Anyone know how to properly can the chicken stock in Frugal's post? Wondering about processing time in the pressure canner. (I'm assuming you can't use a water bath process due to the lack of acid)
Yep, needs to be pressure canned. Use the recommended times and pressures for meat products. You can find them here: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_05/stock_broth.html
Not sure about Frugals, but we hot pack sterilized jars leaving about 1" headroom and process at 11 pounds, 20 minutes for pints, 25 minutes for quarts. When using the broth, we always bring it to a boil for a few minutes just to be safe. Never had any problems. We keep talking about making broth from the feet, but by the time we get to that point after butchering, we never feel like doing the additional work. We have only made ours from the backs we get from cutting up the birds, usually the next day.
I always leave my birds whole. This last batch of Cornish Rocks that I had butchered this week at 7wks of age ranged from 3-3/4lbs dressed to 5-l/2. These I bought as day old chicks from Tractor Supply and the batch I bought from Meyer Hatchery last Fall were a lot heavier at the same 7 weeks.. Smallest was 5lb and went up to 7-l/2lb. There is obviously a difference in the different strains of Cornish Rocks. I have the Amish butcher them and leave them whole. I stick them in the fridge for 24 hours in a large plastic bag then I take out each one and wash it thoroughly and go over it for any bits that were missed. I leave mine whole and as I am shrink wrapping for the freezer I cut the necks off level with the breast (looks better) and put them and all the gizzards in a container in the freezer to use as soup. When I cut up a smaller bird for fried chicken I cut out the back and wing tips and throw them in a plastic bag for the freezer, then when I have 3 or 4 I make a pot of soup. It does take more room in the freezer to leave them whole but then I have the choice of either cutting them up myself for fryers or leaving whole for roasting.
Does anyone know what is the age to butcher dual purpose roosters? It will take the hens 5 months to mature in order to begin laying. Wonder if the roosters would be ready then? Or should I just pick one up and check every so often?
We make the stock, put it in muffin tins in the freezer, and then pop them out into ziplocks. then you just add a muffin or two of stock...
Quote:I'm no expert, but I think the dual purpose breeds are tender (like grocery store chicken) only up to an age of 12 to 16 weeks. After that, they get a bit more chewy, and you would want to use them for soup or cook them in a pressure cooker. Experts, please correct me if I'm wrong!
