What to look for if I want humanely raised chicken to eat?

[gophert]

Um...am I being accused of projecting human traits onto chickens or being in thrall to an idealist guru? Lordy.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
I think that gets a little nit-picky.

If I were to walk up to a table at a farmers' market there are a few questions I would ask:

What did you feed them? (Depending upon your interests you could ask about organic feed, locally produced grains, etc.).

What kind of housing did they have? (Were they raised indoors, in a pen on pasture, etc.)

How were they slaughtered? (On premises? At a processing facility? Was the meat inspected?)

Those three questions cover a huge amount of ground.

 

[Illia]

Really? People, it is a matter of opinion on how animals should be treated. Not everyone thinks humans are 5x more important.


Murray McMurray is a hatchery like any other big name hatchery, their parent stock to the chicks you receive get the same treatment any other commercial operation gets. They need a LOT of eggs to hatch and sell a LOT of chicks, so naturally, just picture in your mind how that goes.

And consider that they don't even show people how it goes, they just show the end resulting chicks.


I think if you really want something humane, try going to a local breeder or something and check out their housing, see if YOU approve of it, and see if their birds are meaty enough for YOUR liking. Some breeds and some strains aren't good enough for meat, and the top rated Cornish X I wouldn't recommend to someone who was a vegetarian and wants humanely raised meat. Cornish X were bred to grow as fast as possible, meaning if you let them eat what they want like in commercial production, they can have some serious health issues. Yes some people pasture raise them but they're still the same Cornish X, growing out of control and always requiring special needs. So it is up to you to decide.

Sadly not many people sell chicken that is pastured and not Cornish X so if you're against it, which that's all up to opinion, it's a little tougher to find someone else to sell you chicken. Some people do "Freedom Rangers" though, they're quite a bit better. Few people do Heritage Breeds for meat, which always taste better but about half the suppliers if less have birds meaty enough to really enjoy what you paid for. (most heritage breeds are from production/egg laying strains)




So in a nutshell, look around for local producers, and ask to see what the living conditions are. And if it concerns you, ask if they're Cornish X or not.

 

[aoxa]

My fiance and I are the same way.. I don't want to eat meat that hasn't been treated properly, overcrowded or fed bi-products... Don't let anyone tell you that your concerns are anything but justified.

 

[featherz]

I'm a veg, not planning to eat chicken any time soon. However, IF I decided for some reason that I must, I'd pass on 'meat chickens' (cornish x), as I just personally don't like the idea of Cornish X (no judgments here, just my opinion). I have local farms near me that have dual purpose chickens they raise on pasture for meat purposes, and that would be my choice. I'd ask for pastured dual purpose birds and how they were slaughtered, etc.

You might want to consider raising dual purpose breeds yourself, and have them processed by someone else, if that's a consideration.

 

[jessicayarno]

I don't think you are asking for too much. I raised my meat chickens in a coop and run big enough that they had access to grass the entire time and i raised 30 of them at once.. I am just like you in believing that animals should be treated with respect even if they are going to be dinner.. I have 34 babies right now, and i pick them up daily and love on them and talk to them. I will cry out of appreciation when it is time to process them. Don't pay attention to people's rude comments and assumptions. Don't even entertain them by arguing back..

 

[gophert]

How were they slaughtered? (On premises? At a processing facility? Was the meat inspected?)

What answer do I want to hear and why? One place I am looking at slaughters on the farm, is uninspected and "labels" the meat "not for human consumption"--I am thinking this may actually be a good thing?? They also allow us to visit so we may go out there.

And why not Cornish X? Are they sort of a Frankenbird--like, bred so much for meat so as not to be self-sufficient?

Thanks for all the input--very helpful and I appreciate that at least some understand my concerns. I think this is the BEST possible place to get this question answered. I know the free-range/organic label on store chicken is not enough for what I want.​

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
I have not seen any "rude " comments just folks with "real experiences " sharing with someone seeking Opinions on a public forum most of the chickens I have processed had no Idea what was happening

 

[gophert]

Not too worried about method of slaughter or that part--much more concerned with the lives they lead up to that point. Although I would prefer some place that minimizes stress during processing, it's one day.

 

[eggbuster]

I have what your looking for. But thats not going to help you much. I free range out of very sturdy mini mobile mini coops so that I can lock them up if predator conditions are bad. However ,no one wants to pay the cost of the bird produced. I have chantecler which makes for a nice 4-6 lb. bird, and I raise Cx fee range. They do free range, just not as vigourously as a heritage breed, and they do roost and I don't find them nasty at all. I think much of it is down to feed. I don't do commercial feed, soy or corn.

I am crossing my Cx with my chantecler and getting the best of both worlds. A good free ranging meaty egg laying chicken with lots of common sense and nice personalities. In 2 years I hope to have the genetics stabilized to produce something consistent almost every time.

Decide what you want for a chicken you eat. Ask what they are fed and where that feed comes from. If it is fed corn and soy it is probably fed gmo. There isn't much choice or any way for a farmer to really know. Are you ok with that? If you are not you might have to go strict organic. Housing as mentioned before is a matter of safety and is not always a bad thing. It is strictly a management issue. If someone will not let you see the operation, it is probably a good reason not to purchase their product. Bio-security can be maintained and still let someone see how the land lies. I always keep some chickens where people driving by can see how its done.

That being said, if you do tour a farm, you owe it to yourself and the farmer to understand what the difference is between humane and foofoo lap dog silly and not accuse people of animal abuse, because they failed to bleach the water dishes before you arrived or tie napkins around their necks before letting them eat and oh my gosh, there is a dead chicken under that tree! Nope it is a chicken lying in the sun having a dust bath and a nap.

I cannot tell you how many reports I have had of dead chickens laying around. Another good one is moulting chickens. They can put you off your dreams of chicken dinner, but they are healthy normal chickens going through a natural process; not a case of animal torture. So, if a farmer does refuse you access to the farm, try to find out if he/she was a victim of ignorant dogooders before deciding that he is hiding some nasty business. Ask for references. A farmer with happy customers will have them or inform you that your to be his first customer and what can be done to please you?