Culling young roosters when can I eat them?

[donrae]

Well that's mean you can put them on Craigslist or something forsale and make a few dollars

Have you tried to sell cockerels yourself? How much money do you think the OP has in feed for those birds for 4 months? Do you plan to pay the OP for the time and feed invested and give those birds a loving forever home where they can roam green pastures year round? Butchering animals you've raised yourself is not mean, it's life. Something has to die for you to live, so please don't be so judgmental.

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

Have you tried to sell cockerels yourself? How much money do you think the OP has in feed for those birds for 4 months? Do you plan to pay the OP for the time and feed invested and give those birds a loving forever home where they can roam green pastures year round? Butchering animals you've raised yourself is not mean, it's life. Something has to die for you to live, so please don't be so judgmental. 

I'm not trying to be rude but u could sell them and I have seen roosters being sold for 30 dollars a piece and no something don't have to die to live that is cruel and animal abuse

 

[Paganrose]

Most people who are buying Roo's on Craig's list are going to eat them. The only time you can sell a roo for 30 dollars is if it has been breed for show and/or rare breed.

It's a fact of raising chickens- half of the birds- will be boys weather or not you buy them. One roo can handle many hens.

In the natural world roos defend the flock from predators while the hens hide, and are the first to be eaten. Or will be chased off by the head roo to be eaten. So flock harmony is kept.

Within our modern world we have managed the predators, and have fences, so we have an overabundance of roos, that must be dealt with for the health of the birds. Even hatcheries have a major issues dealing with roos. So for almost every hen you buy a roo is going to be food, or just culled as a chick. It's just what it is.

 

[junebuggena]

Even the soil that grows the vegetables for vegans to eat needs to be fed, usually with blood and bone meal (something had to die). Then you need to consider all the insects that were killed to till and plant the fields. And then all the fossil fuels (again, dead things) that were used to transport those veggie products to the stores. There is no cruelty-free, death-free way of consuming food.
Killing and eating an animal that you've raised yourself is actually more environmentally-friendly than consuming 'cruelty-free' vegan products, purchased at a store.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

At 4 months they're going to be relatively tender, but they're still not the baby grocery store chickens. I'd advise letting them rest in the refrigerator for 48ish hours.....

Here is the way that the epicureans rest fowl. This method is supposed to result in the most tender and tasty fowl on this planet. Bon appétit now, you hear?

 

[aart]

At 4 months they're going to be relatively tender, but they're still not the baby grocery store chickens. I'd advise letting them rest in the refrigerator for 48ish hours, then brine for a few hours, then to the crock pot. I think you'll be a lot happier with the results than if you try to cook them the same day as processing.

Wanted to highlight this...important to let rigor mortis pass or meat will be much tougher even with stewing..

Even with resting and stewing, meat will not be like grocery birds...hard for some to accept over disappointment if you've never eaten such a bird.

 

[dlp40]

I ate 4 roos this past summer that were 4 months old. They tasted great but i wish i had known about the resting period and letting the rigamortis pass before doing anything processing wise. Reason for this wish, those roos were still tough and stringy after boiling them for 8hrs and then freezing them and boiling them again. This coming summer i will be resting them in hopes for more tender meat.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I ate 4 roos this past summer that were 4 months old. They tasted great but i wish i had known about the resting period and letting the rigamortis pass before doing anything processing wise. Reason for this wish, those roos were still tough and stringy after boiling them for 8hrs and then freezing them and boiling them again. This coming summer i will be resting them in hopes for more tender meat.

I think that the term "Drumsticks" refers to how tender and meaty the shins of heritage chickens are if they are reared in a pastured environment.

In fact, "bowling pens" may best describe the tenderness of this type of meat. But what ever floats your boat.

 

[dlp40]

(Chickengeorgeto) Bowling pins indeed, lol. Sad thing is they were free ranged for 3 1/2 out of their 4-5 months, min.

 

[AuntNomi]

Well that's mean you can put them on Craigslist or something forsale and make a few dollars

So someone else can eat them? It's not mean to eat chickens. A lot of people have chickens to have their own meat and eggs.