Are roosters appx. 13-14 weeks okay in flavor to eat?

[Egghead_Jr]

So, I guess I have given my position away: I have some chicks that now have started their real rooster phase - crowing, trying to get on the hens, etc. I am not going to keep them. While I've raised a lot of chickens and slaughtered many meat birds, I have not slaughtered and eaten roos at this age before. Are they too 'gamey' at this age to be delicious in a stew or a gumbo?

I just wanted to see what you all thought, thank you!

Birds gain flavor as they age. Strong flavor is often referred to as "gamey". At the still tender age of broiler there is little game. I love gumbo but would rather BBQ, fry or roast broiler aged birds. I reserve stews like gumbo or coq vin for birds past roasting age.

Keep in mind broiler age for non Cornish Cross birds is up to 15 weeks of age. The meat industry prior to CX slaughtered over 12 weeks of age. If you've never had a traditional broiler before I urge you to try one. Even if you don't plan to grill at least try roasting one and decide for yourself if flavor at that age is too gamey for your palette. It won't be tough like older birds and far less gamey but it's certainly not bland like 6 and 8 week old grocery store cornish cross.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

oh, and since you question marked.

"mirepoix". Its French, because of course it is. Two parts Onion, one part Carrot, one part Celery, cooked slowly in a fat (butter, typically) until softened, used as a base in much cooking. See also Sofrito/Sofritto. The "Trinity" of Cajun fame is the same concept, with local ingredients - onion, celery, green peppers (Louisiana isn't well suited to growing carrots) keeping the same 2:1:1 ratio.

I may not know much about birds, but I'm fond of god cooking.