Culling the Roos

[gimmie birdies]

I culled some young rooters before and they were small enough to all go into one pot, I called it "4 rooster soup."

 

[lomine]

I've got some cockerels from my Easter hatch that will be butchered this weekend. They'll be 15 weeks. They are starting to get to that rowdy age and have already tried to catch a few of the hens. I've done one cockerel at 22 weeks and batches at 14-16 weeks. Personally, I prefer to do it sooner. Mine are all a mix of a layer breed rooster and layer and dual purpose hens/pullets so they aren't huge. I didn't find the extra meat worth the effort or wait. But more importantly, to me, I like having more cooking options.

That being said, the older the bird the better the broth it will make. I had to cull a cockerel I was originally going to keep because he got aggressive with the girls. I think he was around 8 or 9 months. Put him in the crockpot and got some very tasty, thick broth.

 

[annaBsChick]

Instead of killing them. Why don't you try to rehome them or at the very least, drop them off at an animal shelter?

 

[ronott1]

See attached for cooking heritage chickens

 

[Folly's place]

I'm happy to sell or rehome nice cockerels, but never to an animal shelter! Passing on my problem isn't fair, and if they take roosters, they are overrun, and it's not a good situation.
Most cockerels are meant to be dinner for a family, and they will have had a better life than those poor sad Cornishx birds at the grocery store!
Mary

 

[RWise]

I have EEs, and I keep more than I rooster, in bachelor pads. When I want chicks from a certain rooster he is on the flock (for 6 weeks then gather eggs). This way the EE could have some chicks, and then swap him with the Marons and get more colors!

I will sell some (hard to give away roo's), if they dont display bad things. I will not re-home a bad (aggressive) rooster! Some go to the frying pan at 16 weeks (while still tender), others may be let get older IF I like something about them,,,,
EEs can be fun!

 

[aart]

I slaughter cockerels at 13-16 weeks, before they start causing chaos and while still tender enough to grill for that crispy skinned deliciousness. Not much meat but the grilled bones make for some excellent stock. Anything older than that I pressure cook until meat is done and is saved aside then a couple more hours to get that bone broth.

Resting the cleaned carcass in fridge for 48-72 hours for rigor to pass is essential for chewable meat from any bird(except maybe CX?). Tho no homegrown bird I've eaten, layer or meat breed, is as soft as a grocery bird, they are more 'toothsome'.

 

[Pugsabi]

Tho no homegrown bird I've eaten, layer or meat breed, is as soft as a grocery bird, they are more 'toothsome'.

That's probably because most homegrown birds are given more room to wander. Store bought birds are packed in so tightly they are practically the veal of the bird world. They don't have a chance to make muscles which would make a bird tougher.

 

[aart]

That's probably because most homegrown birds are given more room to wander. Store bought birds are packed in so tightly they are practically the veal of the bird world. They don't have a chance to make muscles which would make a bird tougher.

Actually it has more to do with age and genetics.
'Meat' birds, home or grocery, are hybridized to grow huge fast.....
....and they are slaughtered at 8 weeks of age.

 

[Pugsabi]

Actually it has more to do with age and genetics.
'Meat' birds, home or grocery, are hybridized to grow huge fast.....
....and they are slaughtered at 8 weeks of age.

I didn't realize they were culled so young! But that makes sense.