DP roosters, when should I butcher?

ElCerritoPlace

Chirping
6 Years
Mar 17, 2013
201
3
88
I bought straight run batch of chicks this year, figuring on putting the roos in the freezer. I know they don't grow fast, but when would you recommend butchering DP roosters (speckled sussex, wyandottes, welsummer, EE, dominique). Ideally I would like them out of my garden before planting season, otherwise they will be confined to a smaller area. And 12 roos in a small run does not sound good. But mid-May only puts the birds at 16 weeks. Is that too early? Last year I butchered a few of the extra roos, but not until 6-7 months. And I felt there was hardly any meat on those guys. and they were pretty chewy. Later this summer I would like to try some cornish X just for comparison.

Any thoughts or ideas on when to butcher?
 
Actually, around 16 to 20 weeks is ideal for tenderness, and they will still be a bit chewy, but that is partly just the nature of traditional chicken meat. We did what you were planning when we first got back into chickens a few years ago, and butchered probably 16 to 24 weeks. They weren't as tender as a Cornish X, of course, nor was the flavor the same, but they were edible even after cooking on a grill. Some who are accustomed to this type of meat prefer it. In the end, it's a matter of personal taste.

An old saying is, "When they crow, they go."

Here is an excellent article on eating this type of meat:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...rom-historic-chicken-breeds/0_20#post_3473262

The article is in the sticky in the Meat Birds forum.
 

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