Eating Roosters

[greyfields]

Quote:
The difference will amaze you.

 

[HillCountryMomma]

Hey Greyfields,

Don't encourage me! I'm already fearfully checking every morning half expecting the little feathered food consumption machines to have exploded!

I just know one morning I'll go out there and instead of cute little chicks I'm going to have monster chickens.

Oh, and I've been meaning to ask you. At what age do you typically butcher your Rangers? And for the pullets you've retained for breeding, do they survive well to laying age? I'd really like to keep a few and cross them with my giant RIR rooster (he is incredibly stout, I'm wondering if perhaps he's not a true RIR), with the eventual hope of getting a Dark Cornish rooster to cross on them.

April... I didn't raise the birds on 10 acres. Some friend of mine did! I'm raising Freedom Rangers, and yes, they will be more contained! Though hopefully I will be able to sucessfully free range them on 'pasture' the last couple weeks of their lives.

Liz

 

[greyfields]

I think I usually take mine in at 9 weeks. I have held back pullets and they're just like any other hen in the flock, except they're obviously larger and surely eats more.

 

[HobbyChickener]

I always get a straight run for this very reason. We process extra roos to eat for your meat birds. Generally at 16-20 weeks unless I can get it done a little sooner. 3-5 at a time is just right for messing with. We have done several types and I like the RIR - RIW the best so far.

However we are in the process of growing / fattening cornish x for the next freezer filling. Load them up on corn for about the last week (except the last 24 hours). This will help your meat flavor. If you get a older one go with Mr Prissy's rule "cook them low and slow" they make good soup and other things.

Hobby

 

[Bukbuk Betty]

Three days ago we butchered our first rooster, he turned out to be a mean guy and i didnt want to just sell him to someone else. If im going to have my own layers, i want to be prepared to deal with angry roos too. He was a 1 yr old easter egger. Anyway, my dad came and gave me the slaughtering/butchering lesson. Skip ahead a day, and i ziplocked him into brine (1 gal water,1/3 cup salt, 1/3 cup sugar, bit of soy sauce) for two days. Today i took the skin off and cut him into the usual pieces. (he still had hairs and pin feathers, and the skin was quite thick so thats why i removed it). I loosely followed a coq au vin recipe off epicurious. Turned out extremely tasty, but the dark meat was slightly stringy and tough. Definitely edible, just not fall-off-the-bone. In future, i will try and let the bird sit an extra day or two (to age) in the fridge, not be so light on the salt (i was worried it would be salty and wasnt at all), and let it cook longer than 45 in the oven. Still made for excellent supper...tasted like VICTORY!!
Cheers!

 

[KendyF]

Pressure cook less then ideal Roos for a tender chicken meat and keep the bones and extras going for bone soup! Delicious!

 

[LindaB220]

Three days ago we butchered our first rooster, he turned out to be a mean guy and i didnt want to just sell him to someone else. If im going to have my own layers, i want to be prepared to deal with angry roos too. He was a 1 yr old easter egger. Anyway, my dad came and gave me the slaughtering/butchering lesson. Skip ahead a day, and i ziplocked him into brine (1 gal water,1/3 cup salt, 1/3 cup sugar, bit of soy sauce) for two days. Today i took the skin off and cut him into the usual pieces. (he still had hairs and pin feathers, and the skin was quite thick so thats why i removed it). I loosely followed a coq au vin recipe off epicurious. Turned out extremely tasty, but the dark meat was slightly stringy and tough. Definitely edible, just not fall-off-the-bone. In future, i will try and let the bird sit an extra day or two (to age) in the fridge, not be so light on the salt (i was worried it would be salty and wasnt at all), and let it cook longer than 45 in the oven. Still made for excellent supper...tasted like VICTORY!!
Cheers!

Hey Betty,

Yeah, I think just about everybody makes the same mistake. You did right by keeping in brine for 2 days. Then put him in a roaster with 1 cup water and cover for 2 1/2 hrs on 275 or so. Or crock pot on low overnight.

 

[acro1010]

Send them to a processor.

 

[Chris Duke]

Freezing the roo's may add tenderness.

In addition to brining the birds for a couple days, I've read that freezing them overnight increases tenderness. I just let mine thaw out in the brine, and change the water after the first day. I don't have room in a refrigerator for this, so I use an ice chest. The bird is it's own ice cube for the first 8 hours, then after that I add ice cubes to keep the temp in the safe range.

I don't have my own yet, but I seem to remember the recommendation went something like this.
1. Bleed out and pluck bird. Dress out.
2. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
3. Freeze bird for 24 hours minimum.
4. Brine bird for 24 hours minimum (48 hours for added defrosting time).

Since I don't have my own birds yet, I start at #2 above. Actually I start at #3 above because they have already been sitting in refrigeration at the store. I think that if I had my own, I would probably brine them before freezing instead of just refrigerating, then a light brine for defrosting. When I get my place that I can raise my own birds at, I plan on having a walk in refrigerator/freezer, so I'll be able to forgo the ice chest.

 

[RoosterDon]

This was all great to read. I just killed my first roo today. He was mean, but today went after a hen that we nursed back to health inside after a dog attack. I have an orange traffic cone that I tied to the tree branch, cut more of the end off, and stuck him in upside down (like the video I saw on you tube). He did not fuss at all, then I slit his throat to let him bleed out, then cut his head off. held him down in 160 degree water for one minute and the feathers came out pretty darn easily. After reading these threads I see why he looked odd, being a roo. Also we have a large free range area so he is not that big. he is/was nine months.

Wondering how long to keep him fridged before my wife Coq-Au Vin's him. It looks like I am hearing several days, then freeze him.

Thanks for this thread. I thought I would share this experience. His name was Elvira until he showed he was a Roo, then he became Elvis. Today, Elvis is no longer "in the house".