Cure for tough chicken: earlier butchering.

COUNTRYSIDE: In response to "Chicken meat is becoming tough ... is it the 'Jumbo' cross?" posted by the Nickersons in the March/April 2008 issue. From what I can glean from the article, I'm led to believe that they are holding their stock too long before processing. The Jumbo Rock, Rock crosses, and other primarily meat-type birds are products of commercial selective breeding, with the idea of higher efficiency and faster turn around in mind. These Jumbo Rocks were only meant to be raised for six to seven weeks before processing, which should lend the high-quality carcass they expect. I'd advise giving them a second try, due to the fact that the breed should save them time and money, without losing the quality they expect.

Also, as a side note, when I was a bit younger and in 4-H, and later FFA, I raised high-quality range-fed turkeys for the holidays. I held them much longer than necessary, but it made for a carcass up to the 40 to 60 lbs. dress weight range. My hook for my niche market was the sheer size of the carcass, and the fact that they were the freshest and most tender my customers would have ever seen.

They were processed days before Thanksgiving, then held on ice to avoid freezing the carcass. Freezing the carcass (in a rather basic explanation) causes the meat to crystallize. Upon thawing, the damage is done in the form of losing tenderness of the meat. This approach may assist the Nickersons if they still wish to hold their stock for a longer period of time.

I've been heavily involved in show poultry in New England as a youth with many years of exposure. Through high school, I attended agriculture education classes and went as far as my state degree in the FFA. I later attended the Ratcliffe Hicks School of Agriculture at UConn where I graduated with my Associate degree in Animal Science. My wife graduated from the College of Agricultural and Natural Resources with a Bachelor of Animal Science degree.

A useful source of information is the poultry extension service through UConn. Dr. Darre is a wealth of poultry knowledge, and he surely can help anyone with poultry questions. He has been co-author and editor of several popular intro books, as well as collegiate text material. You can visit http://web.uconn.edu/poultry/poultrypages/ for helpful resources.--Jeremy Chartier, Willington, Connecticuct

COUNTRYSIDE: I have raised broilers for the last 10 years. I get them from Hoovers Hatchery, Rudd, Iowa. (Their ad is in the Classified Advertising section of this issue.)

I grow Rock Cornish roosters and have sold them for years and people think they are the best. I start them on chick starter and then put them on a grower ration. I'm sorry, but my birds don't go outside as I don't have a fenced-in place for them. Mine were dressed when they were eight weeks of age and weighed about five to seven pounds. My wife isn't a farm girl and she can tell the difference in the taste. I sure hope this helps you out.--Roger Howland

COUNTRYSIDE: I've been involved in our 4-H poultry club for over 20 years. We use Rocky Mt. Hubbard cross and Vantress cross for our fair projects and have had fairly good luck. You briefly touched on leg problems. These birds need direct sunlight exposure for vitamin D, which is very necessary for the joints.

Now, about tough meat. If these birds get to the age of eight or nine weeks--tops--the meat tenderness changes. As they get older the meat will become stringier and tougher.--Chuck

COUNTRYSIDE: Nola Nickerson wanted suggestions for raising chickens for feeding two people. We raise Bantam Spangled Cornish for both meat and eggs. They are small, but each one has a lot of breast meat. Each hen lays about 100 eggs per year, with each egg being about 2/3 the size of a large hen's eggs. Most of the hens go broody at some point and hatch out next year's chickens.

I make chicken stew in a small crockpot, with brown rice or barley, and a lot of low calorie veggies such as onion, garlic, celery, tomatoes, carrots and kohlrabi. The meat is very tender when prepared that way, and it's just enough food for the two of us.--Carolyn Overbo, Lampasas, Texas