My meat birds are tough! Help me!

[chevydmax04]

I have been raising meat birds during the summer for two years now. Last year we let them go for 12 weeks before slaughter they were huge 9-11 lbs. Needless to say when I cooked one up it was like chewing on my truck tire! Made 150lbs of puppy mush for the animal shelter here in town with those birds. So this year I did more research and we slaughtered our first batch of 15 at 8 weeks old. My understanding was they should be nice and tender, but they were still tough and slightly rubbery. What am I doing wrong here? I feed them good quality feed, no animal byproducts in the feed, and a finisher for the last two weeks. I do let them walk around in the run, maybe that is the problem. Question I have is after I slaughter should I be letting them age in the fridge for 4-5 days before freezing? I have 25 that the ax will fall on this Saturday so your help is appreciated.

Thanks
Steve

 

[cw]

you should age them, i think 4-5 days in the fridge is a little extreme. i think 24 hrs is probably suffient, when we slaughter ours we let them soak for 4-7 hrs in icey salt water (brine) and have even eaten them the night of cleaning them for the freezer.

 

[chevydmax04]

4-7 hours in icy brine will tenderize them a bit, I will try that and see what happens. thanks for the info

 

[al6517]

Yes you have to age them prior to freezing 24-48 hrs, brining also is a big factor. cooking is another part of the puzzle.

AL

 

[cw]

yea i just put 25 (roos) in the deep freezer, 1 on the grill for supper that night, and the 1 we grilled was perfect he was the first 1 killed for the day (started at 11:00) and put him on the grill at 5:30 or so and he was perfect, that said he had some texture so to say on the meat , not so much as tough, but a crispness of being fresh(not mush like store bought chicken) we found to be rather pleasent,
getting ready to do the rest of the hens (25 more) for fryers as they run a little slower on growth

 

[chicks4kids]

I brine mine for 24 hours then roast them when I want to cook one. I cooked a bird that i let go for 12 weeks and it was tough. Mine also got alot of exercise...free range. So I ended up canning those birds. I think definitely brining...mine that I brined at 8 weeks were amazing, and butchering at the appropriate time is a must. Anything after 8 weeks I think should be canned or brined. That's how I'll do it from now on at least....

 

[honeydoll]

Oh crud. I was told to wait till 12 weeks to butcher mine, so I need to brine them. How much salt in the ice water. I am so bummed, hope mine aren't rubber.

I butchered my first at 8 weeks and someone said to wait until 12.

I want to bang my head on something.

I have been told so many different things at TSC about Cornish X. Well thank goodness for BYC. I could just scream. My 8 week old one tasted wonderful, though.

 

[mmwb]

I have found the quicker you get the meat cooled, the more firm and tender as well. When I butchering, put them on ice as soon as they are eviscerated and plucked/skinned. If you are cutting the carcasses up, let the meat completely cool before you cut them.

 

[Kezzie]

Quote:
Wouldn't the meat still be in rigor mortise at 6 and a half hours?

 

[tragic59]

How do you handle a dual purpose flock?

The birds are going to be alot older than Cornish X before they reach weight.

How old do you typically process a dual purpose bird?

And, what steps do you take to ensure a tasty meal?