what is the best meat breed

[Parront]

A lot of people are fan of the Cornish cross. It has a fast growth rate, good feed conversion, looks like your typical store-bought chicken and very accepted by people. (I mentioned the last point because some people might not be so open to eating an old stewing hen who is pretty tough and not plump and tender)

This is true, this bird is what our young people have grown up eating, and now it is what they want to eat. There are lots of uses for old hens, some are very tasty. But, it takes some cooking know-how that younger people might not have. I think they make the best chicken enchiladas ever eaten.

 

[snood dude]

This is true, this bird is what our young people have grown up eating, and now it is what they want to eat. There are lots of uses for old hens, some are very tasty. But, it takes some cooking know-how that younger people might not have. I think they make the best chicken enchiladas ever eaten.

I don't care what age of chicken I eat except for 1 yr old or older roosters. They taste great they just get so tough at that age.

 

[Parront]

I don't care what age of chicken I eat except for 1 yr old or older roosters. They taste great they just get so tough at that age.

Those guys go in the pressure cooker around here. 30 min or more, depending on the age and size. The carcass goes in the pressure cooker for 30 min to make soup or broth after I roast or crock pot a younger bird. The Cornish-X store chicken do not have enough body/flavor to do that.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

The one on my table.

What you want in meat determines what breeds are your favorites. Lots of Breast meat??? Cornish X. Lots of dark meat? Duck. Between, certain chicken "body types" favor differing proportions of light to dark meat. Tenderness is largely a factor of age and activity, while subcutaneous fat (and its flavor) are influenced by diet and exercise. High feed efficiency compared to average - CornishX (chicken), Pekin (duck). There is a certain cache around various heritage breeds (such as the Bresse), but I haven't had chance to compare. Its unlikely, bordering on implausible, that the majority of palettes could discern any difference whatsoever. To most, rattlesnake "tastes like chicken".

and while a truly refined palette and a delicate preparation might allow a certain terroir to be discerned, its a safe bet that many breeds are substantially similar enough that similar management practice on the same piece of land would result in identically flavored birds, for all that the starting breeds were genetically different.

I raise dual purpose free range birds. So I eat dual purpose free range birds for meat. They are my favorites - I know how they've been treated, what they've eaten, how they were butchered, when, and how long they've been stored - as well as the sanitation practices all along that chain. That's what matters to me. (and I can't tell the difference between a year old Rooster barnyard mutt, a year old Dark Brahma, and a year old Rainbow hen, except by the weight of the carcass. The Pekin Duck's bone structure gives it away, and the CornishX' breast/thigh ratio is an easy tell.

Your answer will, necessarily, differ. I doubt that helps, but its honest.

 

[RoosterML]

I don't care what age of chicken I eat except for 1 yr old or older roosters. They taste great they just get so tough at that age.

Skin is very tough also. I had one rooster when dressing it out I had a hard time pulling it apart to eviscerate.

 

[RoosterML]

Normally I will do the red royal or colored broilers from Moyers. They have been great. I just picked up my order from the post office yesterday of 50 CX from Welp cause they had a great deal awhile back. I will also be hatching about 100 chicks if not more this year so that’s gonna give me a lot of cockerels to process also. With all that being said I am really starting to be a big fan of quail. Just my 2 cents
Not really a favorite but more food for the table. I would rather eat my chickens then someone else’s.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Skin is very tough also. I had one rooster when dressing it out I had a hard time pulling it apart to eviscerate.

Might I suggest taking the whole of the skin off while butchering at that age, then process into either "hamburger" or sausage? The mechanical maceration creates the impression of tenderness, you can add additional fat if required (and ensure its well distributed), while the stronger flavor of the aged bird holds up nicely to those typical preparations - smoking, dry rub aging, etc. Legg's "Snack Stick" seasoning, for instance, makes a nicely seasoned chicken burger whose flavor doesn't disappear under pickles, tomato, katsup/ketchup, cheddar cheese, jalapeno jack, or even barbq sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's Chipotle Honey), banana pepper/pepperoncini rings, and sharp cheddar on fresh sourdough buns (a personal favorite - with fries, not seasoned) and a side of mayo-based coleslaw.

 

[Parront]

Might I suggest taking the whole of the skin off while butchering at that age, then process into either "hamburger" or sausage? The mechanical maceration creates the impression of tenderness, you can add additional fat if required (and ensure its well distributed), while the stronger flavor of the aged bird holds up nicely to those typical preparations - smoking, dry rub aging, etc. Legg's "Snack Stick" seasoning, for instance, makes a nicely seasoned chicken burger whose flavor doesn't disappear under pickles, tomato, katsup/ketchup, cheddar cheese, jalapeno jack, or even barbq sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's Chipotle Honey), banana pepper/pepperoncini rings, and sharp cheddar on fresh sourdough buns (a personal favorite - with fries, not seasoned) and a side of mayo-based coleslaw.

Something that I learned when we went to France and ate duck. They use the breast filet, pound it flat like you would a tough steak, and grill or fry it, not too done, a little rare,-- better than steak

 

[Ridgerunner]

When I order chicks, I get st. run, because I think it is wrong to dispose of the day-old cockerels.

When I order dual purpose chicks and I want pullets, I order however many pullets I want, usually not a lot. Then I fill out the order with a bunch of dual purpose cockerels for the freezer. I don't trust straight run, I once got 7 pullets out of a straight run order of 7 chicks. I actually wanted some boys, that's why I ordered straight run.

They always have more cockerels left over than pullets. If you go for straight run you aren't really balancing out the extra cockerels that hatch. I consider straight run too random. And I get the breeds I want for meat and for eggs. Those aren't necessarily the same.

 

[Juliabird]

)7

I do the same but usually just to my not laying hen and roosters.

i feel silly asking this but we have 21 girls and 8 eggs daily. Many of our girls have retired. I want more eggs. How do we tell which hens are laying and which ones are not?