age of chicken

[agarnp]

whats the optimal time to cull a dual purpose chicken for best eating?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

16weeks is when they usually start yo get tougher

 

[Geena]

We process DP cockerels @ 16 weeks or a little before if they start crowing, but you can let the pullets grow out for another month as they normally mature a little slower.

 

[Molpet]

I also aim for 16wks

Cooking based on age

 

[Ridgerunner]

whats the optimal time to cull a dual purpose chicken for best eating?

That's a personal preference. What do you consider to make best eating? Is it size, how it is cooked, flavor, cost of feed to meat ratio? Something else?

My preference is around 23 weeks for a cockerel. I bake mine so I don't have to worry about texture that much. Mine forage for a fair portion of their food so holding them a little longer doesn't cost that much extra for feed. By 23 weeks they have more flavor than at 16 weeks. Some of us like that more than others. They have kind of hit the end of their youthful growth spurt at 23 weeks but I'll agree 16 weeks is pretty much when they have reached a size to be worth butchering. I'm often evaluating them as a potential flock master so a few more weeks of evaluation time helps. I start thinning the cockerels down around 16 weeks by processing the obvious rejects. That makes it easier to evaluate the ones that are left.

I typically butcher DP pullets at around 8 months. It is not about size, pullets are never going to be that big. The pullets don't add the texture and flavor nearly as fast as cockerels going through puberty so they can still be baked. Those hormones really affect the cockerels. I keep replacement pullets and by 8 months I can decide if I want them in my flock or not.

So 23 weeks for the boys and 8 months for the girls works for me with the way I cook them, raise them, and to suit my other goals.

 

[agarnp]

That's a personal preference. What do you consider to make best eating? Is it size, how it is cooked, flavor, cost of feed to meat ratio? Something else?

My preference is around 23 weeks for a cockerel. I bake mine so I don't have to worry about texture that much. Mine forage for a fair portion of their food so holding them a little longer doesn't cost that much extra for feed. By 23 weeks they have more flavor than at 16 weeks. Some of us like that more than others. They have kind of hit the end of their youthful growth spurt at 23 weeks but I'll agree 16 weeks is pretty much when they have reached a size to be worth butchering. I'm often evaluating them as a potential flock master so a few more weeks of evaluation time helps. I start thinning the cockerels down around 16 weeks by processing the obvious rejects. That makes it easier to evaluate the ones that are left.

I typically butcher DP pullets at around 8 months. It is not about size, pullets are never going to be that big. The pullets don't add the texture and flavor nearly as fast as cockerels going through puberty so they can still be baked. Those hormones really affect the cockerels. I keep replacement pullets and by 8 months I can decide if I want them in my flock or not.

So 23 weeks for the boys and 8 months for the girls works for me with the way I cook them, raise them, and to suit my other goals.

Thank you -- your reply was helpful. We have 6 laying hens that are 1 yr old that give nice eggs and 1 rooster of same age and from them we hatched 19 chicks 3 weeks ago (I suspect 4 are Cockrells). We are trying to figure out the switchover to new flock but I really didnt want to cull the older ones yet until the new chicks get closer to egg-laying time. I dont think we have the timing right but this is our first year with raising chickens. The eggs are great and with the meat I would stew or use in soup (or bake them if young enough). Thanks again for your detailed explanation of your process.