Can you imagine this as a Dr. Seuss title?
Well, I don’t need to utilize my imagination for the literal image, because I had just that right here at the farm on Wednesday morning! Our first meat birds have arrived. We are trying something new this season, and that is a batch of fryers, rather than roasters. In seasons past we have only raised roasters, of the Cornish X variety – what I like to call “lazybirds,” because they grow so quickly, they aren’t terribly active, hence, the reason that the meat is so tender. But that’s not the only kind of chicken meat raised around the world.
Our chef friend has mentioned a story about his time living in France and being asked “Don’t Americans like to chew their chicken?” There is a standard known as Poulet Rouge or Label Rouge from France, which specifies a slow-growing chicken, meant to be raised on pasture. There are American growers of this type, as well. The bird takes several more weeks to come up to weight than the Cornish X, the bird forages more actively, and this produces a firmer, more flavorful meat.
Now, these birds we just purchased are not Label Rouge, but I brought it up as an example of the different types of chicken meat out there. These birds are quite interesting, however, in that they are, as previously mentioned, all male. If you are familiar with what often happens in large egg-laying operations – the male chicks are considered garbage, and treated as such. It’s quite appalling, really. However, we had the opportunity to purchase some of these chicks, and we decided to give it a try. It provides an alternative fate for them – and yes, they will ultimately become food, however, they will have a good life on pasture until then, and will be treated humanely, with respect and gratitude. While we realize we are only making a small dent in the number of chicks that would often otherwise be culled, our hope is that we might provide a new outlet that offers the animal a purpose, and our family and yours with sustenance.
These are a variety of breeds, and we will simply have to see how long it takes them to come up to a decent slaughtering weight. This is an experiment for us! We’ll keep you posted here through blog entries on the progress, but we are expecting to be able to process at least some of these birds in early to mid August. We will have these cut into 8 pieces each and each will be individually packaged in freezer-ready bags. We are taking reservation deposits of $5 per bird. Please email [email protected] to arrange a reservation or with any questions. Thanks!
Related Images:
Leave a Reply