Best Practice Processing Birds?

[notiones]

I processed my first bird about two weeks ago. It was a 7-8 month old Brahman rooster. I thought everything went ok, but the cooked bird was so chewy we couldn't eat it and it ended up going to waste. I processed and cooked the bird on the same day, which I had assumed was ok. Now I read it is best to let the bird rest for a day or two. Can someone give me some advice here? Thanks

 

[ForgottenGlen]

After processing and vacuum sealing our meat, we let ours "rest" in the refrigerator for two days before freezing. We also process before or at 6 months, if they are starting to crow and trying to mate, then the testosterone makes the meat tougher to eat. We have easter eggers, so dual purpose chickens, not meat chickens. We had some old roos that work well for chicken soup, let it boil, tear it apart, turn it into soup.

 

[notiones]

Thanks. That's what I was looking for.

 

[v.cyr]

I processed my first bird about two weeks ago. It was a 7-8 month old Brahman rooster. I thought everything went ok, but the cooked bird was so chewy we couldn't eat it and it ended up going to waste. I processed and cooked the bird on the same day, which I had assumed was ok. Now I read it is best to let the bird rest for a day or two. Can someone give me some advice here? Thanks

how did you cook the bird?... resting the bird does help, but you also may have compounded the what not resting it caused by cooking it to fast...that age, the slower you cook it the better... not quite stew-fowl, but a slow, low temp roasting would be ideal for a bird that age...

 

[notiones]

My DW made a stew-like casserole and I thought it cooked for several hours, but I was busy doing chores and couldn't be sure. Also, the dark meat was almost black. Anyway, it was terrible.

 

[ForgottenGlen]

The dark meat is going to be dark any time you cook it, much darker than walmart chicken, lol! It scared me the first time I saw it, "Is that okay?" I'm not sure why, but it is almost milk chocolate colored, maybe the exercise that our chickens get vs. walmart chickens. When you get a young bird, (a great purpose for roosters at my house) under 6 months, it's not a lot of meat per say, but it is sooooo juicy and delicous, and you can cook it anyway you like and it is sooo tasty!

 

[notiones]

LOL! I have twelve new layers and chances are great that at least one will be a rooster so I'll make sure he goes into the pot before he is 6 months old.

 

[booker81]

The older the bird, the more I like to rest it for longer - for 8months old, I'd prefer to go about 4 days in the fridge. That gives time for rigor to pass, and allows some of the chemical muscle reactions to occur that will let the muscle fibers relax and break down - making it more tender and juicier. It won't be like a 8 week old Cornish X, but it will be quite palatable

 

[DaughterOfEve]

Also try a brine for the bird prior to cooking. There are several on about.com.

 

[notiones]

That's a nice size nest box. My birds would be jealous.