Grass inside hen's breast... explanation?

[Eyes Wide Open]

I got a stew hen from a local farm. Good thing I've had 4 or 5 by now, or I'd think they were all inedible. I put them in the crock pot and they usually come out fine. But last night's hen was a tough old bird and we literally could not eat her - not because we're picky but because our teeth just aren't strong enough!

But that wasn't all. When my husband cut open her breast, GRASS fell out. This was grass UNDER her skin. It's not like I examined her all that closely before cooking but I did wash her and rub oil on her before I got her in the crock pot, and I didn't see anything. At least I think it was grass; it sure looked like it though it was obviously very dark and limp after being simmered for hours.

What the heck? We weren't sure if we should try to eat her at all, but I don't like to waste and I suggested to my husband that he just carve some meat off somewhere else. But like I said, she was a tough old bird and it was a total loss (except drippings and a couple legs I'm making a soup base with now).

But how does a hen get grass under her skin? Has this ever happened to you?

[Firefly]

Wow! I can't wait to see the answer to this one. But I'm curious about the toughness. I had a chance to get 15 free birds and decided against it b/c of having to butcher them in 10* weather; I was disappointed, but now I wonder if I got lucky. I thought if you cooked them long enough they'd get tender. Not true, apparently! I wonder if there is a foolproof cooking method?

[Shygal]

............gaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh I dont know if I could eat chicken ever again if I saw something like that

[mygoat]

Sounds like you didn't remove her crop before cooking her. The crop is located on the upper chest. If the hen was free range and able to eat grass, or if the person fed some hay to their birds, then it very well could have been grass.

[Jennifer L.]

Someone didn't take the crop out.

Jennifer

[sugarspinner]

Originally Posted by Firefly

Wow! I can't wait to see the answer to this one. But I'm curious about the toughness. I had a chance to get 15 free birds and decided against it b/c of having to butcher them in 10* weather; I was disappointed, but now I wonder if I got lucky. I thought if you cooked them long enough they'd get tender. Not true, apparently! I wonder if there is a foolproof cooking method?

Firefly, I use my pressure cooker on chickens I consider possibly tough beyond all reason. It works. It's then good but doesn't have that "ymumy young chicken" flavor. Good for serving with gravy, as in chicken Manhattans, or in stir fry or soup or stew or chicken and noodles, etc.

That being said, the grass was surely from a forgotten crop, but disgusting nevertheless. Hmmm. Dog or cat feed, I think.

[Eyes Wide Open]

Ahhh, the crop. Hmph. Maybe I should tell the farmer. Clearly it was an accident, like I saiid, I'd had other hens from them and they were all delish.

This hen not only had a full crop (yes, they are all pastured) but was large and had a lot of fat on her. I'm not against fat - makes for yummy broth - but, I dunno, just the overall composition of this hen seemed a lot different from the others.

If I could get my hands on free stew hens, I'd still do it. Even if 20% of the hens turned out to be cat food, that would be ok with me.

But thanks for answering my question, it was definitely the crop. Makes total sense and reassures me (that's waaaaay better than, like, a diseased hen - since I did take a few bites of her! And was hoping to be able to use the drippings, which I now will).

[Eyes Wide Open]

Originally Posted by Firefly

Wow! I can't wait to see the answer to this one. But I'm curious about the toughness. I had a chance to get 15 free birds and decided against it b/c of having to butcher them in 10* weather; I was disappointed, but now I wonder if I got lucky. I thought if you cooked them long enough they'd get tender. Not true, apparently! I wonder if there is a foolproof cooking method?

Well, I probably would have passed on butchering in 10 degree weather too, now that I think about it.

I'm sure if I put the old gal back in the crock for longer she might have been edible, and I probably would have done so if it weren't for the crop problem.

The crock pot made the other hens quite edible - not dry at all, yet kind of falling apart. Not like a roast chicken but very good in its own way. I just oil them up (olive oil or coconut oil) and put them in the crock, and often add a chopped onion for flavor (I usually salt on the plate, though). No water, they just cook in their own juices, and the drippings make excellent gravy. Or I can make chicken pot pie from the cooked hen, and that makes my husband a VERY happy man.

[Firefly]

OK! I cook a young whole chicken in the crockpot without water when I want meat for chicken salad. It's amazing how well it works. I don't have a pressure cooker, been thinking a lot about getting one. But it sounds like if I simmer an old bird long enough in a regular pot I'll get tender meat. I'd want the broth and fat for fricassee and biscuits. Yummm!

[cybercat]

The older hen you have to let set in the frig a few days. That will help with toughness. Other than that it is stew or pot pie.