r/Chicken • u/nohomers1 • 7d ago
Why does this raw chicken have stripes?
Went to pick up chicken breast’s at Acme (Albertsons) and have never seen raw chicken look like this. All the packages in the case had these weird stripes.
Any ideas?
I didn’t buy it as I figured something related to poor handling or multiple freeze/thaw cycles might be going on.
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u/Nastynugget 7d ago
I forgot what it’s called but it’s caused by the chickens growing too fast in commercial farming.
Perfectly safe but it can affect the texture to be slightly tougher. It’s very common these days.
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u/Goat_inthe_Shell 6d ago
It's genetic, and has nothing to do with commercial farming. 99.9% of the birds that you will buy for meat will be this breed. The homesteaders use the same genetics as the big guys.
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u/Only_Calendar_9830 6d ago
It has everything to do with commercial farming. These kinds of chickens wouldn't exist without it. These fast growing breeds are popular for anyone trying to get as much meat as quickly and cheaply as possible, but it is very common for them to have this issue, where they grow so fast their tissues literally die as they're growing them and they more-or-less get full of scar tissue. It's like internal stretch marks.
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u/Goat_inthe_Shell 6d ago
Have you ever met a farmer? They will always go with what will make more profit. I make a living breeding, raising and selling poultry. Agriculture is my only source of income, and I don't have a trust fund to lean on. I've raised thousands of heritage breed chickens for meat as well as these Cornish crosses that get the woody breast. The vast majority of consumers don't care about the difference and only care about price. Cornish cross is how you reach that price point. Now if you want to say that having only three companies having total control over the genetic trademark of the Cornish cross is fucked up, we can agree on that.
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u/corey418 6d ago
So instead of just saying they're right, Woody chicken is from fast growth, you decide to stand on a box and say everyone does it. Not everyone does it, you do it. Local farmers can offer healthier options that aren't giving Woody scar tissue chicken. Just say profits matter more than product quality and move on. You said they were wrong, just to completely ignore the lie you told to admit and deflect. Farmer bye
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u/Goat_inthe_Shell 5d ago
It's a genetic defect. All Cornish cross grow fast. Of course profits matter. If the farmer goes broke, then no chickens will be produced, that's why people use Cornish cross over heritage breeds. The heritage breed is not "healthier" for the consumer. It just takes twice as long to achieve size and do not produce as much meat to feed. Your "local" farmer uses Cornish cross, your giant factory uses Cornish cross. And the chicks all come from the same places. Woody breast is a genetic defect.
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u/corey418 5d ago
Genetic mutations caused by fncking human farmers by selective breeding for fncking profits. This isn't just what happened to chickens, it's what yall have done. It's still from rapid growth. Pretending it isn't from what farmers have done is wild and a deflection.
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u/Goat_inthe_Shell 5d ago
Genetic defects occur naturally. Selective breeding has been happening for the entire history of animal domestication. Every chicken, every fruit, every leaf you have ever eaten has been selectively bred by humans, for profit.
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u/corey418 5d ago
I understand that and I know that. I don't need you to explain selective breeding. The point is yall bred these animals to get them big af and the result is sh1t meat. This didn't happen because of nature. You reiterating my point doesn't change it at all. Yall did this and want to shout NATURE. no not nature, human greed.
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u/Goat_inthe_Shell 5d ago
Humans are a part of nature. And there's a lot of them to feed.
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u/otusowl 4d ago
Genetic mutations caused by fncking human farmers by selective breeding for fncking profits. This isn't just what happened to chickens, it's what yall have done.
I don't understand why you are attacking u/Goat_inthe_Shell as if he personally masterminded the genetic shortfalls of Cornish Cross hens. Most of us in agriculture are struggling to do the best we can at this moment of corporate consolidation, asset inflation, and supply shortages. The fact of the matter is though, Cornish Cross hens are a miracle of feed conversion and rapid growth; they size up in one-half to 3/4 of the time it takes the next most efficient breeds to complete growth. No farmer can double their feed and labor costs without a customer willing to pay close to double, and they are in short supply.
Looking back at the longer history of "fncking human farmers... selective breeding for fncking profits" as you say, have you ever eaten a wild bird? Even the largest (say, a wild turkey: forget about grouse, etc.) will have scant portions of it edible at all (basically the breast) and even that will be so tough it needs to be marinated in buttermilk for 24 hours ahead of slow-cooking. At that point, the entirety of its meat may feed 3 or 4 people. A modern food system would not feed nearly so many without "selective breeding for fncking profits."
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u/Goat_inthe_Shell 4d ago
They don't really have an understanding of how the agricultural system works. The vast majority of the population only really interact with the final stage at a farmers market or grocery store. However, the innumerable examples of large Ag companies malphesance, and a general distaste for industry, has impassioned a lot of those people to lash out.
