How long should i brine a freshly culled rooster before cooking or freezing?

[ValerieJ]

Someone told me to rest or brine my rooster for 3 days before freezing, or until he is no longer stiff. It has been 3 days and his legs are still stiff. Any advice?

 

[FridayYet]

Hi Valerie.

I don't have an answer to your question, but you might want to check this section for info: https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/21/meat-birds-etc

Also, you can type words into the search bar and find threads related to brining. I skin and section my birds and pop them right into the freezer without resting at all. They eventually go into the crockpot with green chiles for shredding, so I don't think in my case the resting would make any difference.

 

[donrae]

Mine are always stiffer than the grocery store birds. I rest/brine for 2-3 days and then cook and they're just fine.

 

[ValerieJ]

Mine are always stiffer than the grocery store birds. I rest/brine for 2-3 days and then cook and they're just fine.

Thanks Donrae. Do you think it's because we aren't pumping ours with a lot of hormones, and then oils during processing? Or because our run around the chicken run and theirs are dormant in cages? I have noticed since I started buying organic chicken in the store, the texture is very different. I am not raising my chickens for food themselves, but it seems inevitable that they will become food at some point. I was just thinking of eggs. I will have to grow some more to adjust to eating them. The rooster became very aggressive with the chicks, and seriously wounded one of them. For that, he is in the freezer, and the chick is ICU in my garage.

 

[donrae]

I don't think commercial birds get hormones.

I just assumed it was the age of the bird, and the amount of brine. I think they actually inject the brine into the bird? Anyway, my Cornish cross are usually more flexible than my dual purpose birds, so I to think age and activity play into it quite a bit.

Roosters that attack chicks deserve to die.

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

Thanks Donrae. Do you think it's because we aren't pumping ours with a lot of hormones, and then oils during processing? .

Chickens in the USA are NOT fed or injected with hormones!

 

[ValerieJ]

That's good to know.