Just curious.. Do you give your meat chickens less running

[Willowspirit]

Room to keep them tender?

 

[Fishkeeper]

I don't think meat chickens are capable of getting tough. They need to be given space to be kept humanely, so they grow fast but not too fast, or their legs start breaking under them.

 

[Willowspirit]

I don't think meat chickens are capable of getting tough. They need to be given space to be kept humanely, so they grow fast but not too fast, or their legs start breaking under them.

Thank you. I was thinking again. Causes me trouble but i can't help it!

 

[Mrs. K]

However, if I just have laying birds that are roosters, I have done that. Kept them confined and limited the free ranging to almost nothing, and I think it helped. But the meat birds are the kept in a pen most of the time, so that NOTHING else gets to eat them.

 

[The Dapper Duck]

I have raised heritage birds on pasture, completely free to roam about the yard and forest every day in the afternoons and never had a problem with tough legs. It's all about the timing of butchering. If you have CX, even less to worry about.

 

[Alaskan]

I don't think confinement makes the meat more tender, but it does increase the fat content.

I have found that the age of the animal at slaughter, and the way you cook the meat, have the biggest impact on making the meat tender.