Age to cull extra roos?

[sred98]

I've got a few white leghorn mix roos that will need to go to freezer camp. They were born March 18. What age should they be culled?

Shelly

 

[danielbrown]

oct 5th 1:27 pm exactly

 

[Chicky Tocks]

I've read between 12-16 weeks.

 

[sred98]

Quote:

LOL!

 

[sred98]

Quote:
Wow, that seems soon! Will they have enough meat on them by then??

Thanks for the info!

Shelly

 

[Gloria]

I believe it is between 16-20 weeks old.

 

[SpringChickens]

I did my australorps at 13 weeks, and they had a lot of meat on them. Maybe not as much as the Cornish X do at 7 weeks, but still enough to make a good meal. Much later than that, your feed conversion ratio starts to drop, and the birds aren't as tender.

If I was going to do it again, I may consider waiting until they were older. I did it earlier so I would have tender meat, but it was already somewhat tough. We're cooking them in ways which require a long, slow cook to help tenderize them. Better flavor than you could ever get at the grocery store, though.

 

[sred98]

Quote:
That makes sense. I'd really love to make a good Coq au Vin, but I think I'd hate to kill a roo I've had for 2 years! LOL!

Thanks for the input!

Shelly

 

[SpringChickens]

You can watch Craigslist... there's roos on there for free or cheap all the time!

 

[Kim_NC]

We like to butcher dual purpose roos at 17-19 weeks. Finished weights will be about 3 lbs and they'll be tender.