3 ms·

Interesting that the pledge is about fast growing vs normal growing chicken. Does the UK not have the overcrowded cage conditions we have here in the US? The c

Interesting that the pledge is about fast growing vs normal growing chicken. Does the UK not have the overcrowded cage conditions we have here in the US? The complaint is about these companies not wanting to reduce their profit margins, but how slowly do the other chickens grow? Are we doubling maturity time or increasing it by 10%? Doubling would probably impact consumer prices beyond what could be absorbed by eliminating the margin. Most lay opinions I can find online claim the fast growing birds to have inferior meat quality. I wonder if I could distinguish in a blind taste test.

youngNed 8mo ago
> I wonder if I could distinguish in a blind taste test I find it genuinely baffling that that would be the point.
tiew9Vii 8mo ago
> Most lay opinions I can find online claim the fast growing birds to have inferior meat quality. I wonder if I could distinguish in a blind taste test. It’s easy to distinguish. The fast growing birds are much larger, breasts at least 2x the size of normal chickens. The larger breasts you notice when cutting them when raw, they often have a tough texture and meat inside like strands. When cooked and chewing it’ll have a hard chewy texture, sometimes feeling raw/uncooked. This is called woody breast. If you have a standard small chicken breast, the texture feels much more pleasant when eating, like chicken. I always try to avoid large chicken breasts and get the smallest possible but it’s virtually impossible now unless you live near high end low volume butcher with their own independent supplier.
- cucumber3732842 8mo ago
  You see the same fibrous crap in tenders. It's like eating a wet (chicken flavored) rope.
- sevenseacat 8mo ago
  ohhhh I've had some chicken like that before, it was awful
magicalhippo 8mo ago
> how slowly do the other chickens grow? Here in Norway the two largest producers are moving[1][2] from Ross 308 to Rustic Gold[3]. They live roughly 40-50% longer. The third largest has already moved[4] to the hybrid Hubbard JA 878, with similar growth. However it's also easier to get the slow-growing chickens larger without health issues, roughly 25% according to this[5], so it turns out you might need fewer chickens to produce the same amount of meat. And thus the economics might not be as bad as it looks at first glance. That's for Norway though, perhaps it's different elsewhere. [1]: https://www.nortura.no/b%C3%A6rekraft-i-nortura/omsorg-for-mennesker-og-dyr/dyrevelferd/dyrevelferd-p%C3%A5-g%C3%A5rden/nortura-legger-om-til-sakterevoksende-kylling https://www.nortura.no/b%C3%A6rekraft-i-nortura/omsorg-for-m... [2]: https://kommunikasjon.ntb.no/pressemelding/18709900/coop-trapper-opp-innfasingen-av-sakterevoksende-kylling?publisherId=89490&lang=no https://kommunikasjon.ntb.no/pressemelding/18709900/coop-tra... [3]: https://aviagen.com/eu/brands/rowan-range/products/rustic-gold https://aviagen.com/eu/brands/rowan-range/products/rustic-go... [4]: https://dyrevern.no/landbruksdyr/kraftig-velferdsloft-for-norske-kyllinger/ https://dyrevern.no/landbruksdyr/kraftig-velferdsloft-for-no... [5]: https://www.norsklandbruk.no/den-vanskelige-okonomien-i-a-bytte-til-saktevoksende-kylling/s/5-152-61573 https://www.norsklandbruk.no/den-vanskelige-okonomien-i-a-by...
- instagib 8mo ago
  4.3kilos for the Hubbard variety at 56 days is pretty high. I wonder the percent make it to 56 days or they collect early. Most I saw in US were running 3.4kilos avg at 51 days. If they make it to 53 days they usually have heart failure due to fast growth. Lots of breeding issues.

youngNed 8mo ago

> I wonder if I could distinguish in a blind taste test I find it genuinely baffling that that would be the point.

tiew9Vii 8mo ago

> Most lay opinions I can find online claim the fast growing birds to have inferior meat quality. I wonder if I could distinguish in a blind taste test. It’s easy to distinguish. The fast growing birds are much larger, breasts at least 2x the size of normal chickens. The larger breasts you notice when cutting them when raw, they often have a tough texture and meat inside like strands. When cooked and chewing it’ll have a hard chewy texture, sometimes feeling raw/uncooked. This is called woody breast. If you have a standard small chicken breast, the texture feels much more pleasant when eating, like chicken. I always try to avoid large chicken breasts and get the smallest possible but it’s virtually impossible now unless you live near high end low volume butcher with their own independent supplier.

cucumber3732842 8mo ago
You see the same fibrous crap in tenders. It's like eating a wet (chicken flavored) rope.
sevenseacat 8mo ago
ohhhh I've had some chicken like that before, it was awful

magicalhippo 8mo ago

> how slowly do the other chickens grow? Here in Norway the two largest producers are moving[1][2] from Ross 308 to Rustic Gold[3]. They live roughly 40-50% longer. The third largest has already moved[4] to the hybrid Hubbard JA 878, with similar growth. However it's also easier to get the slow-growing chickens larger without health issues, roughly 25% according to this[5], so it turns out you might need fewer chickens to produce the same amount of meat. And thus the economics might not be as bad as it looks at first glance. That's for Norway though, perhaps it's different elsewhere. [1]: https://www.nortura.no/b%C3%A6rekraft-i-nortura/omsorg-for-mennesker-og-dyr/dyrevelferd/dyrevelferd-p%C3%A5-g%C3%A5rden/nortura-legger-om-til-sakterevoksende-kylling https://www.nortura.no/b%C3%A6rekraft-i-nortura/omsorg-for-m... [2]: https://kommunikasjon.ntb.no/pressemelding/18709900/coop-trapper-opp-innfasingen-av-sakterevoksende-kylling?publisherId=89490&lang=no https://kommunikasjon.ntb.no/pressemelding/18709900/coop-tra... [3]: https://aviagen.com/eu/brands/rowan-range/products/rustic-gold https://aviagen.com/eu/brands/rowan-range/products/rustic-go... [4]: https://dyrevern.no/landbruksdyr/kraftig-velferdsloft-for-norske-kyllinger/ https://dyrevern.no/landbruksdyr/kraftig-velferdsloft-for-no... [5]: https://www.norsklandbruk.no/den-vanskelige-okonomien-i-a-bytte-til-saktevoksende-kylling/s/5-152-61573 https://www.norsklandbruk.no/den-vanskelige-okonomien-i-a-by...

instagib 8mo ago
4.3kilos for the Hubbard variety at 56 days is pretty high. I wonder the percent make it to 56 days or they collect early. Most I saw in US were running 3.4kilos avg at 51 days. If they make it to 53 days they usually have heart failure due to fast growth. Lots of breeding issues.