Live (?) Poultry etc. place on 3rd in high 30s

Has anyone purchased a rabbit from a live poultry place in Brooklyn? How was it?

Another source of rabbits is the Italian grocery store Coluccio's in Bensonhurst/Borough Park (60th St. between 12th & 13th aves.). They're frozen but very good and slightly less, er, only just dead than stuff from a live poultry place. They come with the head on, so avoid letting the kids hang out in the kitchen while you're cutting the thing up. I felt slightly horrific the first time I had to take a decapitating whack--and I've never had that feeling about fish!

Ive seen rabbits at Eagle Provisions (5th Ave at 18th)
as well as in the frozen food case at my local Met Food in Prospect Heights and at the 5th Ave Key. So you dont have to subject yourself to the live place just to get a rabbit to eat. Look around.

I've been going to the live poultry place at the end of my block in Astoria for the past couple of months, and it's been great. Buying fresh meat shouldn't be something you consider "subjecting yourself" to. Yes, you get a bag of meat that's still warm, but hey, that's meat, and it's so much better than some frozen thing that's been sitting around for who knows how long.

So far I've only gotten chickens, but they're excellent. But my place also has quails, pheasants, guinea hens, squab, geese, ducks, rabbit, and (I can't believe this) lamb, goat, and beef. I mean, really, just standing there...kind of like a petting zoo. But not. They also have organic eggs for $2.50/doz., and quail eggs.

I'm talking a macho kill-and-eat game, but I do eat somewhat less meat now--I don't just pick up some chicken thighs on a whim. I make sure I have a plan for the whole chicken before I buy it.

Anyway, I can't emphasize enough how great these places are (or at least mine)--an amazing resource in this city.

Zora,
Could I have the address? Directions? (I'd come from Sunnyside, Q104 bus) Hours? Is it open everyday?

Astoria Live Poultry
31-27 20th Ave.
718-777-9723
open 7 days, 8-6:30

Take the N or W to Ditmars and walk straight up 31st St. (keep going direction train was going) and turn right on 20th Ave. (3rd light)

There's another live poultry place down on 31st St. just south of 36th Ave. But it always smells nasty when I bike by. I used to live by that one (odd coinciedence in my apartment choices), and I was never inspired to go in.

Thank you, I'll definitely go asap.

More about the chickens: There are plain old white "supermarket" (the owner's word) chickens, and then there are the gray "spring chickens," which are the ones I've been getting. Only the gray chickens are allegedly organic, or at least from a pleasant Pa. farm, and they only cost about 15 cents more per pound (so I don't think I was flagrantly upsold on them--and I've never seen anyone order the white chickens).

Because I've only been going the last few months, I have no idea if "spring chickens" really are available only in the spring.

[jetle25]

I live by this place. Walked in yesterday. They have live Duck, Chicken, Rooster, Quail, Guinea Hen, And some strange bird they said was similar to pigeon. THey also have Organic Chicken but they didn't have it the day I was there. Honestly I'm a bit weirded out by these places. My mom always bought live birds in Chinatown back in Boston and the smell was terrible. I saw some of the birds. They had clipped beaks. Mostly just the roosters. The hens which were white all had their beaks intact. I wish they were in grass land rather then cages. Even if they do get birds from an Organic Farm they still are probably stressed from travel and are stuck in stinky cages with no soft bedding to stand in. I guess its really up to what you.

[saria]

I live near the Ditmars live poultry place and I don't believe in supporting these places. No matter how clean, those animals are all cooped up in their cages and I don't believe for a second they're "organic" (which means nothing to me anyway since I care more about them being pastured). I'd be even more cautious about buying eggs from them.
Also, meat being "fresh" isn't necessarily better. Dry-aging of beef does wonders for it. So does some air-chilling for poultry.

[jetle25]

you got any areas of good butchers/meat markets in Astoria? I work in the city so I buy from Ottamanelli's and Bro in Greenwich Village.

Also I joined a Meat CSA on meetup.com. Getting half a hand raised pig in Nov.

[saria]

I usually rely on various greenmarkets for meat.
I don't begrudge people buying conventionally raised meat, just my two cents on what I see from live poultry places. I don't think they're any better in terms of conditions than supermarket meat; it's just fresher meat.

Question: Are the birds themselves organic or free range? I'm not a stickler for natural birds, I'm just wondering how much of a chicken's flavor-texture-whatever is due to its provenance and how much is due to the date of its demise.

I was told they're from a farm in Pennsylvania, and that they're "organic." I suspect that term is being used loosely, but they do have nice bright yellow fat, which means a good corn diet.