CX cockerels vs. pullets for roasters

[AlbionWood]

We're about a week or so away from starting in on this batch of CX, and I'm curious if anyone here has an opinion about whether the cockerels or the pullets make the best broilers. We're planning to cut up about half the birds for frying etc., and about half as whole birds for roasting. Sure is great to roast a chicken about once a month or so!

The cockerels of course are significantly heavier, and we will probably process them at least a week before the pullets. But an 8 week old CX is tender enough for either purpose, so I just wondered if anyone has ever noticed a difference in flavor or texture, moisture, etc.

 

[angelbabyamy]

I prefer to butcher hens over roosters. I am new to to this and have only ate 3 of them so far. I think the rooster had a chewier texture to it, but it was by no means tough.
I prefer to butcher hens over roosters. Their body cavities are wider and easier to get my hand in and remove everything. They also don't seem to have as many pin feathes and are easier to pluck.

 

[booker81]

I've not been able to identify which of my CX are male or female once they're in the freezer. They all look the same and taste the same. There is some weight variation, but not much, because I usually start processing with the biggest birds, regardless of gender, and process a few per day over a couple weeks. Pretty much everyone gets processed at about 5lbs, with some variation. I'm sure I'm processing mostly males first, and then moving to females, but I like that since it gives me time to do a few per day, instead of all coming up to my preferred weight at one time.

 

[Oregon Blues]

I ordered all males and got a suspiciously high number of pullets. Whoever was doing the sexing wasn't very good at it.

The pullets are noticeably smaller. I know which ones are pullets in the freezer, because they are a lot smaller. However, I can't tell any difference in the quality of the meat. The cockerels are butchered so young that they don't have any hormonal issues with the meat.

I don't know what the difference is in their feed conversion, since all my birds were kept together. The smaller pullets probably eat less, but it is my understanding that their feed conversion is slightly less good.

The pullets do have a nice advantage that they are cheaper to purchase.

If you really can't decide which you want, I suggest that you get straight run. Then you can evaluate pullets vs roos and the next time you order, you will know which you want to purchase.