BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[dfr1973]

Really? Eleven to twelve weeks old isn't too old to perform the procedure?

Surely you jest? That's the ideal age for a beginner to start with and in just 5 or 6 months, they will fantastic table birds!

I concur with Ron - I like to do mine in the 8 - 12 week old window, but my first batch ended up being 14 and 15 weeks old due to weather and scheduling back in April. The thing about doing cockerels in puberty is the testes will break up easier, and it's more likely to leave enough behind to regrow. Out of the ten I did in April, at least 8 are slips, but that was three months of chicken harmony before the slips started showing again a couple weeks ago. They also have doubled in size from when caponized, and will have much more meat.

 

[hellbender]

@DesertChic ...Please accept this post with the good intents with which it is meant. That pic you posted of the bird a while back looked so good, I could have grabbed it up by the legs, shoved it whole, right down my gullet and not stop 'til all the meat was slurped off and even part, and some of the bones might be missing...

But, in my opinion, you roasted a fryer....it would have been scrumptious no matter if you fried it or roasted it as you did.

For me, being a bit long in the tooth, I remember the birds my mom used to roast. Some were just regular cockerels but after I learned to caponize at about the age of 18 or 10, we generally had capons, almost every Sunday for dinner...sometimes 2 birds, if a lot of company had been invited.

My point...in my opinion, most capons can be eaten up into their multiple years and they will be great roasters but as for fryer...at that age...you had better have very strong teeth...

BUT...prepared as roasters, (just like you prepared your bird), The flavor of the mature bird is something that can not be described by me !

 

[DesertChic]

@DesertChic ...Please accept this post with the good intents with which it is meant. That pic you posted of the bird a while back looked so good, I could have grabbed it up by the legs, shoved it whole, right down my gullet and not stop 'til all the meat was slurped off and even part, and some of the bones might be missing...

But, in my opinion, you roasted a fryer....it would have been scrumptious no matter if you fried it or roasted it as you did.

For me, being a bit long in the tooth, I remember the birds my mom used to roast. Some were just regular cockerels but after I learned to caponize at about the age of 18 or 10, we generally had capons, almost every Sunday for dinner...sometimes 2 birds, if a lot of company had been invited.

My point...in my opinion, most capons can be eaten up into their multiple years and they will be great roasters but as for fryer...at that age...you had better have very strong teeth...

BUT...prepared as roasters, (just like you prepared your bird), The flavor of the mature bird is something that can not be described by me !

I always accept your posts as written with good intentions. And I always appreciate what you have to teach me.

So far I've only roasted one bird that was "older", though I use that term loosely. I think he was about seven months old, and while his breast meat was full and wonderfully juicy, his legs and thighs were very chewy. (I used the same recipe for him as I did the bird I photographed.) I know he was certainly not capon-mature, but I really did like all that additional meat on his carcass and the richer flavor of that chewy dark meat. That's why I'm now so excited about making capons. And...one of my employees (and very good friend) is a master at smoking meat. I promised him one of my chickens to smoke "one day", but so far I' haven't been happy enough with the size and quality of the meat to give him one. I'm now hoping that caponizing these two Dorkings will result in some beautiful birds for him to smoke for our holiday party at our shop.

 

[dfr1973]

WoooHOOO!

I am getting guineas! Hubby gave it the "okay" when I mentioned Ideal Poultry is running an overhatch special on guineas for tomorrow's hatch date that was "tempting enough to mention instead of deleting the email." I just ordered them - 25 assorted, hatchery choice out of four varieties. Hubby said he already figured a few would end up next door after my neighbor Maria sees them LOL We tend to sell and trade chickens back and forth since we moved down here over two years ago. (yes, I know how loud they can be - someone shows at least a pair each spring at the county fair)

 

[Our Roost]

Smoked chicken, now I like that idea. I have had some smoked turkey but never smoked chicken. Okay, so now you created another project for me!!! I may be eating a few smoked malines come fall. Need to learn the secrets. Share please!

 

[DesertChic]

Smoked chicken, now I like that idea. I have had some smoked turkey but never smoked chicken. Okay, so now you created another project for me!!! I may be eating a few smoked malines come fall. Need to learn the secrets. Share please!

My only secret is to find someone who's really good at it and supply him with as much meat as he's willing to smoke. He made a smoked turkey for us last year. I don't even like turkey, but that bird was like crack for me and I couldn't stop eating it. I even told one of my employess, "If you touch that drumstick you're fired!". He had to give it some serious thought before finally acquiescing.

 

[Beer can]

I slow smoked a very large store bought chicken last yr. Brought the left overs to work. When I heated it up in the microwave I had some people mad at me, 'not enough to share, get away from my food!'. The whole room smelled like yummy bbq, they were drooling Lol!

 

[Beer can]

Butchered my welsummer rooster today and was quite surprised. Grand total of 4.5lbs dressed at a yr and a half. He looked much bigger. The ones I did last summer, wellies and cochins were 3.5-3.8lbs dressed at 16 +or- weeks. The RIRs were 4-4.5 dressed at the same age. Wish I decided to get rid of him sooner, lost a lot of $ on feed.
Going to be one expensive chicken and biscuit dinner, but at least I'm not feeding him anymore.

 

[gevshiba]

NO,No,No.....Those cockerels are NOT too old to caponize. The Chinese will work with yearlings and it provides excellents results for roasters by age 18 months!!!!!

It will stop ALL fighting too...they'll be just one of the gals...

This brings up a question I've been pondering for awhile. My breed is traditionally a roaster. At what age do you typically butcher a roaster? I've done one as late as 30 weeks. I can't eat dark meat anymore, unfortunately. Chicken or turkey. For some reason, it upsets my stomach. I do eat the breast meat then grind everything else up for dog food. The breast meat on the 24-30 week olds was very good (the dogs said the rest of the birds were yummy). Weights were anywhere from 4 to 7+ pounds. Anything younger hasn't been filled out. I have some 22 week olds I was planning on butchering this week. Is it too early for roasters?

I need to watch the caponizing video. I'm not sure I can do it since I don't have any help at all.

 

[DesertChic]

This brings up a question I've been pondering for awhile. My breed is traditionally a roaster. At what age do you typically butcher a roaster? I've done one as late as 30 weeks. I can't eat dark meat anymore, unfortunately. Chicken or turkey. For some reason, it upsets my stomach. I do eat the breast meat then grind everything else up for dog food. The breast meat on the 24-30 week olds was very good (the dogs said the rest of the birds were yummy). Weights were anywhere from 4 to 7+ pounds. Anything younger hasn't been filled out. I have some 22 week olds I was planning on butchering this week. Is it too early for roasters?

I need to watch the caponizing video. I'm not sure I can do it since I don't have any help at all.

Watch that video. It starts out with a barefoot Chinese guy caponizing birds unassisted on a street corner. My jaw dropped watching the ease with which he performed the procedure, one after another, in about 1-2 minutes time each.