Official BYC Poll: What Is Your Perspective On Chickens For Meat

[JacinLarkwell]

I put a like on that because I agree with a good bit of it.. 61 years, 2nd gen farmer doesn't agree with the lab bs and the pink plastic eggs and free blow dry.. BUT man has taken it a step too far.. But then again humans are prone to do such.. I use circling the drain on occasion.. So after years of franken birds and the virus hitting I joined here in search of a sustainable meat bird.. I have a copy of the poultry standard my mom left me that's older than many or most here.. I wanted the standard white Cornish, guess what ? They're as scarce as flea teeth.. I ended up but a hatchery 5 advertised as slow grow.. They started laying before 5 months just recently, 7 eggs yesterday.. So it looks like we may have lucked out.. But until we hatch grow monitor and eat we won't know for sure.. On the right path though..

They're smaller, obviously, but you might like Cornish bantams. Mine got really large, fast and started laying eggs earlier than anyone else in their group.

 

[SnootyHen]

I do eat chicken but have not eaten my own. I can't say never but I think probably not. They're all layers and that was their purpose. I don't know that I would want to eat one after feeding it and calling it by name for years. If I raised meat birds, it would be different because that was their purpose so I wouldn't name them or spend years getting to know them. I also don't have any roosters so there's no danger of unwanted cockerels to eat.

 

[salshep20]

I do eat chicken but have not eaten my own. I can't say never but I think probably not. They're all layers and that was their purpose. I don't know that I would want to eat one after feeding it and calling it by name for years. If I raised meat birds, it would be different because that was their purpose so I wouldn't name them or spend years getting to know them. I also don't have any roosters so there's no danger of unwanted cockerels to eat.

I was like that at first but then I memorized the food chain and figured out that im at the top and the chicken is at the bottom and im the predator because my eyes are in the front of my head. But we all knw we would never say these things if we werent civillized like primitive people and in the woods hungry we would just kill the chicken and eat it not name it and love it and make it our friend. Its crazy how humnas changed over a short peroid of time.

 

[45lk9p459gm-w]

I had to cast my vote for "eating chicken but not my own" since we don't have any chickens ... yet. Working on that. We will have layers only to start so that we can supplement our food supplies with the eggs if things get any worse in this crazy world. If things get bad enough we will bring in some dual purpose birds and consume them as necessity dictates.

 

[Timmy59]

They're smaller, obviously, but you might like Cornish bantams. Mine got really large, fast and started laying eggs earlier than anyone else in their group.

TIME, what we ALL would like more of.. I have a flock, 4 roos and 10 hens that I have 5 months time in now and I am happy with them.. The wife of 32 years will tell ya I'm not easy to please either.. I have no doubt that on a 20% I'll have a meaty bird by 10 weeks and they won't make me feel like I'm growing a gmo mutant..

 

[JacinLarkwell]

TIME, what we ALL would like more of.. I have a flock, 4 roos and 10 hens that I have 5 months time in now and I am happy with them.. The wife of 32 years will tell ya I'm not easy to please either.. I have no doubt that on a 20% I'll have a meaty bird by 10 weeks and they won't make me feel like I'm growing a gmo mutant..

That's why I got these ones. Prettier and healthier than cornishx, and I can keep one if I get attached and not worry about it dying every night

 

[Tre3hugger]

There is so much Cornish X hate here. They are not "mutants" or "frankenburds" or "gmo."They are just an extra large terminal cross. Mine run around, argue with each other, scratch, and hide around under trees. Ya know, like a real live chicken. They weren't made in a lab or hatched out of fake shells. There are enough insane conspiracies out there (that are probablhy true, like the moon landing!) to believe in. Leave the noble Cornish X out of it. They may not be the perfect heritage bird, but it is thanks to them we can all afford to eat chicken.

Keep heritage birds for a conservation hobby. They are beautiful, and a rich part of our nation's history. Stop pretending they even COMPARE with Cornish x for efficiency or cost or that Heritage birds can efficiently feed a family of four year round. No amount of "that indescribable heritage taste" is getting me to pay $8/lb for chicken.

Stop hating on Cornish X. They are just a symbol of what for what you hate...the fading "death" of the old ways. But realistically, Cornish X made chicken the staple food it is today.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I've a 9 mo old CornishX who free ranges with the other members of the flock, lays eggs roughly every other day, and has produced some useful offspring. Eventually, i'll eat her, as i did her siblings.

She's not the best breed for my land and my needs, but that's not to say she isn't a useful chicken. Yes, i call her frankenchicken for identification (its memorable), but i name all my birds to ease discussion about them.

Her brothers included Cornish Rex and Cornish Secundis, who made many fine meals - and if either had been mounting hens, they might still be with me as members of the flock. They weren't serving that purpose, so I found another purpose for them. But they got a good 6 months before then.

/edit to add - her oldest son, pictured taken yesterday. Believe it or not, I'm keeping him as a breeder. Meet "Thing Three". (Apologies for the mess, I've been working in this area, and not cleaning up behind me. Lots of scrap left lying around)

 

[3KillerBs]

They may not be the perfect heritage bird, but it is thanks to them we can all afford to eat chicken.

Amen and Amen.

This is what frustrates me about a lot of these discussions. Chicken used to be a treat. Now it's a staple food and not just "a" staple food, but the most affordable source of quality, complete protein on the planet.

Thanks to the marvel of selective breeding that is the Cornish X.

(And likewise for the commercial Leghorns in re: their eggs.

This thread contains a link to a .pdf of a poultry book from 1921 -- "modern" farming information aimed at helping farms achieve a profitable 100 or more eggs per hen per year.

100 eggs per hen per year. From Leghorns.

Today I'd expect that from my Brahmas.

 

[Brooks_]

Other. This is my first flock and it wasn't intended for meat. With that said, I would certainly eat them. I know that they were humanely raised and what they ate.

BONUS QUESTION: While eating chicken (or even eggs) do you ever feel weird thinking about what your eating in relation to your own chickens?
No, but I feel weird about giving them their eggs back. I do it, but it messes with my head.