Every week, we answer real questions from readers like you, This is another installment in the Dear Chicken Farmer series.
If you’ve got a question about chicken or chicken farming in Canada, send us a note to
Dear Chicken Farmer and we’ll do our best to answer it.
Dear Chicken Farmer:
My husband is very concerned about the way meat darkens around the bones when the chicken is cooked. He refuses to eat this darkened meat. This was not a problem 20 or more years ago. Is this due to the faster growing breeds grown today, or is this due to the type of feed used, or is there another explanation?
First, you need to know that the dark meat around the bone is very safe to eat as long as it is cooked. Chickens today reach market weight earlier than they did 30 or more years ago, so the bones have not had a chance to completely calcify. It takes 6 to 8 weeks for a chicken to go to market and most chickens are ready after 6 weeks. The shorter growing time has been accomplished through selective breeding.
Because the bones on chickens have not completely calcified, hemoglobin from the bone marrow can leach out from the bone and deposit on the outside of the bone and onto the surrounding meat. When you cook it, it looks dark. Freezing and thawing your chicken will make it significantly darker. You might want to try buying breasts, legs, drumsticks, wings or thighs only as you need them or up to 2 days before you want to cook them, and only keep them in the fridge. You’ll likely see a big difference in the colour around the bone and meat after cooking. It will be much lighter.
Check back next week for more questions and answers, or take a look at past questions.
Careers