Chicken sizes

[SandraMort]

What is the difference between fryer, broiler and roaster? I THINK roaster is biggest but fryer and broiler confuse me. Which is an all purpose size?

And bigger than those is old and only for soup/stew, I guess? And smaller than that is... what?

 

[fullhouse]

Smaller is a conish hen, big is roaster, medium is fryer.

 

[SandraMort]

So... fryer/roaster is merely a breed specific thing, not the age/weight?

 

[SandraMort]

If those terms are breed specific, what do you call an older-than-ideal bird for eating or a too-young bird? Do people eat those?

 

[greyfields]

Broiler and roaster are interchangeable; both are cornish crosses.

Fryers in some instances can be extraneous male cockrels for laying breeds (typically Leghorns). However, the industry seemingly now simply slaughters the cornish crosses at 2.5-3.0 lbs live weight and calls them "fryers". Same with a "Cornish Game Hen". If allowed to grow, it would become a broiler or roaster.