EE roos off to freezer camp

[Jay1105]

I have a question, probably a stupid one but here it goes. I have three EE roo's that need to go to freezer camp. I know they are not what would be considered to be a large bird at maturity. I want to know at what age I should slaughter? I know they need to be of eating size but at what age does that happen and what kind of size might I expect? They are about two months and they have access to as much food as they want.

Thanks in advance for any input you might have

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

I like to butcher my EE around 20 to 24 weeks of age (5 to 6 months). This tends to give me a carcass that is between 4 to 6 pounds, and the birds are still grill-able on the BBQ.

I have and do at times do them younger - 16 to 20 weeks - wonderful for fried chicken

but of course a much smaller carcass (3 pounds).


With EE and most birds that are not the cornish crosses - they need time to build their frame (bone structure) before they start putting muscle mass on top of it. The frame growth generally consumes about the first 4 months of their life. From 4 months to a year - the frame is still growing, but much slower and the protein is also going to build muscle.



this article is fantastic for any bird who is not a cornish x type bird - talks about age of the bird and the best type of cooking for that age: www.albc-usa.org/documents/cookingwheritagechicken.pdf