Roosters versus meat birds

[AlbionWood]

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Depends - on what you mean by "good." They have more flavor and are much better for stews or soups than a CX. The meat is also proportioned differently - less breast, more leg and thigh - so it depends on what kind of meat you want. But they take longer and eat more to get to the same weight as a CX, so the meat is much more expensive.

Next year I'm planning to raise both. The CX are like a crop of broccoli, harvested and out of the field in 3 months. Roosters are way more variable in time, size, yield, meat quality, etc. but the 18-week-old Delawares I just slaughtered made nice-looking carcasses and the meat was excellent. The one New Hampshire roo had enormous legs and thighs, very dark red meat, can't wait to try that!

 

[lacasitarojafarm]

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That is what we do we raise both. Hispanics think much like Tropical in that they just kill a rooster when they need one for the pot. However they almost only make broth or stew with those. When I want a frying bird or a rosater I get one of the CX from the freezer. Then after they eat it NO ONE calls me crazy.

 

[Ibicella]

I kind of consider meat birds and roosters to be like apples and oranges. Both are edible and delicious and have different qualities in texture and taste.

Personally, I prefer older dual purpose birds in general. I love the chewier meat and the rich, deep chicken flavor. I especially prefer them for making stock.

The CX of course are excellent for tender meat, getting more meat per bird, and I prefer them for roasting and frying.

Aw heck...I just like chicken!

 

[Tropical Chook]

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I strongly disagree with every part of this statement. There are many differences between homeraised and store bought chicken. If they are so similar, why do I have people beating down my door to buy my broilers, when they can easily go to the store and purchase one cheaper.

It's all mind over matter

People will pay more from store bought "free range" eggs as well, even though the birds are not exactly free range birds. Have a pen full of hens, and because they're not in cages, their eggs can be sold as free range eggs, but do those hens really free range? Mostly not, but instead, they eat the same commercial feed battery hens eat, so again, in my opinion, there's essentially no difference. My birds do free range, as in real free ranging, and they find about 90% of their own food. If I crack open one of their eggs alongside a store bought free range egg, there is simply no comparison. Even a blind person would see the difference.

I have on many occasions eaten home raised broilers, and I really did not notice much of a difference. If on the other hand I cook up one of my roosters, and I then compare it to a broiler, they're like two different species of animal

One is soft, tender, and flavorless, while the other tastes just like chicken

 

[Ironmaiden]

I will never again raise Cornish Rock X birds. The poor things can barely walk, and our last batch didn't have alot of flavor. Grandma's chickens were always very flavorful. I am quite sure they were older birds, but I plan on butchering mine "on the fly" after we eat these 4.

 

[MeatBird]

Everbody is entitled to thier opinion. I would rather raise meaties for 6 weeks than take care of a bird I am planning on eating for 4 or 5 months. Our broilers have always had great flavor.

 

[Brunty_Farms]

I'm truly surprised at the feedback of the cornish x. It seems this board sways back and fourth every three months or so as new members join and fall off. However I'm simply dumbfounded that not too many people stood up for the CX's.

Honestly this simply has been talked about time and time again however many just simply don't understand the difference between the two meat birds. DP (dual purpose) breeds have their qualities and the CX (cornish x rock) have their qualities and to be honest they both shine in their dishes. For instances if I wanted to make a soup stock I simply would not even consider using a CX for that, to me it's a waste as the flavor that you get from the broth is horrible compared to a DP. However, the same goes for grilling BBQ chicken parts on the grill. I would not even imagine eating a DP on the grill, they would flat out taste like an old rubber tire. Now a CX on the grill with some BBQ sauce...... nothing better.

Now for CX to get such a bad rap is typical. People hear about commercial birds and simply think that this is the case when raised in a backyard setting. Well, I'm here to tell you that's just not the case. If any of the problems stated in these past pages happen to appear in backyard CX's, they are simply management problems. A lot of people go head first when raising CX's and don't do much research prior and they get a bad experience because of it. However if CX's are raised on pasture which most people raise them on pasture here in the states, the chicken is way different then their commercial counterpart. The meat, especially leg meat, has way more flavor and has that "bite" comparable to a DP. If a CX is raised to 15-16 weeks on pasture the taste and texture is completely comparable to a DP of similar age. The difference however is the amount of meat, the reason for this is that the age is the bottom factor in overall taste and texture, not breed. DP breeds will vary in flavor a little but the average person can't tell.

A lot of the accusations about the CX come from people with little or no experience. So when reading, it's wise to do more research other than just this thread. I like to have both on hand as you never know when your going to use what. Most of the birds that we sell are the CX's as very few people have acquired a taste for a true DP breed that is 16 weeks old and even fewer have adjusted to the price of a DP breed as they are simply unaffordable to people.

 

[Buster52]

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I'm not.

 

[eKo_birdies]

nor am i...

by all means they most definitely have their perks (especially for incorporation in to a breeding program).... but the "group consensus" from my "customers" is that there is no comparison (lots that get my birds grew up raising cornish x too - they are only in their 30s so they aren't too "old school")

 

[PatS]

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Would a Freedom Ranger taste as nice BBQed on the grill as a CX, in your opinion? We've only had dual purpose extra roosters so I don't have the experience to know, but would like some BBQed chicken next year... I have a creepy feeling about raising a creature that has been so unnaturally bred that it can't survive more than a few weeks or reproduce, so if Freedom Rangers are as tasty, I'd rather go with them...