Our cost for Heritage

[ColoradoPip]

Thank you!

I am getting Marans this year to try dual purpose and selected them because dark meat is my favorite. I have considered the Bresse as well but had little interest in the special finishing and wasn't sure how they would turn out otherwise. Really appreciate your insights!!

 

[ijon]

Speaking of heritage my huge Buckeye rooster just died. I think he had to much action.

 

[Beaglegal]

We're doing a normal finishing. The first time we did a 6 week finishing with cracked corn soaked in goat's milk and that did add some more fat.

The Bresse have a delicate skin and a lighter thigh color, not SO dark. Larger breasts than I've seen on ANY "Heritage" type. The meat is finely textured. They don't get fat globs and what fat does develop melts like butter.

In contrast, the Marans have a thicker skin, darker meat on the thighs, smaller breasts but with heavier thighs. The meat isn't "soft" but it's not tough/chewy either... more like what you'd expect from a decent dual purpose bird. Their fat melts down good too.

We like to bake the Bresse whole, we do them with skin on. The Marans we mainly skin and crockpot and shred down for sandwiches or to mix in with rice/veggies.

There isn't really a taste difference... chicken tastes like chicken... but it's in the details of the texture, the skin, and where/how much meat there is.

Yes thanks for this information as well. I have been trying to decide on turkeys or chickens for meat. If you had to go with one, would you choose turkey or chicken (specifically the Bresse)

 

[Acre4Me]

Thank you!

I am getting Marans this year to try dual purpose and selected them because dark meat is my favorite. I have considered the Bresse as well but had little interest in the special finishing and wasn't sure how they would turn out otherwise. Really appreciate your insights!!

Perhaps consider Dorking chickens. I posted a review of butchering 22week old BJG and Red Dorking. The Dorking had very dark meat and meaty legs/thighs. My review is just a few posts down in this meat birds forum.

 

[Beer can]

Your doing pretty good!
I'm always in the hole. Really was last yr with two free broad breasted bronze turkeys. Kept saying I'd process next weekend until they were 50lbs. Free was pretty expensive lol.

 

[mandelyn]

Yes thanks for this information as well. I have been trying to decide on turkeys or chickens for meat. If you had to go with one, would you choose turkey or chicken (specifically the Bresse)

The chicken. They lay year round while the Turkeys are seasonal. Processing Turkeys is a JOB. We don't do more than 3 at a time and even that takes awhile. The Turkeys cost more, their feed is more expensive ($21 a bag versus $14.50) so that's why we only grow out about a dozen of them a year.

Once you're out of Turkey, there's no more until they're laying again. Then it's 6-7 months for them to fill out. The chickens lay year round (for the most part) and it's only a minimum of 16 weeks until they're "worth it" sized.

 

[Beaglegal]

The chicken. They lay year round while the Turkeys are seasonal. Processing Turkeys is a JOB. We don't do more than 3 at a time and even that takes awhile. The Turkeys cost more, their feed is more expensive ($21 a bag versus $14.50) so that's why we only grow out about a dozen of them a year.

Once you're out of Turkey, there's no more until they're laying again. Then it's 6-7 months for them to fill out. The chickens lay year round (for the most part) and it's only a minimum of 16 weeks until they're "worth it" sized.

Gosh I really appreciate the reply. After spending all day butchering our extra cockerels and having them end up so small (they were mixed dual purpose not meat birds) I thought about turkeys because at least the carcasses would be bigger. But these are all valid points.
Also we had a chicken die from histomoniasis so I know it’s in our soil and could be a problem with turkeys.

I always preferred turkey meat until I tasted home grown chicken, but I haven’t tasted home grown turkey yet to compare.