Author Topic: Corn fed chickens (Read 2720 times)

Shropshirelass · « **on:** October 14, 2013, 10:22:48 pm »

Ok we had 1 today & the 1st thing I noticed was the skins very yellow & there was a lot more flavor in it - any idea why? & is it better to feed & fatten them on? - sorry just curios x

chrismahon · « **Reply #1 on:** October 15, 2013, 05:09:02 am »

Not sure they are significantly better Shropshirelass, just yellow. We have tried them in the past and didn't think the extra cost was justified. But the diet must have some effect on the taste of the meat.

Remember someone telling me they paid a lot for lamb fed exclusively on seaweed. They said it tasted terrible.

taz08 · « **Reply #2 on:** October 15, 2013, 05:28:36 am »

and theres more fat aparently

Castle Farm · « **Reply #3 on:** October 15, 2013, 09:48:04 am »

Yellow skin is genetic and usually found in Wyandottes and Cornish game. Feeding cut maize may give a white skinned bird some bloom, but it' usually in the breeding.

What breed was it?

Clansman · « **Reply #4 on:** October 15, 2013, 04:59:18 pm »

It could be a yellow skinned breed but feeding and pigmentation can change the colour of the skin.

As can the methods used in processing the carcass, varying the scalding time and temperature before plucking also can affect it and is often deliberately done.

Years ago I was involved in a lab trial involving chicken skin and egg yolk pigmentation through feeding and depending on what you feed them you can basically turn the skin and yolk whatever colour you like.

We had some lovely blue, green, pink, red, yellow and orange skinned chickens that were naturally white skinned and the same with the yolks.

although green and blue yolks weren't very appealing on the eye, they were nutritionally the same as any other egg.

we even managed a black yolk!

Marlboro · « **Reply #5 on:** October 15, 2013, 05:27:23 pm »

My cockerals were mixed corn fed and were yellow skinned, daddy a Legbar, mummies all sorts, so it was definately the food with them.

Castle Farm · « **Reply #6 on:** October 15, 2013, 07:59:53 pm »

If you used a mixed corn I doubt very much if it was the feed that turned them yellow.
The % of cut maize (and it's this that enhances yellow pigment) is low in a corn mix because of the cost of it. Mixed is mainly wheat and that would not effect the skin colour.

Shropshirelass · « **Reply #7 on:** October 16, 2013, 07:59:59 pm »

I don't know the breed sorry all I know was it was a corn fed bird from a butchers x

THE HAPPY POULTRY FARMER · « **Reply #8 on:** October 19, 2013, 07:11:45 pm »

In commercial corn fed production the diet is normally minimum of 40% maize based which does create a nice yellow skin and a yellowish tint to the flesh, this is also enhanced by the use of marigold extract which is also included in the diet. Interestingly certain breeds do not take up any colour regardless of how much you feed you put into them.