Can we eat any of these?

[stephhassler]

I ordered the top hat special for my son as he wants to show them next year at the fair. My thought was to save one cockerel of each for showing and butcher the rest. I would keep all the hens. At the fair he needs one roo and one hen together to show.

We have white crested polish, silver laced polish, sultans, golden laced polish, and black polish. I have more than one cockerel of each kind and don't want to keep the extras. I know I could rehome, but after tending them all summer, frankly, I wouldn't mind getting some pay back for my effort. They have been free ranged since about 1 month and get chick starter feed as well.

Should I have them processed in October or thereabouts? i would not do it myself, I'd take them to the processor's.

Thanks.

 

[chickencoop31320]

I think that ANY chicken can be eaten.
It's more a matter of size and tenderness than a question of breed.
Right now I have 2 bantam roosters in my freezer just waiting for the oven. Sure they are small, but I'll be ya they'll taste like... Chicken

 

[jaku]

You sure can- they'll all taste fine. I'm a broiler guy, but I think the non-broiler breeds get butchered at 16-20 weeks, depending on size.

 

[miss_jayne]

all chickens are packed with chicken! go for it!

 

[dancingbear]

They may be skinny, but they'll be tasty. By the time they get very big, you may want to use the crock pot, pressure cooker, or very slow, low-temp roasting in a clay chicken cooker or an oven bag, but don't let that put you off.

Do a BYC search on cooking older or tough birds, you'll get a ton of info on the subject. there are a lot of us who've made an art of it.

 

[Double-T-Family-Farm]

yeah you could eat them.. but word of advice.. if your son is planning on showing the birds i advise they not be free ranging!! as soon as you catch them and try to pen them up at the fair..with all of the people walking by there going to be going absoultly nuts!

 

[stephhassler]

Thanks for the responses. I think I'll send them to the processors at around 20 weeks. I think . . . it will be hard to send some of them that we have grown attached to.

 

[Egg_newton]

Quote:
You are always so funny miss_jayne!