How to eat roos?

[kukupecpec]

Hello there!

I am new to chickens - 3 weeks in - and already absolutely addicted! I love my 6 ladies, but I am going to try hatching eggs. I've done my research and picked out breeds I'd like to keep and a nice little incubator to keep me from going too crazy.
My problem is, I'm not sure what to do with the unwanted roos. I will probably only keep one or two total as I don't plan on having more than 15 hens. It is absolutely impossible to rehome roos here in Tucson because it's illegal to keep them in the city limits (4 of the 5 houses on my block do it anyway and no one gets cited if no one complains! so we will be able to keep a couple but have to limit it) . SO - I was thinking about eating my roos. But I have a few questions - (I ave already researched the actual killing part and I can handle that no problem)
1) How old do my roos have to be to eat?
2) What do you do with the non-meat parts?
3) I have heard their meat is tough, is this true? So true that eating isn't worth it? Or are there ways to eat the meat (such as soups and different recipes) that make this tough meat not so bad?
4) Is there anything else I need to know before venturing into this?

THANKS!

 

[Judy]

I prefer to eat them around 12-14 weeks, when they are at their tenderest -- but they are by no means full size by then, of course.

The older, the tougher. They need to be cooked slowly when they are mature, by any method you want: crock pot, braise, even roast at a low temp; a simmered soup is a great method.

You will find a great deal of information in the sticky (blue box, top of meat birds forum) here. This article is in that sticky, and is a very good one on eating dual purpose chickens:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ats-from-historic-chicken-breeds#post_3473262

 

[FlaRocky]

Hi,
I would learn how to cook with a pressure cooker. I use one all the time and love it. Cuts your cooking time and makes it tender. I have 3 of them is different sizes. I have my mothers 20 quart one, it gets a ton of use for all my extra roos.


Maye

Ride the Glide.....Got Gait......I Do....

 

[ScottnLydia]

You didn't mention what breed you're getting. If they are dual purpose birds, butchering @ 12 weeks or so like Flockwatcher said is good. Tender, they probably haven't done much crowing yet, etc. Remember to age them about 3 days in the fridge after you butcher before you cook/freeze!

Set your butcher day the day before trash day, and wrap all the guts tightly in a big plastic sack and set it out so it won't stink! Burying it invites pests, I found out.

Good Luck!
~S

 

[wsmoak]

I am lucky that trash day is on Monday, so I can process on the weekend and get rid of the evidence the next day!

I tried burying the offal -- no luck, I just spent the next week filling in the holes repeatedly as something dug them up.

I would love to compost it, but when I tried that, the same creatures got into the bin -- and it's too close to the chicken coop and rabbit hutches to be inviting carnivores in for a snack!

So... trash it is for now, until I get a better compost bin set up.

-Wendy

 

[kukupecpec]

Wow these are all great ideas! I'm relieved to know I can eat them before they get too terribly noisey. I plan to get some seramas, olive eggers, EEs, and maybe some orpingtons. Just small batches of half a dozen eggs and probably quite spread apart, got to make sure I have all the room and coop set up for them all.
I assumed that eating the seramas was out of the question because they are so tiny, but those will probably be the roos that I keep.

How secure would my composting need to be to compost the left overs from slaughter?

Also, is a pressure cooker the same a crock pot?

 

[Fentress]

I just had a 19 week old Speckled Sussex dry roasted in a V-Rack. Absoulutley delicious. The short thigh was nothing less than savory. It's not tough, but the meat does have a different texture than what you are use to from the supermarket. I had to process most of my cockerels at 16 weeks because it was a straight run flock and flock behaviour was being affected by the aggressive cockerels. Next year, I f I have the facilities, I may try to separate out the cockerels and keep them for more than 20 weeks to develop flavor.

 

[ScottnLydia]

Wow these are all great ideas! I'm relieved to know I can eat them before they get too terribly noisey. I plan to get some seramas, olive eggers, EEs, and maybe some orpingtons. Just small batches of half a dozen eggs and probably quite spread apart, got to make sure I have all the room and coop set up for them all.
I assumed that eating the seramas was out of the question because they are so tiny, but those will probably be the roos that I keep.

How secure would my composting need to be to compost the left overs from slaughter?

Also, is a pressure cooker the same a crock pot?

You could build a compost bin out of recycled shipping pallets, like I did. they are roughly 3 1/2' by 4'. Tie 4 of them together with wire at top and bottom to form a square and cover the top with chicken wire, that SHOULD be secure enough for most large pests. O.K., you might have to secure it a little more if you have raccons, maybe a lot more...

Anyway,bury the offal deep in the center of the plant material and it should do great. You can even compost feathers, thay just take a long time.

I've built composters like this for years and they work great! when it is full I just attach 3 more to the side and form a new one. When the compost is done, you just undo one side, open it up and shovel it out! It 'cooks' faster if you aereate it every couple of weeks, but I wouldn't do that till the offal had 1 chance to break down well.

~S

 

[wsmoak]

No, a pressure cooker is not the same as a crock pot. (Though a crock pot is a good option for these older birds -- several hours on low and the meat falls off the bone. Shred or dice and use it in chicken salad, casseroles, etc.)

A pressure cooker will have latches to hold the lid on and a gauge of some type. It essentially steams the food at a higher temperature than you can get in an open pot.

If you haven't used one before it can take some getting used to -- read and follow the instructions carefully because they *can* be dangerous if mis-handled.

-Wendy

 

[FlaRocky]

Also,&nbsp; is a pressure cooker the same a crock pot?</p>[/quote]

No a crock pot cooks over a long time with medium or low heat. A pressure cooker has a seal and the lid locks onto the pot. And you cook under pressure for a short amount of time at different temperatures. Google and look up cooking with Pressure Cookers. I love, love ,love mine.
Maye

Ride the Glide.....Got Gait......I Do....