Over the years I have experimented with growing our own poultry for food. First we got those white cornish cross chickens for a couple of years but they were such nasty birds! They would get very filthy no matter what you did and more than a few would die of a heart attack before we could butcher – what a waste!
I tried the Dark Cornish from Murray McMurray Hatchery this year and so far I am pleased with the results. We got 50 chicks in late June and brooded them for a few weeks in a 3 foot by 5 foot brooder that I’ve built (will post a picture next spring – it’s all apart now!) Then we moved them to a new 4 foot by 16 foot tractor (attached two of the tractors pictured below). They outgrew that by early September and I set them free in the large garden area that was almost over for the year. I could have butchered in late September/October but we didn’t get to it until early November when 12 went into the freezer. Another 15 need to go soon!
They are quite self sufficient birds. I am feeding them a mix of corn/oats and barley but they are also foraging through the garden and adjoining brush area. I have a shelter for them but they prefer the trees. They come running at dinner time and are quite agreeable even though there are many roosters! They are an odd bird, looking much smaller than they are because of their very tight plummage that glistens green in the sun. A friend declared that they look like walking drumsticks which is sort of true! Next spring I plan to have fenced off another quarter acre of brush for them to forage through while being fenced out of the garden. In there I’ll put a collection of dog igloos and such for nests and supposedly they are very good mothers so they should raise next years good eating.
When we butchered them, they have very thick skin (of course we were used to the white cornish cross) and it was nearly impossible to skin them as we did with the white birds so we simply plucked them and froze them whole. I roasted my first bird last week and it was delicious! The skin kept it very moist. I slow roasted it for 3 or 4 hours on 225 before increasing the temp to 350 for an hour or so. We had the left overs with squash and onions tonight - yum!
I LOVE MY DARK CORNISH CHICKENS. THEY HAVE GOOD SENSE LIKE WILD BIRDS, AND I HAVE NEVER HAD TO MEDICATE!!! NOT SO WITH THE D.C. BANTAMS.
THE DARK CORNISH GROW SLOWER, BUT TO ME ITS A SMALL PRICE FOR SELF SUSTAINING, DRUG FREE BIRDS!
OUR HERITAGE FARM ANIMALS ARE QUICKLY DISSAPPEARING!
WE MUST GET OFF THIS NON NATURAL TREADMILL OR IT WILL HAPPEN TO US TOO, IT ALREADY IS! JUST LOOK AROUND.
WE PICK WHEN TO HAVE BABIES, HOW TO HAVE BABIES, OVER MEDICATE OUR BABIES, NO BREAST FEEDING, WOMEN LOOSING MOTHERLY INSTINCTS, MORE BABIES SICKLY, JUST LIKE THESE NEWER ANIMALS WE RAISE & EAT.
WHEN WILL PEOPLE FIGURE OUT THAT WE’RE NATURES ANIMALS TOO, THE SAME, NOT DIFFERENT, OR SEPERATE.
WE SHOULD REALIZE THE LIFE ON THIS PLANET(GOOD OR BAD) IS OUR FAMILY, ONE & THE SAME.YOU CANT OWN THAT!