Chicken from Farm to Table What’s for dinner tonight?
There’s a good chance it’s chicken — now the number one species consumed by Americans. Interest in the safe handling and cooking of chicken is reflected in the thousands of calls to the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline. The following information answers many of the questions these callers have asked about chicken.
History & Definitions
Chicken Inspection USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the public health agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture responsible for ensuring that the nation’s commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged. Food Safety Information United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service PhotoDisc The chicken is a descendant of the Southeast Asian red jungle fowl first domesticated in India around 2000 B.C. Most of the birds raised for meat in America today are from the Cornish (a British breed) and the White Rock (a breed developed in New England).
Broiler-fryers, roasters, stewing/baking hens, capons and Rock Cornish hens are all chickens. The following are definitions for these: • Broiler-fryer - a young, tender chicken about 7 weeks old; weighs 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 pounds when eviscerated. Cook by any method. •Rock Cornish Game Hen - a small broiler-fryer; weighs between 1 and 2 pounds. Usually stuffed and roasted whole. •
Roaster - a young chicken between 8 and 12 weeks of age with a ready-to-cook carcass weight of 5 pounds or more. It yields more meat per pound than a broiler-fryer. Usually roasted whole. •
Capon - male chickens about 16 weeks to 8 months old; surgically unsexed. They weigh about 4 to 7 pounds and have generous quantities of tender, light meat. Usually roasted. • Stewing / Baking Hen - a mature laying hen 10 months to 1 1/2 years old. Since the meat is less tender than young chickens, it’s best when used in moist cooking such as stewing. •Cock or rooster - a mature male chicken with coarse skin and tough, dark meat. Requires long, moist cooking.
What is yield percentace in the meat form live bird?
From Live bird to dressed chicken it is 25-35% . So dressed yield is 65-75%
The chicken breast is the expensive part of the deal and it weights average 20-25% of live weight.
for commercial meat purposes chicken breasts should be sold seperately at higher costs What is meat ready age for chicken ?
for broilers 35-45 days and for country 4-6 montsh is a meat ready age
Do sick birds carry diseases in their meat ?
Yes definately, just do not use sick birds for meat.
Should meat be cooked or consumed raw?
Meat should not be served or eaten raw, as many foodborne illnessess can lead to mass spreading
what is shelf life of chicken meat ?
Once cut, cook, consume or refiregrate is a common process, normally cut as and when required the quantity for sale and balance put in a refrigirator.
What is difference between country and broiler bird?
broilers are easy to cut, country are hard with hard bones
What is grade A meat ? is grading done,? is it manditaory ?
the regulations and standards for meatiness, appearance and freedom from defects. Grade A chickens have plump, meaty bodies and clean skin, free of bruises, broken bones, feathers, cuts and discoloration. grading is not manditory in many countrys, grading is done by an inspector where required by a professional.
how are chicken inspected ?
Each chicken and its internal organs are inspected for signs of disease. The “Inspected for wholesomeness by the U.S. Department of Agriculture” seal ensures the chicken is free from visible signs of disease. inspection is manditory in the USA, and many other countries.
