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[coldsprings]

Greetings All! been a lurking couple for awhile now here and just decided to take the plunge... lots of great info. we are beginners! so go easy..




first question- we have hatched a couple dozen meat birds and they are 8 weeks now. We did not separate m/f and they are mixed. We plan to harvest at 12-16 weeks and are wondering if the roosters will be useful as meat? all we found out is 'they make a great soup!' or coq au vin...

Should we have culled the cockerels early so as not to waste the feed on them if they don't give much meat? Will they be similar in size at harvest time or should we cull them now?

thanks for any advice

 

[GodLovesU]

Welcome!I hope someone can answer your question!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi, welcome to the forum! Glad you joined!

first question- we have hatched a couple dozen meat birds and they are 8 weeks now. We did not separate m/f and they are mixed. We plan to harvest at 12-16 weeks and are wondering if the roosters will be useful as meat? all we found out is 'they make a great soup!' or coq au vin...

Should we have culled the cockerels early so as not to waste the feed on them if they don't give much meat? Will they be similar in size at harvest time or should we cull them now?

What breed do you have? Are they Cornish Cross, Rangers, or dual purpose chickens? That is important. You can eat any chicken at any age of any breed but how you prepare and cook it can make a difference.

Most of us prefer cockerels to eat. You get more meat from a cockerel than a pullet. The meat is useable but how do you want to cook it? How you cook it can be very important.

 

[coldsprings]

Thank you

Welcome!I hope someone can answer your question!

thanks!

 

[coldsprings]

Hi, welcome to the forum! Glad you joined!


What breed do you have? Are they Cornish Cross, Rangers, or dual purpose chickens? That is important. You can eat any chicken at any age of any breed but how you prepare and cook it can make a difference.

Most of us prefer cockerels to eat. You get more meat from a cockerel than a pullet. The meat is useable but how do you want to cook it? How you cook it can be very important.

Thank you! We have Bresse and they look delicious. I'm surprised to here you prefer the cockerels, wow! We were planning to wait on them to reach maturity but would you suggest harvesting some younger? We just thought slow mijoter style would be best. I'm curious how you would cook them!

 

[Ridgerunner]

When you butcher any chicken you need to age it in the refrigerator, in a cold ice chest, or somewhere cold until rigor mortis passes. The meat will stiffen in several hours. When the joints move freely rigor has passed. It might be a day, it might be 3 days. Conditions vary.

I butcher my cockerels at 16 to 23 weeks of age. By this age they are probably too old to fry or grill. Roasting is a possibility but I bake mine. I cut them into serving pieces and put them in a baking dish with a fairly tight lid. I add some veggies like a carrot, celery, onion, and garlic for flavoring. I add spices like basil, oregano, or thyme. Then I bake them at 250 Fahrenheit for 2-1/2 to 3 hours.

Use a slotted spoon to remove it as the meat is probably fall-off-the-bone tender. You will probably have half a cup or more liquid. Strain it and de-fat it and you have excellent broth.

I save the cooked bones to make broth. I freeze them until I have a gallon freezer zip-loc full. When I butcher the chicken I save the neck, back, feet, heart, and gizzard. I use these parts to make broth. I feed the liver to my dogs.

I put the bones and/or select parts in a large crock pot. I add the veggies and spices mentioned above, fill with water, and cook that on low overnight, usually around 24 hours. I strain out the chunks and de-fat the liquid. Then I pressure can the broth.

I pick through the body parts and keep the meat. You have cooked shredded chicken meat. You can use that for soup or stew, chicken tacos, or chicken salad. I often have it for lunch on a sandwich.

I toss the bones but save the debris that is not meat and freeze that in small amounts. I use that as bait in my live trap when I want to catch a raccoon, possum, or skunk.

When I cook an old mature rooster I make broth with him, just like above. You get a lot of cooked shredded chicken meat. Certain body parts, like the drumsticks, might hold together enough that you could serve them as a piece but not always.

I typically butcher my excess pullets around 8 months of age after I have evaluated which I want to keep as layers. I cook these the same as my cockerels.

I butcher my mature hens at about three years after they start dropping off laying as they age and replace them with the pullets that lay well. These are great for chicken and dumplings, that's how Mom cooked them. But she was feeding 5 kids and the dumplings were a great way to stretch the meat. I cook them the same as the cockerels and have no complaints.