Want a fattier bird

[erinchelsea]

Quote:
Interesting! I will look into it, thanks.

 

[happydog]

First off you need to get a cow. Then you feed your chickens buckets full of clabbered milk every day.

I butchered my cornish x hens today. I noticed they had a lot more fat than the males I butchered 12 days ago. I logged on tonight to ask if that was normal. I guess I'll just shut up and be grateful, lol.

I fed them mostly clabber, mixed with some 16% feed. Also it's been rainy here the last 4 days so I kept them cooped. I don't know if that had anything to do with it or not. But I think the milk was key.

 

[bigredfeather]

Quote:
Nutrena meat bird feed, 22%

That's the same percentage I use, so I'd say that is why they were so lean.

 

[kfacres]

Going to try and summerage a bunch of people's thoughts into one response...

Females, naturally are fatter than males- of any meat animal species. It's natural for females to not be as active, and so they'll create more intra, and inter fat. The order of leanest to intact males, casturated males, then females.

If you want your birds to be 'fatter' @ butchering, either give them more days on feed, limited movement, or a higher energy ration... or a combo of any/ all 3. Corn is the most common source of energy, but any feed high in fat will work.

 

[AquaEyes]

I remember reading about "humane foie gras" production, where instead of tube-feeding, the geese were given lots of raw olives. They'd consume the normal volume of food, but this volume of olives had far more calories than the same volume of mash or grass. The birds acquired equivalently fatty livers to traditional foie gras production.

ETA -- by "raw" I meant not brined, but fresh-picked...as in, right off the tree, and not the olives as they are typically bought in a grocery store.

 

[erinchelsea]

Quote:
Oh don't tell me this...I want one desperately but do NOT need another project right now.

Plus, we took apart the old milking parlor and turned it into a chicken coop!

I'm so jealous you have fresh milk!

 

[erinchelsea]

Quote:
Now if only I had an olive tree in my backyard!

 

[AquaEyes]

Quote:
Now if only I had an olive tree in my backyard!

I think the point was feeding something that was high in calories for a small volume of food. So find things that are high in fat and supplement with them. Or, you could just add olive oil to their feed.

 

[schmism]

Quote:
watch your cooking times. do not overcook the chicken else i dont care HOW good a chicken you start with it will still wind up tough and rubbery.

its fresh chicken. while you still dont want it raw in the mid, but as soon as that last bit of pink is gone, its done!