Below you will find a number of questions we are typically asked by consumers. If your question is not listed below, please complete the enquiry form and we will endevour to answer your question as soon as possible.

Question: How are Steggles chickens fed?

Answer:

• The major part of a chicken diet is wheat and other grains, with added vegetable and animal protein with a vitamin and mineral supplement to ensure a balanced diet.
• Steggles chickens are not given or fed any hormones or steroids.
• A small amount of antibiotics is placed in chicken feed, but there are no traces of antibiotics in chicken meat at the time of processing, something which the government tests every year.
• There has not been a single case in Australia of a person developing resistance to antibiotics from eating chicken.

Question: How are Steggles Chickens processed?

Answer:

• Steggles chickens are processed in accordance with Commonwealth and State Government standards, which cover plant hygiene, Quality Assurance, Human Handling and inspection by State Authorities.
• Steggles chickens are produced to the International Quality Accreditation, ISO Standard 9002 and the HACCP Tested Food Safety System.
• The welfare of the birds and minimising stress at all stages of production is an absolute priority for Steggles.

Questoin: How are Steggles chickens raised?

Answer:

• Steggles, nor any chickens reared for their meat in Australia, are ever grown in cages.
• Steggles chickens are raised in large purpose-built chicken sheds and are able to roam through the whole shed with easy access to food and water.
• The shedding equipment and feed are all designed to enhance the birds welfare needs.

Question: How do I handle chicken?

Answer:

• Always make sure you wash your hands, kitchen bench tops, chopping boards and any utensils you will be using when preparing uncooked chicken.
• Never return cooked chicken to containers that held raw chicken unless the container has been cleaned thoroughly.
• Chicken should always be cooked until well done. This means reaching an internal temperature of 75 degrees celcius. The safest way to check that chicken is properly cooked is by using a food thermometer.

Question: How do I make a perfect roast turkey?

Answer:

• Thaw turkey in refrigerator until defrosted.
• Preheat oven to 180ºC.
• Wash turkey, pat dry inside and out. Stuff, truss legs and wings.
• Place turkey in a baking dish. Cover with oiled foil to prevent foil from sticking to turkey.
• Place in oven to cook. Cook as shown by the table below.
• Add 20 minutes to cooking time if turkey includes stuffing.
• Remove from oven and stand for 10 minutes covered with foil to finish cooking and allow juices to settle.
• Serve.

Question: How long can you keep chicken or turkey products in the freezer?

Answer:
Freezing products keeps food safe almost indefinitely, although recommended
storage times are for quality only. Some foods may develop an odour when
kept frozen for too long and should be discarded immediately. To maintain
quality in the freezer:

• Use uncooked whole turkey or chicken within 12 months.
• Use uncooked roasts or chicken and turkey pieces within 9 months.
• Use cooked chicken and turkey within 3 months.

Question: How should I roast a whole chicken?

Answer:

• Preheat oven to 190ºC.
• Place defrosted chicken on a rack in a baking dish or place straight into a dish.
• Add 1 cup of water to the dish. This will create a little steam to keep the chicken moist and also protect the pan juices from charring, ensuring a tasty gravy.
• Cook chicken for approximately 30 minutes per 500grams.
• You know the chicken is cooked if you pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a skewer and the juices run clear. When the thigh joint moves freely away from the breast, it also indicates the chicken is cooked.

Question: How should I truss a chicken?

Answer:

• Cut a piece of string long enough to encircle the chicken twice.
• Place the chicken on its back.
• Pin wings back by pulling wing tips towards you, then back over the top of second wing joint and behind chicken.
• Insert a skewer through the body under the legs.
• Pick the string up at its centre and loop around the tail or parsons nose.
• Holding string in each hand, loop around the ends of the drumsticks then cross over and pull tight.
• Loop the string around the skewers and then around the wings.
• Pull down the flap of neck skin and pin down with small skewer.
• For small chickens, loop string under parson's nose, cross over then loop around each leg and tie.