Processing Day Support Group ~ HELP us through the Emotions PLEASE!

[jajeanpierre]

I think with the cattle it is the corn that causes the problem. I would use Organic wheat or Kamut. Milk soaked grains is the traditional way of finishing Bresse.

The grain finish might change the Omega three though.

I know corn is a real issue, but I can't help but think that a high carbohydrate diet would not be good either. I don't know what they feed farmed fish, but their flesh isn't nearly as good for you as wild caught.

 

[ronott1]

Arielle, I went and took a picture of one of my 25 week old capons:




I took the kitchen scales and weighed him just now: 8 pounds 3 ounces

That is a nice sized Capon. When do you Process him?

Please let us know how he tastes!

 

[BCMaraniac]

I did see them. They look very nice and I bet they will be very tasty.

When I worked in the meat Dept. for Safeway in the 80s we sold Capons a couple of times. I am very impressed that you capon your chicks.

I may do that sometime.

Those are seasonal primarily, I think. Mine isn't going to be big enough for the holidays. I will probably wait until February/March of next year. There is only one commercial capon producer in the US, and they use Cornish X. Kassaundra mentioned that she priced them directly from the producer and they were $50-75 plus shipping......ouch!

Caponizing has been a learning experience this year, and I have had several slips. So we have processed them as they became apparent. My success rate is improving, so hopefully next year it will be better. I am even considering crossing the marans with my Bresse just to see what happens.

 

[ronott1]

I know corn is a real issue, but I can't help but think that a high carbohydrate diet would not be good either. I don't know what they feed farmed fish, but their flesh isn't nearly as good for you as wild caught.

The Bresse are Free Ranged and then finished. I do not think the meat changes that much in such a short time.

This is from a Bresse grower:

I grow out my Bresse inside a grow out pen and pasture. I feed grow crumbles, and I fatten for two weeks on milk, wheat flour and corn meal with Barley meal. I purchase flour and the milk at Costco corn and barley from the feed store. The birds gain almost 2 lbs on this fattening diet and marble the fat throughout the muscle. The fattening process is the secret, it is the same as was used 100 years ago here in the US for fattening heritage birds back then. Look up on the Internet fattening chickens. They are considered milk fattened if the majority of the liquid they take is milk during this time. It cost almost $2 to fatten one chicken but gains 2 lbs in weight. I hope this answered you question.
Jon

I just used kamut and milk once a day and they did gain weight.

 

[jajeanpierre]

They never had the meat qualities we think they did.

Traditional roaster age range was from 5 to 12 months, and carcass weight from 4 to 8 pounds. Most
roasters were butchered between 6 and 9 months.

I've used every excuse I could think of not to process a couple of cockerels, but I'm fast running out of excuses--the last one is that I need to get a tank of propane gas for heating the water for scalding.

I want to debone them (thank you whoever posted that deboning video with the French chef) and stuff them. They are 7.5 months. Can I roast them still or will they be too tough? They are Ameraucanas.

 

[ronott1]

I've used every excuse I could think of not to process a couple of cockerels, but I'm fast running out of excuses--the last one is that I need to get a tank of propane gas for heating the water for scalding.

I want to debone them (thank you whoever posted that deboning video with the French chef) and stuff them. They are 7.5 months. Can I roast them still or will they be too tough? They are Ameraucanas.

Yes, but roast them at a low temperature.

This is an oven braising or pressure cooking recipe that will work:

 

[BCMaraniac]

That is a nice sized Capon. When do you Process him?

Please let us know how he tastes!

I am thinking maybe Easter.....that would put him at 9-10 months old. I am figuring as big as he is now, that I might get him to 10 pounds dressed weight......that may be wishful thinking, though.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: THanks ROn. THis is always worth reposting, if that is the case.

I'm trying to point out that most of the breeds have been neglected as meat birds and so to find a line that is a decent meat bird is frustrating. I dont' expect a cornishx, but I do expect far more meat on the carcass than I am getting now. THe birds I have now are not worth the effort to process. DO taste very good though. ANd I truely like the flavor better than the grocery store chicken.

IF I can't get more meat on the carcass, then I will just go with cornishx mixed with my biggest rooster for something in between. And test this cross. IF I can get the girls to lay-- they might be a little too fat at this point.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: SInce producing my own chicken for eating, the color of the skin has become immaterial. lol IT all tastes like chicken!!

I was just reading an article, hedersons I think, and said cornish can be difficult to breed and might need AI , and he wasn't talking the commercial lines. I think Walt had told me this too. WOnder if the breeding works better using a cornish hen ??

 

[loveourbirds]

i tried a cornish rock cross in a few different breedings. (i hope this helps you all)

i selected the fastest growing cockerel out of a white rock line. the cockerel topped 12lbs in his first year. i put him over cornish x rock (no fertility not sure why but it appeared to be the hens)

the same cockerel over 2 fast growing dark cornish (standard bred) hens, produced semi fast growing offspring with double breast meat. 12 week average dressed weight was about 4 lbs.

i tried a faster growing dark cornish (standard) over fast growing white and barred rock hens. lay rates were low, hens were bald, fertility was o.k. growth rate wasn't as fast as the rock over cornish.

i intentionally crossed dark cornish with turken (turken rooster over cornish hen) then bred the female offspring to the fast growing white rock strain. this produced the best table birds, but took 15 or so weeks to dress out to an average of 4 lbs. plucking was very easy, skin browned better than any of the other crosses.

if you want to try these crosses, go to a heritage breeder and look for the largest breasts and broadest backs. breed one year's offspring from pure lines and sort out the fastest growers - then work with the crosses.