Eating American Game Roosters?

[Poultry Friend]

A little back story: A neighbor of ours has free range chickens and sells eggs. We normally go get eggs from her. Every time before we got medium sized brown eggs, however, since it has heated up the chickens have laid less and the only eggs they had were very small white eggs from their free-ranging game chickens. Those eggs were *Amazing*! I can't even discribe why...creamy?

Anyhow, I had thought about chickens for a while and researched a good breed and settled on Java's. My husband was more on the fence, but those creamy eggs had their hooks in him and he asked me about my need for "those fancy chickens" or the ones that lay those amazing eggs from the neighbor.

I have no issues with keeping Game chickens since we know those chickens do well in this area and they can fend for themselves better then some of the slower larger breeds- and we have 5 dogs! I think our dogs would be best with a more aggressive (or defensive?) breed to start off with (they will still have a coop and be fenced away from the dogs) and we can later introduce some Java's.

When I was reading about this breed, I did notice that the cocks will fight. It seems best to keep the calmest cock and eat the rest (since we will let the hens raise some chicks)

Is this a breed you can eat? Most I have read say hens are the best meat, so is it OK to eat the young roosters?

Sorry for the book to ask that simple question! LOL!

 

[sourland]

It's fine to eat the young roosters, but there is not a lot of meat on their scrawny little carcasses.

 

[Poultry Friend]

So maybe use them in a stew or for stock and get the Java's for more 'chicken'?

 

[sourland]

That'll work.

 

[Poultry Friend]

Do you think it would be possible to select the Games to get a better carcass? If so, what would be the best way to go about that? (I realize it would be hard to do and it would be easier to just buy a modern breed that grows fast, but if we are going to keep and breed them, I might as well select for larger birds!)

 

[HouseCat]

You could always try crossing the Javas with the Games and see if you like the results.

 

[mississippifarmboy]

It's fine to eat the young roosters, but there is not a lot of meat on their scrawny little carcasses.

X2

Just have to cook a few at once.

 

[orientphoenix]

they may look small but their breasts are pretty filled up compared to a lot of larger breeds.

 

[Poultry Friend]

they may look small but their breasts are pretty filled up compared to a lot of larger breeds.

That is a good point I hadn't thought of! Part of me also wonders how large a game capton would be, and how it would taste....

 

[centrarchid]

Something I noticed about my games at least is that when free-ranged they still put on weight even when fed minimal amounts of feed. They compensate very well by expanding foraging range which normally works very well except during heavy drought like ongoing. Heavy reliance on natural forage has considerable influence on flesh quality / taste. As kid we would butcher 20 games and half as many grain-fed RIR or Plymouth Rocks at a time with latter providing more meat for table but every body liked the games better.