Black Copper Marans for meat?

[hmarkin09]

Following. We will be culling some soon. Thanks!

 

[Catalysta22]

We just processed 18 of our Black Copper Marans at roughly 18 weeks. Average dressed weight was 4.25 lbs (though we did keep the 5 larger ones which will skew the numbers). Breasts were smaller, though quite long and likely would have filled out with time. Legs were very dark and quite large. Bones were much larger than I was expecting. There were large amounts of fat as well, a couple long threads of bright yellow, and much in the meat and skin. The taste wasn't anything amazing, and the legs were very tough. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to improve toughness? Should I have butchered them earlier?

A couple of things you could try...
First, try brining for a few hours before you cook.
Second, if the meat is still tough, put it in a food processor and use this great tasting meat for chicken sandwiches and other recipes.