lil blue roux - at what age should I harvest my roosters? My understanding on the Freedom Rangers is that it takes about 3 to 3 1/2 months to get them to a good weight. The roosters that we have harvested so far were older then that... at a guess I'd say between 4 to 5 months old. Those guys needed special attention at cooking time... only roasted one and that was a mistake. Have used the crock pot on another and that turned out a bit better. How do you handle them?
I was talking about the packing peanuts. I don't have the space to grow out lots of roosters. So I'd let them get warmed, fill up on water and food, get sleepy and then dislocate their necks. I've done it a few times. It is never fun.
We've processed the few roosters that made it through the initial cull once they began crowing. I've learned that I can't eat things that have names after we tried to eat Waffles the Barred Rock. While I'm glad for the experience, the other roosters are hanging out in other people's freezers...
Someday I'd like to have meat birds. I won't be naming them, or letting them cuddle up with me. I'd like to raise a cow or two at some point though I think I might have to do that on trade - I eat my friend's cow, she eats mine.
