Chicken

About two months ago, we got a bunch of little yellow chicks from Tractor Supply. Pretty sure they were Cornish crosses, meat birds.  They have been living the high life when it comes to broilers, an enclosure with access to sunlight and fresh air and plenty of pasture time. They have also been growing. Fast. So fast that their feathers cannot keep up with their growth, and they have weird bald patches. So fast that some even have trouble walking around.

And then there's this guy. This one chicken who grew twice as fast as everyone else. So big he waddled back and forth when he walked and barely ever came outside to graze. I found him sitting in a corner just open mouth panting on Monday and decided his time was up, and we were having chicken for dinner.

I learned the hard way why you want to remove food and water from poultry before slaughter. Let's just say upending a chicken that has been recently chugging down water in the heat of the day is not a pretty sight. This guy didn't even fit in our cone so I had to improvise, all the while dodging turkeys and guineas who were totally fascinated by what I was doing. By the time the deed was done, I was covered in some pretty unmentionable stuff. Ick!

Look at the size of these feet! 

(FYI: I do not have small hands) 

I weighed him just after slaughter, and he was 8.6lbs!! Cleaned he was 6.5lbs. I swear he was part turkey or goose or some thing.

A gizzard full of greens, proof that our chickens do, in fact, graze on real grass. Nothing goes to waste around here so all extra parts, head, feet, organs, and cleaned out guts, get put aside to become raw dog and cat food.

Since I did the killing, cleaning, and (most of) the plucking, Big Onion got the task of cooing the monster chicken. He brined it overnight then crammed it in the crock pot with lots of herbs, and some carrots and onions to cook with while we were at work. The house smelled amazing when we got home.

There is nothing like fresh, pastured chicken. The meat has texture and flavor that is totally missing from the typical super market meat. I can't wait to raise some of the more heritage, less commercial breeds for meat. I've heard they are even better.