything other than a glorified cracker.

Same thing with heritage and hybrid meat chickens. If quick prep, high heat, and fast cooking are your preferred style of food prep, Cornish X are the winners every time. But if you like building complex flavors over hours - or even days - then nothing will beat a heritage breed for taste.

Be honest with yourself, though. A lot of people love the taste of slow food, but don't want to do the work needed to have it often. You don't want to find that out about yourself after you've put a couple dozen DP birds in the freezer. Ridgerunner's suggestion about starting with a few is spot on.

 

[Amatsuhono]

https://blogs.scientificamerican.co...101-organic-farming-conventional-agriculture/

If chemicals are your major worry, this might be a good read for you.