Hen or Roo

[CSDeVault]

Cross of an Australorp hen and Ameraucana rooster. I winged sexed at 4 days and thought very confidently ‘she’ was a hen. Now I see her tail . No skinny saddle feathers though. Please let me know if I will be eating chicken or eggs. Thank you.

 

[featheredplanets]

He is a cockerel. These are the beginnings of pointed saddle feathers

 

[2 many chickens]

Looks boy to me

 

[Friendly_Lurker]

Yes, note the curved sickle feathers.

 

[chrissynemetz]

Yes, it looks like you have a cockerel.

 

[Painted Calls]

X5. You'll be eating chicken with this one.

 

[LikeTurkeys]

Agreed with above. Chicken is it! @Ridgerunner shared a great way of cooking cockerels on a different thread. I cooked him this way and it turned out great!

Somewhere around 20 to 23 weeks, butcher him and cut him into serving pieces. Age him until rigor mortis has passed.

Use a baking pot with a tight fitting lid, I use one of those red cuisinart pots. Rinse off the chicken pieces but do not pat dry. Coat in herbs. I typically use dried oregano and basil that I raise, dehydrate, and grind myself but you can use whatever herbs you think you will like. I put those in that pot without adding any liquid and bake on 250 Fahrenheit for about 3 to 3-1/2 hours. That is not a typo, 250 degrees F. Cook covered, you do not want the liquids to cook off.

When you take it out you will probably find about a half cup or more liquid in the bottom. After de-fatting you can use this as broth. Be careful taking the meat out of the pot, it might fall off the bone. Use a slotted spoon. The meat on the bottom in that liquid might be too moist for you, I like it that way. If you wish you can put a few stalks of celery or carrots on the bottom to raise the meat up.

If you decide to cook it this way I'd be interested in feedback. How did it work, how did you and your family like it? Was it that much work?

When I butcher I save the back, neck, heart, clean the gizzard, and skin the feet to use to make broth. By blanching the feet you can twist the claws and what little spurs he has off, plus the skin peels off. That gets the feet clean enough for me. If you over blanche (or scald) the skin shreds instead of peels. I bring water to a boil then drop the feet in for 15 seconds, then dump that out in the sink to keep form overcooking the skin. I also save the bones from when I eat the chickens and the liquid from where I cooked it to use in broth. Broth takes some work but to me it is well worth the time.

 

[Frazzemrat1]

Agreed, cockerel. The saddle feathers and the gold leakage on the wings are dead give aways.