Broiler Chicken Farming: How to Choose Fresh Chicken
Broiler Chicken Farming
Ayamkita.com - Chicken is one of the protein foods Indonesians love most. It's easy to cook in all sorts of ways: fried, grilled, simmered in opor (a mild coconut-milk curry), braised in sweet soy sauce and many more. That popularity has pushed many farmers into broiler chicken farming to keep up with market demand.
Besides being easy to cook, chicken has fans of all ages because it tastes so good. Broiler chicken is among the most sought after, thanks to its large size and reasonable price. Broilers are generally cheaper than their rival, kampung chicken (Indonesia's native free-range chicken), because broiler farming takes a relatively short time.
Once slaughtered, broiler chicken is ready to be distributed right away. It goes to places that sell dressed chicken, from traditional wet markets to modern supermarkets. Before the meat reaches consumers' kitchens, sellers make sure the chicken they sell is fresh and fit to eat. Here are some signs that both sellers and buyers can use to tell whether farmed broiler meat is fresh and of good quality.
Check the Color of the Meat and Skin
Fresh, high-quality broiler meat looks bright and yellowish white, not pale white. Fresh, healthy chicken is not dark, overly red or bluish. Besides the color of the meat, chicken that is fresh and fit to eat has yellowish-white skin that looks bright, glossy and clean.
Also read Raising Kampung Chickens: Signs of a Healthy Flock
Check for Blood on the Meat
Fresh broiler meat may have some blood on it, but it disappears quickly once washed. Chicken that isn't fresh has blood stuck to the skin and meat that doesn't wash away easily.
The Smell of the Chicken
Fresh chicken has the typical smell of chicken meat, not too strong and not fishy or rotten. Also note that fresh broiler meat generally does not smell like medicine.
Check the Texture of the Meat
Texture also tells you whether broiler meat is fresh. Fresh meat feels moist to the touch but not sticky. This has to do with how springy the meat is. When you press fresh chicken, it springs back to its original shape.
Are There Flies?
Annoying as they are, flies can be a sign of whether chicken is fresh. If flies land on the meat, you can be sure it doesn't contain formalin. Why? Because insects such as flies stay away from food that contains formalin or borax.
To avoid unpleasant surprises, chicken sellers and buyers would do well to go straight to the slaughterhouse, so they can be sure the chicken they buy is fresh and safe to eat. If that isn't possible, chicken sellers should make sure the meat they distribute is safe, fresh and fit to eat. Buyers, likewise, should make sure the chicken seller they choose is trustworthy.
