How long does it take a barred rock rooster to reach butchering size

[oldcoop]

I have 20 Barred rock roosters in a chicken tractor. How long does it take a barred rock rooster to reach butchering size? I have not raised roosters for meat birds before. I don't want them to get old and tough. Big experiment for me.

I wanted 3 roosters for my hens and ended up with 20 so what to do.

Anyone know a good book that goes into raising meat birds that aren't Cornishx or the like?

 

[Molpet]

Depends on how you want to cook.
Cooking methods depends on age.
I have put a couple years old roosters in the electric pressure cooker for a couple hours until tender...best pulled chicken and broth for soup.
In my signature is a link for breeding heritage from Bramblewood. Here is a pic of the cooking methods based on age.

 

[oldcoop]

Depends on how you want to cook.
Cooking methods depends on age.
I have put a couple years old roosters in the electric pressure cooker for a couple hours until tender...best pulled chicken and broth for soup.
In my signature is a link for breeding heritage from Bramblewood. Here is a pic of the cooking methods based on age.
View attachment 4086123

Thank, This is great information!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I wanted 3 roosters for my hens and ended up with 20

That's what I do when I want one rooster for breeding. Get a bunch and start eating the rejects. By the time I get to the last two or three they are all good choices. So decide what criteria you will use to decide which ones to keep and be pretty ruthless about selecting by that criteria. I raise mine partly for meat so one of my criterium is the size at the age I want to butcher them. I breed the ones I want to eat and eat the ones I don't want to breed.

How long does it take a barred rock rooster to reach butchering size? I have not raised roosters for meat birds before. I don't want them to get old and tough.

You can eat any chicken of any size and sex, but a lot depends on how you want to cook them. So that is a start.

When they go into puberty the hormones affect the meat. They make the meat more flavorful and add to texture. They don't all hit puberty at the same age so you can get a variety of texture and flavor at the same age. To me that creates a problem in thinking of specific ages. By flavorful I mean that the hormones can have a strong effect on how they taste, sort of a gamey flavor. Some of us like that stronger flavor, some hate it.

Same with the texture. As they go through puberty they get "stringier" to use a word. Some of us like that added texture more than others, but it can get out of hand. You can make a gourmet meal out of an old rooster, Coq au Vin is an example. But if you want to fry or grill, you have to butcher much younger.

Then you have the issue of how much meat you get. Again, I get a wide variety of sizes in cockerels at the same age although they are the same breed from the same flock and raised the same way. This is why I suggest you choose your breeders by size at butcher age. I use other criteria also, not just size, but for meat size is an important one.

What I generally suggest is trial and error. Try something and see how it works. If you need to, tweak it. That applies to how you raise them, what age you butcher them, and how you cook them. We are all different with our own preferences, goals, set-ups, breeds, and every thing else. Just because I do it in a certain way does not mean that it will suit you.

Personally I start butchering at 16 weeks, selecting those that I already know will not meet my criteria. I target making my final decision at 23 weeks. At 16 weeks they have usually reached a size that I consider worth butchering. By 23 weeks they have, in general, finished their growth spurt. They will continue to grow but that growth rate becomes really slow. And this suits how I cook them. I bake mine in an enclosed baking pan to hold moisture in at 250 F for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. To me that is moist flavorful tender meat that suits my tastes. Your mileage may differ, we all have different tastes.

Good luck and enjoy the journey!