Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
My biggest personal bias against these birds is a matter of taste — taste buds, that
is. Because they grow so fast, they don't seem to have the flavor or the texture that one
gets from a bird that takes a full 16 or even 20 weeks to mature. As a bird gets older, it
develops layers of fat within the meat that carry the flavor. Fat makes for a tastier bird.
Birds that are butchered at such an early age tend to have a carcass that is bulky and
considerably heavy, but without the flavor of a slow-maturing bird. Flavor, however, is
a matter of preference. The individual poultry raiser must determine which chicken type
to raise for meat.
Traditional Meat Breeds
Many people, including myself, consider that most any breed can be used for meat. Of
course, some have better growth rates, producing a larger carcass, but I'm a firm believ-
er that size is not as important as flavor. Older meat breeds to consider are the traditional
White Rock, White Wyandotte, Orpington, Jersey Giant, and Dorking.
White Rock
