Meat from my chics taste terrible

[LilJoe]

To slaughter ours we hang them upsidedown (it calms them)
Then chop their heads off.

 

[NorthTexasWink]

Thank you for your reply.

It is not that it tastes different than the ones you buy. I really appreciate homegrown chicken meat. Both the old ones that I have to boil for a long time, the young ones which is oh so tender and the roosters with very dark meat.

But this... I can't describe the taste. It's like... not rotten. But as bad as rotten.

I guess I most be doing something wrong somewhere in the proces, which goes like this:

1. butchered by an axe
2. hanged up side down to let the blood run out
3. I tried different resting time from none till one day
4. Eviscerating closely following instructions from knowledgeable people
5. I don't cut them into smaller pieces (unless it is a large rooster which cannot fit in to the freezer)
6. Sometimes they stay in the fridge for a day before I freeze them and sometimes i freeze them right away. (Havn't tried to brine them).
7. prepared according to race, gender and age.

I think the cause is the eviscarating; I think the meat gets contaminated but I'm really doing my best and following instructions very closely.

I think Feedman already has it figured out for you. Eviseration should come immediately after bleeding out the animal. Then you can rinse well, pluck/singe, rinse some more, cool and rest, so on. The internal organs need to get out and the cavity opened up to cool quickly.

 

[Faraday40]

Thanks. We just ate one that rested for 6 days in the fridge. I was nervous about the age of the meat, but didn't want the animal's life to be wasted. It didn't smell bad & we didn't get sick.

I've only processed a few birds with the help of our handyman. The 1st time was a hen with a shell gland issue. I was afraid all the shell-less eggs would turn my flock into egg eaters, so she had to go. About 30 hours later she went into a slow cooker. It took a long time before her meat was tender enough to eat (but still tough) & that's how I learned that fresh meat needs to rest. LOL

I next tried to brine a 5 mo old orp cockerel, but really disliked the salty taste. I was able to use the leftovers & bones for a soup. After much water, that turned out yummy.

Since then I figured out that we prefer the younger cockerels - without a brine. If we must eat a bird older than 4 mo, then I just plan on a slow cooker meal and PBJ for the kids.

 

[Coop de Grass]

I just read an article online - which of course I can't find to post a link - but it mentioned something about a preen gland? Is it possible that this is what is causing the bad taste? I have several cockerels and am debating having them processed. I started reading to find out when they should be slaughtered. Seems like there wouldn't be all that much on them at 6 weeks!

 

[feedman77]

I just read an article online - which of course I can't find to post a link - but it mentioned something about a preen gland? Is it possible that this is what is causing the bad taste? I have several cockerels and am debating having them processed. I started reading to find out when they should be slaughtered. Seems like there wouldn't be all that much on them at 6 weeks!

I would process them at 16 to 20 weeks old.

 

[Fat Daddy]

As long as you rinse well, breaking or cutting internal organs, crop or intestines will not ruin the meat. "Resting" the bird will help tender but not effect taste unless allowed to spoil... but birds allowed to free range and forage at will can have varying degrees of stronger flavors.... Some will have a strong "game" flavor that some find similar to liver or almost spoiled. I'd guess this is your issue. Iv raised birds on wire that never touched the ground, they tasted exactly like store bought chicken. The same birds allowed to free range a few hrs a evening have a much different flavor. Good luck, Bill

 

[Amandakae]

But sometimes, unfortunately quite often, the meat tastes terribly.

Hi there, others may have already said this, but are you making sure you pull the gullet out? It is a sack attached to one of the breasts, going from the neck down to the breast. I have found that if I cut that, it makes the meat taste bad and go back quickly. Also, are you chilling your birds before bagging and freezing? I always keep mine in a cooler in ice water for 3 days, until the joints move freely. I also bought rabbit shrink bags off of amazon to help them last longer in the freezer. We have had no problem yet. I did have one batch that tasted horribly last year. It was due to not being careful enough when we eviscerated them. Now I am very careful, AND wash them thoroughly before putting them into the cooler with the other chickens. Once the cooler gets "tainted", all of the meat goes bad. I also keep the skin on at all costs. It helps protect the meat from getting "tainted" from anything that might have gotten in the water. I had a MUCH better time this year after making those changes. I also watched a bunch more youtube videos to make sure that I was doing things the right way...lol. Good luck! I hope you figure it out real soon!!!

 

[cottontail farm]

Occasionally I will kill a hicken or two after dark and not be able to gut and skin them until the next day. They sit in the fridge in bags until i get to them. There's never been an off taste.

Is it possible they're eating something that's affecting the taste? Some plant?