Ummm no actually not. I tested this recently, because I had my doubts. Butchered two young cockerels at the same age, rested one and didn't rest the other, cooked them the exact same way. No difference whatsoever. None at all. I also talked to a few traditional farmers and nobody had heard of resting the meat on chickens. Hunters, yes. Chicken farmers, no. Maybe it works on older birds with tougher meat - I haven't tried that. But young cockerels? Nope.Ummm even young ones can be rubber bands if rigor mortis has started and they are not rested until rigor has passed.