- Is there a difference between "meat" chickens and chickens that lay eggs?
Meat chickens raised by registered chicken farmers in Manitoba are a different breed of bird. Meat chickens are always white and they have a more muscular body shape.
- How are meat chickens raised?
Manitoba farmers raise meat chickens year-round, using climate controlled barns to protect the chickens from the weather, keep them safe from predators, and reduce the risk of disease. The birds are free to roam around the barn, and they eat and drink whenever they want. Meat chickens are never given hormones or steroids, and they never have their beaks trimmed. To learn more about raising meat chickens visit www.chicken.mb.ca/farmtotable.html.
- Where can I buy grain-fed chicken?
All chickens in Canada are grain-fed so be assured that every time you buy chicken you're getting a grain-fed bird. In Manitoba, farmers feed a blend of wheat and barley which gives the chicken skin and fat the white colour we're accustomed to. In other parts of Canada, and in the USA, chickens eat more corn than wheat. Corn gives the skin and fat a yellow colour.
- What are free-run chickens?
Free-run chickens are raised in barns allowing free movement around the entire barn. All meat chickens are raised as free-run birds.
- What is air chilled chicken?
Air chilled refers to one of the ways chicken is quickly cooled after slaughter. Air chilling involves suspending the bird in a room in which icy air is circulated. Generally, the result is a bird with creamier looking skin and a firmer texture, and which shrinks less when cooked. The most common way to quickly cool chicken during processing is to use water chilling. It consists of chilling the bird by immersion in ice cold running water. Water chilled chicken has whiter skin and juicier flesh. Air chilled chicken and water chilled chicken have the same nutritional value.
- If the recipe has lots of herbs and spices, is it better to use chicken thighs or chicken breasts?
The thighs have it! Curries, jerk chicken, spicy meat sauces and anything else that's strongly seasoned are much better made with thighs. Thighs have a stronger flavour, complimenting the herbs and spices, and giving the dish a richer flavour. Chicken breasts, with their milder flavour, will be completely overpowered in strongly seasoned dishes.
- Are chicken wings white or dark meat?
It depends on your point of view. Wings can be considered dark meat because their nutritional value is similar to thighs and drumsticks. However, the composition of the muscles in the wing is closer to that of the breast.