Kosher Kings?

[the simple life]

Does anyone know anything about kosher meat birds, as in breed, growth rate etc.?
I told someone that I would add some chicks to their order and my husband ran into them today and they said to tell me they were getting some kosher meat birds chicks.
He didn't think to ask them what hatchery, I usually order from Welp unless someone has a good deal going on so I have never seen kosher birds advertised but I have heard of Kosher kings, is this what they are talking about?
What hatchery carries them?

 

[dacjohns]

I thought that kosher was how they were processed, not a variety of fowl.

 

[My Little Sister's Farm]

Kosher is a process. It involves a rabbi blessing the facility and animals that are being processed and the other major part is that the animal can not "swallow" its own blood. That just mean you can't sever the neck all the way. I can't remember if it is Halal or Kosher but you can't stun them beforehand either. You can use any breed you like. You can not use the knives for non-kosher processing though. You should always process Kosher before any other processing because the equip must be Kosher. You might want to check with your local rabbi regarding processing if you are doing it for yourself. If you are doing it for someone else, they should be able to help you do it right.

 

[dacjohns]

Don't know how reliable this is but here is a link to a blog about "Kosher Kings".

http://moreethicaleating.blogspot.com/2008/01/what-is-that-chicken-im-eating-anyway.html



And another website.

http://www.nofa.org/tnf/su02/supplement/poultry.php



I think it might all be a marketing ploy. Kosher is better, Amish anything is better.

 

[Ariel301]

"Kosher" is the process, not the bird. There are animals that are not kosher--i.e. pigs, camels, birds of prey, shellfish--but chickens are a clean animal while they are alive, and if they are processed correctly.

Kosher processing involves first of all, that the animal was not 'torn in the field'--it does not have any injury or disease at the time of processing. Then it must be killed in a way that it is bled out as completely as possible, generally by severing the arteries in the neck. The blood must be buried in the dirt; it cannot be collected and used for anything. (regular slaughter plants often collect their animal blood for use in various products like pet food) After it is gutted and plucked, the animal is soaked in salt water and rinsed thoroughly to remove any blood still left. It is scripturally forbidden in the Torah to consume animals with the blood in them. On mammals, the sciatic nerve in the hindquarters must be removed, as well as certain fats around the internal organs which are not allowed to be consumed. Also, all utensils and surfaces used must be ceremonially clean--they cannot process a kosher animal on the same equipment used for an unkosher slaughter/butchering, because it would be rendered unclean by doing so, and if clean food touches unclean things, it becomes unclean. And if it is done commercially, a rabbi must oversee the slaughterhouse to be sure it is done correctly, and then the rabbi will put his stamp of approval (called a hechshur) on the product. For any commercially packaged food to be kosher, it must have rabbinical supervision and carry one of these marks. Kosher foods thus have a much higher standard of cleanliness and purity than the USDA's standards, in most cases. (The USDA actually has a standard for how much rodent or insect can be contained in something like peanut butter before it is unsafe, it is actually acceptable if a rat accidentally falls into the food and gets mashed in sometimes; whereas the Orthodox Union will not allow a kosher label to be placed on a food product if the factory has a known infestation with pests.)

I have heard there is a chicken being referred to as a "Kosher King" but I am unaware of what breed/hybrid this really is.

 

[gandbcook]

Kosher Kings are a type or "brand" of meat bird sold by Clearview Stock Farm in PA. They are very similar in growth and type to a Freedom Ranger only they are colored just like a Barred Rock. We have raised both and were pleased with them both. They take alittle longer to finish than traditional Cornish Cross meat birds but are not prone to the same health issues as the Cornish X can be. The flavor of both Kosher Kings and Freedom Rangers is excellent! Clearview Stock Farm does not have a website. If you search for the name, I think you can find a phone number for them. Excellent customer service. Beth

 

[the simple life]

gandbcook thanks a bunch, thats what I was looking for!
I haven't been able to find the name of the hatchery that carries them so thank you.
I am hearing good things about so it will be good to try some in addition to the cornish x I usually raise.
I had planned to do the freedom rangers towards the fall anyway so I guess we will mix it up a little.

 

[dacjohns]

Quote:
I guess you didn't look at the links I posted.

 

[the simple life]

Yes I did but I was confused by the information in the first link because it didn't tell me anything in regards to experience raising them or the name of the hatchery and since you had previously menioned that you thought kosher was a processing method and not a variety of fowl I assumed that you did not understand what I was asking or what the Kosher Kings are.
Most everyone in the meatbird section raises meatbirds so I was just asking for their experience with raising the Kosher Kings and the name of the hatchery that sells them.
She was the only one that knew what I was talking about, had previously raised them and had the name of the hatchery so I thanked her.

 

[dacjohns]

The second link talked about their performance and mentioned the name of the hatchery.

I guess I should have said it then posted the link.