Those of you who raise heritage breeds (not crosses or broiler type) at what age do you harvest the cockerels? All the ones I've ever tried end up being very tough unless i crock pot them for many many hours. What breeds do you prefer and why?
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
Those of you who raise heritage breeds (not crosses or broiler type) at what age do you harvest the cockerels? All the ones I've ever tried end up being very tough unless i crock pot them for many many hours. What breeds do you prefer and why?
Heritage birds? 300 or even lower. I would also experiment with roasting breast down in like a dutch oven, especially if you don't care about skin. The legs and thighs of a heritage bird will take a little longer than the breast to cook, and if you cook it upside down, the breast will stay WAY more moist.What temp do you recommend roasting?
14 weeks for my layer breed cockerels.......rest the cleaned carcass in fridge for at least 2-3 days before cooking or freezing to avoid to tough to eat. Older birds rest longer.at what age do you harvest the cockerels? All the ones I've ever tried end up being very tough unless i crock pot them for many many hours.
I’ve never tried the resting method. What if you want to freeze them? Should you rest in the fridge before freezing?
Resting the carcass is pretty important, until rigor mortis passes out of the muscle.14 weeks for my layer breed cockerels.......rest the cleaned carcass in fridge for at least 2-3 days before cooking or freezing to avoid to tough to eat. Older birds rest longer.