Just ate our first heritage breed

[Niki1313]

We sent our 2 welsummer roosters in with our cornish x to get processed. They were a year old, processed weight was 4 and 4.5lbs. I roasted them low and slow according to an antique cookbook recipe. They were definitely a different texture compared to cornish x, but no where near as tough as what I was expecting and loads of flavor. Looking forward to the rest of my heritage experiment to be ready for tasting. All birds are hatchery stock, I have speckled sussex, silver laced Wyandottes, 1 barred rock(got mixed in with Wyandotte on accident) delaware, and a few red sex link roos. They should be ready middle of July. I am considering getting some birds from Freedom Ranger hatchery next year. Any suggestions as to what breeds or hatchery to try next year.

 

[abpatchy]

I enjoy my Sulmtaler chickens. Wonderful flavor. A butchered grown rooster is about 6lbs. But I understand they are hard to come by in the US.

 

[iwltfum]

Nothing like a good heritage roo! I raise lots of freedom rangers and they're efficient food conversion machines similar to cornishX but with a better forage drive. But I love the flavor of a 6-12 month old heritage breed rooster. If I could grow them for the same cost in feed I would.

 

[Acre4Me]

Here is a thread on two heritage types I posted awhile ago. Great tasting birds!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/22-week-bjg-and-red-dorking-comparison.1342976/

 

[Tre3hugger]

I have heard great things about Henry Nolls NH line, available through freedom ranger hatchery. Heritage breed selected for meat qualities. They also offer a delaware. I have 12 of each coming in July.

 

[Folly's place]

I've had Freedom Rangers from there, and loved them. Also we've raised heritage cockerels for the freezer, yummy. More flavor for sure, because they are older when butchered.
It's interesting that modern recipies call for lots of spices and shorter cooking times, I think because grocery store Cornishx birds are so very bland (and mushy). Old recipies depend on actual 'chicken flavor' and longer cooking times, because the birds have firmer (tougher?) flesh. And chicken stock is so much better using an older bird!
Mary

 

[Ridgerunner]

no where near as tough as what I was expecting and loads of flavor.

I don't have suggestions for breeds or hatcheries, I raise my own crossbreed mutts. There are some very knowledgeable people on this forum for what you are asking.

I process both boys and girls of varying ages. I'm convinced age has a lot to do with flavor and texture. But for the boys, I believe the hormones that start during puberty makes a big difference to both flavor and texture. Some people call that added flavor "gamey" and don't like it. I think it improves the flavor. Usually around 4 to 5 months is when a lot of connective tissue shows up in the boys. You'd probably notice a difference in processing your 1 year old rooster as compared to a Cornish X boy that's never seen puberty.

I roasted them low and slow according to an antique cookbook recipe.

You sure did that right. You read a lot about how tough old roosters or even old hens are or that they are inedible. When I see that I just think they don't know how to cook them. Mary is right, today's recipes usually assume you are using the Cornish X you get at the store. If you cook an older bird with those recipes it probably won't turn out very well. But if you cook a Cornish X that was butchered while still very young with the "heritage" recipes it will often be bland and mushy.

We all have our own references as to taste and texture. While there is science behind why we do certain things I think art has a lot to do with it too. Welcome to the adventure. To me it is an enjoyable journey.

 

[CNJ]

I crossed my White Bresse rooster with Black Australorp, Lemon Cuckoo Orpington, and Black Jersey Giant hens. All the chicks are white and 90% of their legs are blue. Bresse chickens reach mature weight 4 to 6 lbs. by 16 weeks.. They fill in faster in my opinion, so crossing them works out for me. I'll be crossing the bigger crosses for my ABCD hybrid experiment.

 

[CNJ]

Mature Bresse eggs are much larger than Australorps and Orpingtons and Bresse meat is tender, its considered a gourmet commodity.

I'll be crossing pure ones to standard White Cornish by end of year and the off springs of two different pairs will be the ABCD main parents of my meat bird line.

I hoping for 5lbs. birds at end of 8 to 9 weeks...............

 

[HomesteadNowhere]

I have heard great things about Henry Nolls NH line, available through freedom ranger hatchery. Heritage breed selected for meat qualities. They also offer a delaware. I have 12 of each coming in July.

Ooh! Be sure to make a post on how they do! I have freedom rangers now and I'd like to get some of the NH from them for my breeding project.