Age of roosters

[sunnie7]

So we have hatched out a couple groups of chicks this year. First hatch was in April and second was beginning of September. I now have a couple of roosters from the first hatch that we need to get rid of and so far it’s looking like I’m going to have 6-8 more from the younger ones. We have never processed chickens before but my husband is a hunter and we’ve already talked about instead of rehoming we’d like to explore making good use out of them for our family as meat. We also think this might help prepare us for raising some chickens next year dedicated to meat. I have a couple of questions.
1. When/what age is the idea time to process a rooster? My older 2 are around 24 weeks and the younger group only 5 weeks.
2.Will the ones I have be worth it size/ meat wise? I have SL Orpington (I’ve tried selling him for $10 but no luck) a Brahma mix I believe and the younger ones are from my EE rooster x with either Brahmas, Marans, Orpington, Wyandotte.

I’ll attach a few photos of my flock, the 2 roasters and the younger chicks.

 

[M-H-Fielding]

I think you just need to decide yourself when they are big enough.
Maybe weigh them?
I think the older two are bout ready to butcher. I'm not an expert on this kind of thing.

 

[Ridgerunner]

1. When/what age is the idea time to process a rooster? My older 2 are around 24 weeks and the younger group only 5 weeks.

This is a very common question that has no ideal answer. You can write a book on this, I'll try to hit a few basics but it can still be long and lacking in details. You can eat any chicken at any age. To a certain extent the older they get the more meat they have but the more texture and flavor they develop. That can influence how you treat the meat and cook it. The older the cockerel the more it helps to use slow and moist cooking methods. Some of us like the extra texture and flavor, some hate it.

Your 24 week old are too old to fry or grill. I bake mine that age, cut them into serving pieces, put them in a tightly closed baking pan with herbs, and cook at 250 F for about 3 hours. Some people would use a crock pot or pressure cooker. They'll make excellent soup as long as they are cooed slowly, never a full boil but a gentle simmer. You could probably smoke them. You might consider Coq au Vin a gourmet dish with them. Lots of options.

You need to cook them immediately after butchering or let them age so you don't have to mess with rigor mortis. If you mistime that they can be inedible. There are several tricks like that. How do you manage rigor mortis when hunting?

There are a lot of different variables as to when is the best time for you to butcher. But that depends on you. We are all over the board on that timing.

2.Will the ones I have be worth it size/ meat wise?

Purely up to you. People hunt or raise quail to eat. Some people on here get really hung up on size, to some of us it's less of an issue. Many if us raise chickens of equivalent breeds to eat. I do so it is worth it to me.

I don't know what your husband hunts or who cleans and cooks it. Quail, squirrel, ducks, deer, whatever. With that background one of you should be able to manage butchering and cooking those cockerels.

 

[piminuse]

Great info above, but I would like to elaborate on some points:

1. Really, really encourage you to age your birds. Rigor Mortis can take up to 72 hours to pass, so make sure you have room in your fridge to chill how many freezer camp attendees you have before bagging 'em up or cooking them if they're not processed for immediate use.

2. Cooking method is key! Your young heritage birds have done a lot more flapping and running than a commercial bird, so they're going to be leaner and tougher. As mentioned above, it's better to go with a low and slow cook method that helps retain moisture. I've found success with sous vide for typically drier cuts like the breast, and long marinades with protein pulverizing ingredients like honey and pineapple also help.

3. If you plan on sustainability with meat birds then consider keeping your biggest/best boy to help sire the next generation.

4. Heritage boys tend to be on the slimmer side, so you might want to try "finishing" a batch by keeping them contained in a smaller enclosure and feeding them high fat items like corn and milk.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

 

[3KillerBs]

I've only done it once, but I got "packing peanuts" with my order for my in-town flock (probably Production Reds). I butchered them when they were old enough to be annoying.

Since I have a large family I simmered them two at a time to make chicken and rice. They weren't very meaty but they were tasty and made a rich stock that firmed up like jello when chilled.

 

[bigz1983]

I just smoked a 23 week old Cochin cockerel toady and it was good. Not tuff.
We brined it in salt water for 2 days before smoking and used the beer can chicken roaster stand to make it sit upright in the smoker.
As far as recommended age to butcher I would say 18-22 weeks is fine but you will need to either pressure cook, slow cook in a crock pot, smoke or cook in the oven at a low heat like 250 degrees for 4 hours.
I recommend brining the bird in salt water for 2 days because dual purpose chickens are tougher than the big white Cornish-Rock meat chickens.

 

[RUNuts]

When the hormones start running, I butcher the cockerels. Usually before 20 weeks. A pound, maybe more and makes delicious dishes. I live in a no crow zone, so once the crowing starts, so does the butcher.

 

[ladybrasa]

I have not butchered anything, FYI! However I will also be ending up with extra Roos of various breeds and am prepping for processing. So here’s stuff I have read about around here and elsewhere:

You can eat any bird at any age. Texture will be firmer and meat more flavorful or “chickeny”. I wonder if this is the same as gamey? Apparently some people prefer it and some people aren’t used to it. As mentioned, processing and cooking are important for anything that’s not a Cornish Cross or super young. I did read somewhere that butcher age, in general, is 5-6 months? Or when the Roos become jerks . The more closer to adulthood the more chance of meat. You can eat any breed, will just be more or less meat. All the breeds you listed except maybe EE are considered at least dual purpose. I’ve read (also already mentioned) aging in the fridge is important- do not cook anything outside a CX straight after butcher. Rigor mortis and allowing some tissue to break down, like aging beef. How long though seems across the board - I’ve read like a day to 2 weeks!! Also read about brining in a salt solution really really helps for toughness, to the point that afterwards you can prepare/cook however you wish. Seems like you can brine after slaughter or out of the freezer before cooking. I also read you could use vinegar or buttermilk, but haven’t been able to find that article again. Cooking - without brining, low and slow is key. No frying in a pan. Canning also works well. Crock pot works well. I assume it would be the same sort of considerations with game birds/meat? So you may know well already!

Again, I have no experience... yet.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Try a few young birds 13-14 weeks of age. That's the oldest age for grilling/broiling. The meat is tender and as far as feed goes this is the age they slow down growing and are eating the most. Yes they will be small but easier to pluck, have cost less per pound in feed and are still at a tender meat age for normal cooking methods.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Texture will be firmer and meat more flavorful or “chickeny”. I wonder if this is the same as gamey?

I butcher both males and females. As they age they both develop texture and flavor. With the girls that is a pretty slow process but you can definitely tell the difference in a pullet and a hen but they are not gamey.

With boys it's different. Once the hormones hit the texture starts developing much more rapidly than with the girls. Also the hormones flavor the meat. I think that flavor is what people call gamey. At five to six months that flavor is there but not nearly as strong as it will be if you wait a few more months.