Processed roosters turned dark in the freezer!

[shaw613]

I've got a freezer full of processed roosters that have turned red/purplish once frozen. I took them to the same facility I've been using for several years; I've watched them and they 'usually' do a very nice job. These birds looked absolutely normal once home; I kept one out, brined it and and it was fine. The rest ... I got one out and thawed it in the fridge, then brined it for another 24 hours. The uncooked leg quarters looked almost blueish under the skin. The cooked leg quarter meat was so dark I fed them to the dog ... the breast meat was fine. Has anyone had a problem like this or have any thoughts as to why? The one that wasn't frozen was normal and these turned purple by the next morning in the freezer. They were assorted breeds of roosters; marans, brahmas, a few leghorn crossed w/ ameraucana, and orpingtons.

 

[Molpet]

Older birds have more exercise and some look darker, also it could be blood... but mine taste great

 

[shaw613]

Older birds have more exercise and some look darker, also it could be blood... but mine taste great

Thanks ... these were young cockerels none more than 20 weeks and most around 16. In the pic above (just added it) you can see that some are really dark and others look normal.

 

[Molpet]

Thanks ... these were young cockerels none more than 20 weeks and most around 16. In the pic above (just added it) you can see that some are really dark and others look normal.

Looks about like mine. I actually like the darker ones, sorta like turkey.

 

[Torinik]

Looks pretty normal to me too. The drumstick at the top might look what it looks like when they get bruised just before or just after slaughter. Wash that leg under a running tap and see how much blood you can squeeze out, that might give you an indication as to whether it got bruised, or not bled out properly maybe.

But all in all, your picture doesn't look abnormal. I've had some chickens with really thick and really red skin, usually around the leg part and the back. First time I saw it, I thought the bird had some sort of skin condition, but the meat was fine. I usually skin the birds, unless I do several in one go, then I might heat up water to pluck them. I have also eaten that thick skin on one or two occasions, just as a test because I don't care much for the skin. It was fine. It was however slow-cooked as soup and coq-au-vin, don't know how tough it would be if you fry or roast it.

I actually want my meat redder (and tougher) than what you buy in the supermarket, so I make sure my birds get their greens every day and do plenty of running around. That makes for a remarkable difference. CX reared fast, in a small space, look and taste completely different from CX that you make run for their food. The last brahma I butchered looked almost purple under a dark yellow, and quite thick, skin. The meat-mutt I did at the same time had a nice red color and a pale, rather thin, skin. They look nothing like the whitish chicken you buy at the supermarket.

There's a picture on here with a reddish looking bird next to a dark grayish one if I remember right, but can't remember where exactly I saw it. That shows you a great contrast, but still completely normal. I've seen it here several times, but for the life of me I can't remember in what context.

Like I said, to me your picture looks quite normal. If you don't trust it, you can always feed those parts to your dog. Which you should always do with foodstuff you doubt. Unless you're starving and need whatever protein and calories you can find to sustain yourself.
I have eaten some questionable food in some questionable places on this globe, and it's fine, people can take far more than what they give themselves credit for. But in times of plenty, I'll throw a drumstick or filet out completely instead of cutting the bad parts out and eating the leftover bits that can pass. Depending on the situation at hand that might be wise or not, use common sense and sound judgement. Good luck.

 

[3KillerBs]

I've even seen that in commercial chicken, especially in the boxes of "miscut" chicken that I can buy super, super cheap (like $20 for 40lbs cheap), from Piggly Wiggly.

It's not pretty, but it tastes like chicken.

 

[shaw613]

Looks pretty normal to me too. The drumstick at the top might look what it looks like when they get bruised just before or just after slaughter. Wash that leg under a running tap and see how much blood you can squeeze out, that might give you an indication as to whether it got bruised, or not bled out properly maybe.

But all in all, your picture doesn't look abnormal. I've had some chickens with really thick and really red skin, usually around the leg part and the back. First time I saw it, I thought the bird had some sort of skin condition, but the meat was fine. I usually skin the birds, unless I do several in one go, then I might heat up water to pluck them. I have also eaten that thick skin on one or two occasions, just as a test because I don't care much for the skin. It was fine. It was however slow-cooked as soup and coq-au-vin, don't know how tough it would be if you fry or roast it.

I actually want my meat redder (and tougher) than what you buy in the supermarket, so I make sure my birds get their greens every day and do plenty of running around. That makes for a remarkable difference. CX reared fast, in a small space, look and taste completely different from CX that you make run for their food. The last brahma I butchered looked almost purple under a dark yellow, and quite thick, skin. The meat-mutt I did at the same time had a nice red color and a pale, rather thin, skin. They look nothing like the whitish chicken you buy at the supermarket.

There's a picture on here with a reddish looking bird next to a dark grayish one if I remember right, but can't remember where exactly I saw it. That shows you a great contrast, but still completely normal. I've seen it here several times, but for the life of me I can't remember in what context.

Like I said, to me your picture looks quite normal. If you don't trust it, you can always feed those parts to your dog. Which you should always do with foodstuff you doubt. Unless you're starving and need whatever protein and calories you can find to sustain yourself.
I have eaten some questionable food in some questionable places on this globe, and it's fine, people can take far more than what they give themselves credit for. But in times of plenty, I'll throw a drumstick or filet out completely instead of cutting the bad parts out and eating the leftover bits that can pass. Depending on the situation at hand that might be wise or not, use common sense and sound judgement. Good luck.

Thanks so much. I've raised both cornish and rangers for the freezer in the past, and I've had roosters processed in the same place and they weren't anything like this. However, I'lll say some of these were pretty active males and I did crate them a little more crowded (I needed one more crate than I have). I'll keep at it, and for sure will cut the next one up and see what I can't get out from the joints. That was where the bulk of the really dark, bloody looking areas and full blood vessels were. I can always cook two and give the really dark parts to the dog ... he'll never complain .

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I free range mine, and tend towards later processing dates. Looks a lot like mine. Good eats. and yes, "tastes like turkey" seems a fair descriptor.