Dark red-pink chicken meat?

[User635240]

Hi all, this is one of my cockerels that I had butchered this week. He was a large barred rock mix, around 8months old, and has been sitting in the cooler for 4-5 days. The flesh looks more like pork or beef in color. The meat tasted normal for a heritage bird, maybe a bit gamey like an older rooster. What does this mean?
(images with and without flash)

 

[Brooks_]

The age and activity that the bird had results in darker dark meat than that of a grocery store bird.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Looks normal to me

 

[Penpal]

This is what chicken looked like when I was growing up. To me, this is a normal dead chicken.

 

[User635240]

O

This is what chicken looked like when I was growing up. To me, this is a normal dead chicken.

Ok, its the first time I've seen red meat. All the other chickens' meat were pale yellow-whitish in color.

 

[Tonyroo]

That was a very healthy bird, the meat looks good.

 

[FunClucks]

Absolutely normal. I just processed a Ginger Broiler meat bird 8 month cockerel, and his legs were that color. His breast meat was the usual pale peach folks are used to. I'll be pressure cooking him to be sure he's tender. The year old production red rooster I processed previously tasted like BBQ beef, so I put BBQ sauce on and had a sandwich.