Chantecler Thread!

[Cockatrice6420]

Dressed: this 'narrow' cockerel weighs 4.4 pounds. His breasts will feed one very hungry man or two folks with plenty of mashed potatoes/gravy and Mac&Cheese.  The leg-thighs are quite hefty, each a meal for anyone! The hardest part of this was killing the boy...these white birds are a dream to pluck and clean up!!

Are the partridges harder to pluck?

 

[hellbender]

Are the partridges harder to pluck?

I don't know, I have yet to own one. I do know that with the Buckeyes, the carcass is not as pretty as that of the Chanecler because of the dark little pin feathers that are next to impossible to get out of the skin. That doesn't bother me one bit but it does put some folks off with non-white birds.

As far as difficulty..they surely can't be any harder to pluck...the key is to 'scald' them correctly, which means that scalding water is NOT used! lol The temp, is critical so the feathers come out with ease but the skin can NOT be partially cooked because when the feathers are pulled, patches of skin will come off with the feathers....not a pretty sight.

I use water that is between 185* and 190* F and quickly immerse every part of the bird. To do it right, I have to use heavy rubber gloves.

 

[Cockatrice6420]

I don't know, I have yet to own one.  I do know that with the Buckeyes, the carcass is not as pretty as that of the Chanecler because of the dark little pin feathers that are next to impossible to get out of the skin.  That doesn't bother me one bit but it does put some folks off with non-white birds.

As far as difficulty..they surely can't be any harder to pluck...the key is to 'scald' them correctly, which means that scalding water is NOT used!  lol   The temp, is critical so the feathers come out with ease but the skin can NOT be partially cooked because when the feathers are pulled, patches of skin will come off with the feathers....not a pretty sight.

I use water that is between 185* and 190* F and quickly immerse every part of the bird.  To do it right, [COLOR=FF0000]I [/COLOR]have to use heavy rubber gloves.

Good to know, 185-190. I've done the get the plucking done within five minutes of beheading... that was a challenge. A couple birds ended up skinless.

 

[hellbender]

Correction on the weight of the cockerel. My daughter fixed him for dinner this evening and didn't believe I had weighed him correctly. She dried him off with paper towels and got a weight of 5.2 pounds. Not really that much difference but it is a difference.

 

[bruceha2000]

I think 4.4 to 5.2 is actually pretty significant Hellbender. Nearly 20% bigger than you originally thought. I have NO idea how that fits with the "expected" size of a WC cockerel but it seems a decent weight for dinner with leftovers

. I'm guessing by your description of who/what it would feed that you aren't roasting them? I would imagine a nice roasted cockerel would be pretty tasty though I have no experience.

 

[hellbender]

I think 4.4 to 5.2 is actually pretty significant Hellbender. Nearly 20% bigger than you originally thought. I have NO idea how that fits with the "expected" size of a WC cockerel but it seems a decent weight for dinner with leftovers

. I'm guessing by your description of who/what it would feed that you aren't roasting them? I would imagine a nice roasted cockerel would be pretty tasty though I have no experience.

We have capons to roast. My daughter cooked the cockerel under pressure, cooled and dried it and then dredged in buttermilk/egg and flour and deep-fried it. It fed three people with ease but of course, we had home made biscuits and mashed 'taters to go with it....gotta' mention the home made cherry pie too...lol.

 

[Shello]

Are the partridges harder to pluck?

I only have Partridge and black birds. You do have to watch the stage of pin feathers and have a good person process that makes rue to remove as many of the pin feathers as possible since you can see the "ink spots" on a dark bird when you will not see them on a white bird. I have been working on the timing of processing for our birds and have been paying alot of attention to the pin feathers.

 

[Shello]

Correction on the weight of the cockerel. My daughter fixed him for dinner this evening and didn't believe I had weighed him correctly. She dried him off with paper towels and got a weight of 5.2 pounds. Not really that much difference but it is a difference.

Is that with neck and giblets or not? it makes a bit of a difference. We have been getting 3- 3 1/2 lbs at 14 weeks and 4- 4 1/2 lbs at 16 weeks on the cull cockerels this year. My 21 week culls were closer to 5 1/2 - 6 lbs last year with no neck or giblets.

IIRC from my research, Brother Wilfred was looking for 5 - 5 1/2 lb live weight on cockerels at 16 weeks for the whites. Does anyone else have any historic information on carcass or live weights? I do know that the weights in the SOP were reduced for some reason from the original weights and differ from the weight goals that Dr Wilkinson and Brother Wilfred were breeding for.

 

[hellbender]

Is that with neck and giblets or not? it makes a bit of a difference. We have been getting 3- 3 1/2 lbs at 14 weeks and 4- 4 1/2 lbs at 16 weeks on the cull cockerels this year. My 21 week culls were closer to 5 1/2 - 6 lbs last year with no neck or giblets.

IIRC from my research, Brother Wilfred was looking for 5 - 5 1/2 lb live weight on cockerels at 16 weeks for the whites. Does anyone else have any historic information on carcass or live weights? I do know that the weights in the SOP were reduced for some reason from the original weights and differ from the weight goals that Dr Wilkinson and Brother Wilfred were breeding for.

Without giblets. As mentioned, quite narrow, compared to the other cockerels.

 

[Cockatrice6420]

I only have Partridge and black birds.  You do have to watch the stage of pin feathers and have a good person process that makes rue to remove as many of the pin feathers as possible since you can see the "ink spots" on a dark bird when you will not see them on a white bird.  I have been working on the timing of processing for our birds and have been paying alot of attention to the pin feathers.

Good to know thank you. The only recent experience I have is with Cornish crosses.