Can I eat them yet?

[nbenevento]

I have a black Australorp and 2 EE cockerels that are about 14 weeks old or so. They were hatched February 28. I need to get rid of them but I have not had any takers on here or on Craigslist. Are they old enough to butcher and eat yet? My family is opposed to us eating them but I don't seem to have much choice at this point. If they are not old enough, when will they be?

 

[my sunwolf]

You can eat them at any time! It depends on how much meat you want to get for your slaughtering effort. They are more tender the younger they are, and I like to process around 12-16 weeks as they start fighting worse after that. They will be 1-2lbs at that age, so an okay size. You can roast, fry, grill. Just keep in mind that there will be more dark meat and they will always be a little tougher than a grocery store bird, but they will have tremendous flavor.

 

[MamaFix3]

I've read that dual purpose breeds are best around 4-5 months. Hopefully someone can confirm that since I have 2 EE roosters and if I can't sell them I plan to do the same thing and this will be my 1st experience with butchering.

 

[my sunwolf]

Not sure what you mean by "best"--all depends on how much time, feed, and housing you're willing to put into your extra roos to get them to butchering size. Plan to butcher before 1 yr, preferably under 6 months, for good flavor and okay texture. Butcher very young (under 16 weeks) for very tender meat.

In my experience with EE's...

12-16 weeks : 1-2 lbs finished carcass
16-20 weeks: 2-4 lbs finished carcass
20-28 weeks: 4-5 lbs finished carcass

Other birds like Wyandottes can sometimes have more weight or sometimes less. With a rounder bird finished carcasses will look rounder and much nicer.