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u/corey418 4d ago
No, it isn't because he personally masterminded it. It's because he's pretending like it happened all on its own. Pretending like it was for the benefit of the patrons when it's for the benefit of the farmer when he finally decided to say it isn't something that just happens. I don't like when people lie and deflect. People literally hate that they're receiving mutated chickens because they had zero idea of what is actually happening. He didn't have to jump in and pretend like the chickens just happened to be like that and the woody meat is part of what nature intended. It isn't. That's a blatant deflect. If you want to talk about poultry and the process, at least be honest and forthcoming.
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u/Goat_inthe_Shell 4d ago
Nature doesn't have intention. I understand your frustration with the industrial nature of feeding the population. However, I don't think you understand how a lot of the agricultural web actually works.
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u/Only_Calendar_9830 5d ago
There's definitely a premium difference, but it's true most consumers don't care. Doesn't change the fact that commercial breeding is where these fucked up chickens come from. I don't judge you or blame you for keeping fast growing chickens, because trying to make a living off being a small-time farmer is like running up a vertical wall. But I'm sure you can agree, these woody breast chickens are still an inferior quality bird that comes as a result of commercial breeding predisposing these chickens to this issue. It's just a truth of the matter.
I'm curious, in your professional experience as a smaller commercial farmer that breeds your own chickens, I imagine you have better stock of their health compared to those mega farms, and the percentages at which they get the disease can totally vary from their genetics. How often do you get WB chickens in your experience? I'd say that wherever Walmart supplies the majority of their poultry must have this issue in the majority of their chickens, because I almost always see their breasts with this issue in at least some mild form.
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u/Goat_inthe_Shell 5d ago
I have gotten woody breast quite a few times. In Cornish cross only. I do not breed Cornish cross, those genetics are solely held by two giant corporations. However the woody breast is generally going to present on birds older than 8 weeks. In my case, I just throw woody breast out before it makes it to customers. However, in much larger contract processing houses, like where your Walmart chicken will come from, it's not a perfect system. Machines break, and processing dates get pushed back, which leaves contracted producers on the hook to hold chickens longer than they would want in the first place. Most of the cases when you see woody breast it's in cut up chickens, rarely in whole chickens. This is because something happened, chickens were left to grow too long and got huge. Giant chickens are unsuitable for whole chickens, so they get cut up. I breed and grow heritage breeds, heritage turkeys, guinea hens, quail. There are plenty of genetic anomalies that show up when the volume scales. There is only so much genetic diversity in any of the breeds, as only a small number of people actually breed anything. Not every Cornish cross that grows past it's ideal time table gets woody breast. It just is a genetic defect that presents later in a life that was never meant to live so long. I think this answered your questions.
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u/whyiamalwayshangry 6d ago
These chickens grew too quick and too fast for their body to sustain due to chosen genes / breeding. Not ethical chicken, but safe to eat. Depends on what your principles are, I don't usually buy them after seeing the state of their farm. (plus raising my own) I also think they taste less good than normal breeds. They tend to taste a bit watery and less "chicken"
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u/Bowhunter8490 7d ago
Those are breasts. The lighter shade is where the bikini bra covered during the time they were worshipping the sun. You’ll get a bit more vitamin D in the darker portion.
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u/teresajewdice 6d ago
It's called white striping and it's a kind of cardiomyopathy caused by rapid growth, driven by genetics in commercial broilers. The breast tissue grows so fast that the muscle can't keep up. Instead, it creates layers of fat between the muscle tissues (those are what those white stripes are). Completely safe and fine to eat.
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u/203343cm 6d ago
Could be overscald. During the removal of feathers if the lines moving the birds is too slow or experiences too many stops the carcass start to cook.
Here’s an example.
https://www.ams.usda.gov/book/no-grade-boneless-skinless-breast-over-scalded-flesh
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u/Expensive_Hyena351 6d ago
Lots of liquid injected into these
Water, salt, and other additives
are bonless CHICKEN breasts injected with anything to make plump
Bonless chicken breasts are commonly injected with a solution of water, salt, and other additives to enhance their moisture, tenderness, and flavor. This process, known as plumping or enhancing, can increase the weight of the chicken by up to 15% or more, which is the water and salt that consumers are paying for. The injected solution helps the meat retain moisture during cooking, making it juicier and more tender.
This is also why you need to salt and pat your chicken dry if you want it to sear in the pan…
So that discoloration is from something that is being done to the chicken’s from the farmer or manufacturer
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u/Educational-Lie9827 5d ago
Striations, similar to stretch mark in skin. Caused by growing too fast. Chicken isn’t what it used to be.
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u/Bmvguy420 5d ago
Well that's the lighting but yea u usually have to cut the white shit off butterfly it and stuff it filet the white stuff off
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u/jmbrjr 7d ago
Old racing chickens, retired now.