Processed first chicken

[farmkat55]

My husband recently processed one of two roosters we had...he was the not so nice one! Anyway, once he was done...and cleaned up and such, I noticed that he seemed thinner than a whole chicken I would get at a store. Is that normal for a home raised chicken as compared to a storebought one? He sure didn't look thin before he was processed! LOL

 

[Morrigan]

Totally normal. Store-bought chickens are, almost without exception, a type of chicken called a Cornish-Cross, which has been selectively bred for many generations to be much, much bigger and faster growing then other types of chickens. The difference between the two is quite startling.

I'm not sure what type of chicken your roosters were, but I'm guessing they were not Cornish Crosses. Make sure to let the carcasses rest for 2 or 3 days before trying to eat them. Also, depending on how old they were, you made need to modify your cooking techniques -- slow stewing vs. roasting or frying.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I agree with the other poster.

My birds never come close to store chickens. That's OK with me. Those store chickens are even only about 8 week old and mine are never less than 16. Although the CC grow faster, they also consume more feed during that time, so I'm not sure if it's cheaper to raise CC for meat than heritage breeds but I still choose heritage.

Also, many of the store bought chickens may have a salt water type solution added to make them juicer, adding to their weight. But also the breast and leg proportions will vary greatly depending on breed.

So I'm going with completely normal... and congrats on you first home raised chicken supper!

The meaner the roo, the sweeter the stew. If ours got a little older and need some slow cooking we usually turn them into enchiladas or the like.

 

[Birdinhand]

totally normal! after growing out lots of cornish cross I've given up on eating the heritage breeds, I give them away. I have figured out ways to grow CX in what I believe is a humane and healthy way and since I have a family of four and we go through 1 to 2 a week and have limited time and close neighbors, it's better all the way around for us to grow CX out quickly and in largish numbers and fill up the freezer. the upside is that some prefer the taste of the heritage breeds and a slower less frantic growing experience. If I had more land and codes allowed more birds I'd be looking for a breed that I can breed out generation after generation rather than having to rely on a hatchery for a cross.

 

[RUNuts]

I always wondered why rubber chickens looked so scrawny compared to the grocery store birds. I thought I was missing the joke. Turns out the rubber chickens are what real chickens look like. The grocery store ones are the joke. Soft, mushy and less tasty.

Yes, I think I am biased. Like wild duck too much. Now, I've found real chicken. Popeye's will never be the same.

Let the carcass rest until rigor mortis passes. Enjoy the flavor. I did mine!

 

[BantyChooks]

Completely normal. Even my massive Australorp looked comically small once stripped of skin and legs.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Although the CC grow faster, they also consume more feed during that time, so I'm not sure if it's cheaper to raise CC for meat than heritage breeds but I still choose heritage.

The reason the Cornish X were developed is that it is extremely cheap to grow them out if all you are after is meat. Our dual purpose chickens can't come close to matching the efficiency of the Cornish X. Their feed to meat conversion ratio is really great.

Farmkat, as others have said, that is totally normal. The Cornish X are not only bred to put on meat faster they are bred to have more breast meat and just have larger portions compared to the bones. They are mostly meat, outs have a higher percentage of bone.

I choose my own dual purpose chickens also.

 

[charise564]

I always wondered why rubber chickens looked so scrawny compared to the grocery store birds. I thought I was missing the joke. Turns out the rubber chickens are what real chickens look like. The grocery store ones are the joke. Soft, mushy and less tasty.

Yes, I think I am biased. Like wild duck too much. Now, I've found real chicken. Popeye's will never be the same.

Let the carcass rest until rigor mortis passes. Enjoy the flavor. I did mine!

We are going to process our first next weekend. You say to let them rest a couple of days? What about putting them in the freezer? Planning on processing at least 4.

 

[RoosterML]

@farmkat55 congrats on your first time. I hope it wasn’t that rough on you although it does always help if the rooster is not your favorite. As many have said your standard breeds will not come close in size to store size. Here is a photo of the meat birds I am growing out now.
The large white ones are basically what you get at the grocery store. The reds are the next size down and the two small white ones are white leghorns that provide you with white eggs at the grocery store. They were all hatched on the same day it’s amazing how fast these things grow.
Picture says it all:

 

[RUNuts]

We are going to process our first next weekend. You say to let them rest a couple of days? What about putting them in the freezer? Planning on processing at least 4.

Your choice. The resting process is to let rigor mortis pass. The muscles will tighten up and chew like rubber if done wrong. General rule is to let them rest at least 48 hours in the fridge. After processing, wiggle and move the leg. See how loose it is. After an hour, do the same wiggle. Expect some resistance as the muscle tighten.

You can rest the meat before freezing or after, but do rest it for tender results. Few people enjoy chewing rubber. After a bit, you can recognize the difference. Having said this, tough old birds are called tough old birds for a reason. They are.

Are these meat chickens? Are they young? Young ones are hard to mess up. The 2+ year old ones are tough and should be cooked at low temperature and slowly. Think simmering soup, gumbo or other wet and slow cooking method.

Search the site for young birds. They are classed based on age as fryers, broilers or soup birds. Best wishes and congratulations on your first butcher!