We're all aware about how chickens are raised for mass consumption but there were a couple item's in this piece I don't remember being framed as such. Pretty amazing and I assume this to be valid more so than not.
To understand how much chickens have changed, it is instructive to look back at the early 1900s. In 1925, it took 16 weeks to raise a chicken to 2.5 pounds. Today, chickens weigh double that after just six weeks. According to a study from the University of Arkansas, if humans grew at a similar rate, after just two months, a 6.6-pound newborn baby would weigh 660 pounds.
That's crazy shit but what's even worse is this -
“They are sent to slaughter when they are about six weeks old, chirping
like babies. They have massive upper bodies, and are being genetically
bred to grow six times faster.”
The chirping thing is a new one to me and brings to light truly how disgusting what we eat has become. I actually cooked some just the other day and there's a post coming on that.
I think I ate my last chicken the other day. It was the second time it tasted like ... nothing ... and the texture was disgusting ... chicken shouldn't turn to sawdust in your mouth. The way they are raised tells me the chickens are better beings than those raising them ... how we treat other species in this world disgusts me. My word verification contains the word "deranging."
ReplyDeleteI think I've ate my last as well but I tried yesterday to buy some wings at the Mexican meat market but there were none. That's a bit different. Some of these haven't been picked too well.
DeleteAnd I forgot - to me the meat is mushy and yes no taste.
DeleteJust one more reason I don't eat chicken.
ReplyDeleteThey treat pigs horribly also...those slated to become bacon stand in a crate where they can not do anything but stand up or kneel down----for 2 1/2 years!!!
ReplyDeleteI believe in humane practices of all meat I eat!!!
♥áŚLinda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
Sorry -- but chickens have been disgusting to me to eat for years -- with all their toxins and hormones -- barbara
ReplyDeleteChickens are not fed hormones, it's not necessary because they've been bred to gain weight fast. The only toxins I'm aware of are those that might be in GMO grain products that make up most commercial feed.
DeleteI quit eating chicken last year when I read how much bacteria is in them, and plus chicken no longer tastes like chicken. And plus, I don't like the way they are treated. I do eat cage free organic eggs though.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the visit and comment RJ. I'll be over to visit.
DeleteTo everyone I eat veeeery little chicken but have to check it out sometimes. It almost all pork now and like Linda says there is huge issues there as well. When I was eating a bit of chicky I was down to boneless chicken thighs which didn't appeal to me when chicken was good. That was because there is still fat content in these. As for pork went to Pueblo yesterday just to buy my meat. Pork shoulder blade steak bone in is what I buy. 1/4 inch thick weighs a half pound and thinner is better with pork for me anyway. It's better because there's fat there to assist. Look at Zimmert and Bourdain - it's all about the pig every bit of it. Then to the Mexican meat market and got some very thin cuts of beef that are 10 inches or so in diameter and weigh 1/4 lb. Takes about two minutes to cook on a hot grill. There's a bit of fat and just tastes pretty good.
ReplyDeleteThere is another post coming. I'm told that the birds I/we were eating back then - quite awhile ago anyway were white leghorns or some type of leghorn. That you can buy the exact thing now. I will find out. What an experiment that would be!!
Supposed to be putting new windows in this place today but the guy ain't here yet and where the hell is the sun?
A friend from the past is going to take the time to drive two blocks out of his way and stop by on his way to Alamosa. I appreciate that a bunch. Hope he has time to visit for awhile.
Not leghorns. Leghorns are egg layers, even the old time ones were not worth raising to eat. Most people raised dual purpose breeds for meat, which would have been Dominiques, Barred Rocks, etc. They are not raised commercially because it takes easily 4 times as much feed to raise them to butcher weight. I scarcely ever eat chicken, either, because it just doesn't taste good. Try raising your own sometime. That's no fun, either.
DeleteWhoa...almost missed this post. My puters been down for a few days. I'm getting to where I don't like any food anymore. Nothing taste like it used to and the inhumane treatment of the animals is disgusting.
ReplyDeleteBroke puter - not good but you must have it back.
DeleteAnyway I agree TMoon. There isn't much flavor out there and as stated before it's almost worthwhile going somewhere else just because of the food. It was incredibly good/better/more wholesome or what have you in Costa Rica. Not a stretch to say that.
I've also heard that health inspectors never eat chicken.
ReplyDeleteI don't doubt that a bit PC. Probably true for other slaughter businesses as well. Butchering masses of animals is just plain nasty. Like these this country don't give a shit about butchering humans either. WTF!
DeleteA guy in my class at school called Bob Finlay was caught stealing a frozen chicken from a supermarket. At school the next day the joke went round. 'Why did the chicken cross the road?' 'It was under Bob's jacket.'
ReplyDeleteThe typical chicken from the grocery store is so contaminated with bacteria that the USDA does not recommend rinsing or washing it before cooking because of the danger of cross-contamination.
ReplyDeleteIf it is so contaminated that I should not wash it, I am damn sure not going to eat it.
Thanks for that JC. Real special ain't it.
DeleteToday at Vitamin Cottage I bought me a chicky to try out . Free range and all that - no hormones - all natural that kind of thing. It should taste real good as a 3.5 lb bird at $2.55 a lb with tax cost over $11
ReplyDeleteEven if it tastes real good I can't afford prices like this. It's an experiment.
The problem with chicken is bacteria that comes from processing the chicken rather than toxins in the chicken itself. The bacteria that chickens are contaminated with include:
ReplyDeleteSalmonella Enteritidis
Staphylococcus aureus
Campylobacter jejuni
Listeria monocytogenes
Escherichia coli ( E. coli)
In order to kill all this bacteria, it should be cooked to a MINIMUM internal temperature of 165°F.
Here's the problem...except for the hormones, you're all pretty much correct. The large companies are always looking for ways to keep their costs down. Raising chickens for 6 weeks is a lot more cost effective than keeping them for 5 months. Also, they're a uniform size that fits with the slaughter machinery. A lot of people don't like this and are set on growing their own chickens for eggs and meat. What are the governments (local, county, state) doing to assist them? They are passing laws that prevent people from doing this. Michigan just passed one, Louisiana is trying to pass one. Why? What that tells me is the big producers are more interested in forcing you to eat their product the way it is rather then changing the product or their methods. All you are is a consumer, folks. Raising a few hens for eggs is easy and should be encouraged (except that there are too many people these days who have never had experience with ANY kind of animal). Raising meat birds, though, is a nasty job, and processing them is even worse. There are some small processing plants you can use, most in my part of the country are run by Southeast Asians. It will cost about $5 per bird. When you add how much it costs you to feed that bird to butcher size, you're talking about a $10 product. There's no easy way out.
ReplyDeleteShitfire - the chicken I grabbed today weighs 4.3 almost a lb more than I wanted. Too late.
ReplyDelete