Cornish Hens? page

[Catrin]

Is there any real difference between the cornish hens sold by Whole Foods and those by the big box grocers? WF has this big "vegetarian fed" sign on their expensive hens which is sad. I am taking the meat home for the holiday meal and my mom really likes cornish hens. I might take a ham from WF instead...

[ez2cy]

We are having Cornish Hens for Xmas. I know people go on about grass fed beef, no grain this and no grain that. Hens it's impossible to raise without grain. If a primal man caught a bird to eat, it ate grain, I can guarantee it.

Don't know of many farmers feeding anything to chickens that is not vegetarian. ?????? Chickens don't eat cows!

[Catrin]

Hens/chickens are omnivores - grain shouldn't be the only thing in their diet. They need access to bugs and stuff to be really healthy. I prefer pastured, not "vegetarian only" for they aren't vegetarian any more than we are. They will become cannibalistic when not fed properly. Some sites I've read say chickens will also go after small mice and frogs. What the "Vegetarian only" fed label says to me is the birds have never been outside.

[Paleobird]

Hens/chickens are omnivores - grain shouldn't be the only thing in their diet. They need access to bugs and stuff to be really healthy. I prefer pastured, not "vegetarian only" for they aren't vegetarian any more than we are. They will become cannibalistic when not fed properly. Some sites I've read say chickens will also go after small mice and frogs. What the "Vegetarian only" fed label says to me is the birds have never been outside.

This. It is more important to get something that says "cage free" or "free range". "Vegetarian fed" can and does often mean soy pellets.

[Jesster]

My chooks like nothing better than to follow me about while I overturn stones and logs for them. Slugs, worms, woodlice....they love em all.

What they are not that bothered with is their grain. Sigh.