Where exactly

[Chickenheadmate]

Is the breast meat?
I was feeling on my 7 month old Red broiler cockerel, the other day, and he felt thin.
Is you see him from the front, chest looks wide but felt thin from what I thought it would feel like.

Feel kind of silly, but if anyone has a diagram of something that shows exactly the breast meat area i would appreaciate the help. Thanks

 

[Mosey2003]

Straight down from the front of the wings (if the bird is standing) and then back, under the bird, until you can feel the point of keel. Think of a supermarket chicken, and flip it over so it's "standing."

 

[Wyorp Rock]

There are no silly questions!

To feel the breast think where it's located if you buy a whole chicken. Feel for the bone in the middle of the chicken (sternum/keel) the breast is on either side of that.

The chart below is one that we use in the ER threads to check/score body condition, but it will work for your broilers too. I'm not sure what score you personally would want from your broilers, but for me I would want at least a "3".

 

[Chickenheadmate]

If I feel for breast meat with my hand, could measuring the distance from my index to my thumb be a good way to be able to tell? Or is the chart more accurate

 

[Mosey2003]

You're just going to have to learn to have a feel for it with your hand on a live bird. There really isn't a scientific way to measure it without butchering the bird and fileting them out.

 

[Chickenheadmate]

He feels prettt thin for a 7 month old red broiler. Would he not be good for a meat bird project?

 

[Chickenheadmate]

I don't remember which one of you guys suggested crossing with IG, but not sure if this thin guy will defeat thr purpose

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I believe it was @Ridgerunner that suggested your crossing a large fowl Cornish with a Red broiler hen(?)

It's hard to explain how to do it, but you will have to just feel him up. Grab up several broilers and feel their breast for comparison.

 

[Mosey2003]

Go to the store and pick up whole chickens and hold them breast down for a comparison.

 

[Geena]

He feels prettt thin for a 7 month old red broiler. Would he not be good for a meat bird project?

A seven month old red broiler cockerel should be HUGE. Have you weighed him yet? Are you certain he's a red broiler? If you got them from feed store he could be a production red that got mixed in by accident.
Colored broilers have a very long keel and so the breast meat is spread over a larger area then a CornishX, which has a somewhat shorter, thicker breast. So they can carry a lot more breast meat than it seems at times.