Letting my broody raise 20 meaties. Now I have a rooster raising 50 CX chicks~new batch!

[Beekissed]

My niece held over 10 CX for 5 mo. and then couldn't stomach processing, so she gave them to me. These were in a pen and fed mostly cracked corn. She had lost 2 of the original 12 that she had started with from heat or organ failure.

None of her birds had green anything, nor did they have any visible health problems. I don't know how but they seemed fine and could all walk just fine. Their organs were okay except the livers seemed a little enlarged. I canned them so I'm not sure how tender the meat was or wasn't.

 

[Wolfwoman]

Quote:
Its actually not that uncommon in CX if they are let go past about 12 weeks. I believe the articles I found on the topic stated that it was from lack of use of the muscle. They atrophe and .......turn green. The only thing effected was wing tissue. There was no smell like you'd get with gangrene. Birds didn't seem uncomfortable and never complained when I inspected the wings. But still, green meat, NO THANKS! I'll butcher them all before 12 weeks from now on.

Hmm, mine DO use their wings, quite often, so I guess I won't have that problem!

 

[vfem]

Quote:
I usually save the hearts and livers... then boil them and give them to the cat.

Last night while I was feathering and gutting though, she kept getting in the gut bucket from one of my birds... she took off with something she got, not sure what... but she had a good night!

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
Stang, it is the spleen! I found pics on the web and the pancreas looks nothing like this but the spleen looks just like it.

 

[joebryant]

Beekissed, I just found this very interesting and informative post today. Thanks for a GREAT read.

 

[Beekissed]

You are welcome, Joe!

 

[stanglover2001]

Quote:
Stang, it is the spleen! I found pics on the web and the pancreas looks nothing like this but the spleen looks just like it.

COOL!!! I love learning new things!! (I always loved Biology)

I wish mine were big enough to butcher! I'm new to all of this and this is my first year with chickens, and I'm tired of buying meat from the store! Can't wait for the day I can say that I live by raising my own meat and not rely on Walmart to have it packaged and ready for me

I hope to keep learning and raising chickens and meeting new people that love to raise chickens!!! My meaties are almost 3 weeks now and just put them into the tractor today yay! so this and other threads are so helpful to us newbies!

Thanks soo much!

 

[Beekissed]

We took pics of other portions of the butchering, if anyone would like to view them. I've got some showing where to cut the legs for easy removal, where to slit the throat for an easy bleed out, of the other guts spread out where one can view them, of the liver with the gallbladder still attached(this is a nasty little bugger that can really taint your meat if you burst it), of the egg center of the hen(though this one was from the meaty birds and is really underdeveloped) and of where to cut around the anus to release that portion from the carcass and not get feces on your meat.

I took these pics for a how-to homesteading type book I'm writing about hillbilly skillsets for raising your own foods. This whole experience will be documented there as an alternative way to raise meat chickens for your own consumption.

 

[Katie Thes]

I would love to see the photos. I'm sending my extra cockerels away for processing this year, but eventually I'd like to do it myself.

This is a great thread!

 

[Miltonchix]

Quote:
Its actually not that uncommon in CX if they are let go past about 12 weeks. I believe the articles I found on the topic stated that it was from lack of use of the muscle. They atrophe and .......turn green. The only thing effected was wing tissue. There was no smell like you'd get with gangrene. Birds didn't seem uncomfortable and never complained when I inspected the wings. But still, green meat, NO THANKS! I'll butcher them all before 12 weeks from now on.

Hmm, mine DO use their wings, quite often, so I guess I won't have that problem!

Mine free ranged/foraged too. They had more than enough space to move/run/flap etc. Some would flap like crazy and others just didn't. They are the funniest looking things trying to flap/run like normal chickens. More of waddle thrash.

Out of 25 birds I only had 3 of them with green meat. Some of the articles I read was all about green breast meat.