Around what age to start eating roosters

[SplatterhouseCorrupt]

I have hatched Australorp, Anmericauan, and brahmas, some mixed, some pure, I would say they are average size birds. They are 3 months now.

I have them separated from the hens and in their own smaller cage. I have given them unlimited food.

1. At what age are they a decent size to butcher and still tender
2. Any recommendations on what to feed them or anything special to do so they are plump and good eating?

 

[CNJ]

Most dual purpose breeds reach maturity at 4 to 5 months.

 

[Molpet]

I usually harvest starting at 16 weeks... the bramas might take longer to fill out.

 

[3KillerBs]

I had packing peanuts come with my first, in-town flock. I ate them when they got old enough to be annoying.

Nothing you do will make them as meaty and tender as a Cornish X, but they made a wonderful batch of chicken and dumplings for my family when cooked 2 at a time in the crockpot.

 

[Ridgerunner]

1. At what age are they a decent size to butcher and still tender

That's really hard to answer because so much of it is personal preference. They are never going to grow like a Cornish X chicken, they won't grow as fast or get that big. Even if they are the same breed some will grow faster or bigger than others. And we all feed them differently.

In general mine tend to put on enough meat for me by 16 weeks. Some people butcher dual purpose earlier but there isn't a lot of meat there. Mine hit a growth spurt and pack on more meat at a respectable rate until around 22 or 23 weeks. After that they gain weight really slowly. The weight gain after that is not worth the feed. My personal preference is 23 weeks but I will start eating them as young as 16 weeks.

I've had some of the same breed hatched and raised together be bigger at 16 weeks than some others were at 23 weeks. You should notice that different growth rate with yours.

Tenderness is another thing that relies on personal preference but also on how you process and cook them. If you are used to the supermarket chicken you may find your own tough of more flavorful. When they hit puberty cockerels start producing hormones that cause the meat to gain texture and add flavor. The Cornish X at the store don't get old enough for that to be an issue. Some of my dual purpose cockerels start that around 12 weeks, some don't until 5 months. With mine there is usually a link in maturity and how fast they gain weight. If you eat pullets that don't have those hormones and cockerels that do you will notice how much difference those hormones make.

Molpet's chart is a general guideline but I think it was developed before the Cornish X were developed. People may have known better how to process and prepare dual purpose chickens at those ages. They were used to eating those chickens so the flavor and texture was what they were used to. That can be quite a bit difference from the Cornish X most people are used to now. Aging, brining, and marinading can make a big difference. Frying in a deep bed of lard might make a difference as opposed to frying in a small amount of what passes for oil these days.

My suggestion on this is to try something. See how you like it. If it works out, fine. If it doesn't, try something else. We are all so unique in our experiences, expectations, and personal preferences that trial and error is often useful. If something doesn't work out the first time that does not mean it is a disaster, just that you need to find a different way.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Usually mine are ready around 6-8 months of age. Some take a year to fully fill out.

This usually depends on the genetics of the parents too. Out of all the cross breeds I made specifically for meat birds, EE X Brahma was the best. They filled out nicely within about 7 months, & were large, heavy birds.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

We ate some that were about 19 weeks and they were good. We breasted our some that were about 6 months though and haven't had those yet

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Cooking technique and temperature available to use are determined by the age of the bird.

Cornish cross are so tender due to being 7 weeks old. And in turn can be cooked any method you choose from barbeque to roasting.

The older a bird is the more flavors and texture the meat has. The size and plumpness has nothing to do with when you should process birds. It's all about age. If you want larger carcass and intend to roast or stew then six to nine months of age works. The cost of feed to get them this large and coop/run space restraints are cons to waiting this long.

If you want tender then definitely before 14 weeks of age. 12 weeks is better. Try a few at this age and then try a few at fryer age then the last at roaster age. Find your preference but know you can not throw a bird older than 14 weeks on a grill or it will be tough. Southern fried chicken is the hottest cooking method you can use. Over 18-20 weeks of age the hottest cooking method is roasting in an oven.

The terms for sold fowl of old had meaning unlike what you see in the store today. The current labeling has everything to do with size of bird, cornish game is a 4 week old meat bird (cornish cross), fryers are 6 week and roasters are up to 10 week. The present day 9 lbs roaster you see in a store could be cooked on a grill. Before the use of commercial meat birds the labeling of birds was completely about hottest cooking method you could use. Cornish game hens used to be a 12 week Indian game (pure bred Cornish).

 

[U_Stormcrow]

As soon as they are big enough to be worth butchering (to you). Older birds are less tender. Active birds are less tender (but more flavorful). Free range birds are active (see prior comment) and more flavorful all commercial feed birds.

Brahma are SLOW growers - they look big, but mine were all feather till they were at an age where stock/stew/sausage was the only reasonable option. Do NOT recommend you restock them in future years if meat or early egg production are your desires. The are good for laying in winter when others don't, but that's about it. I'm grabbing some of their genetics for my culling project, but in the main, the breed can be improved upon. Allegedly, the Wyandotte were an effort to do just that, 100-odd years ago (I have them too, also in my culling project).

Personally, I cull DP males at 12 weeks+ (usually 14-21 weeks). I do lots of braising, very little baking. I don't fry because I always burn myself. And of course, stocks, stews, and sausage whenever I have the time.

If culling for meat is part of your long term goals, you may wish to re-evalaute the breeds you are hatching, go for faster growing, less feather heavy birds. If its only incidental to what you are doing (say, a breeder selling mostly pullets, and finding use for the excess), then I'd take them around 10-12 weeks and prepare as you would a cornish hen. And invest in a good pot for your water bath, as that's lots of feathers to remove.