My first... I should have listened...LOL

[dkosh]

I raise all layers but have often thought of starting meat birds. Well I had a hawk attack where I had a hen injured but not killed. When I found her she had lost a lot of blood but I tried to stitch her up. She died half way through me treating her. So now I have a good sized hen 1 1/2 years old. Seemed like a waste to throw her in the burner. So I looked in the meat bird stickies and cleaned and de-feathered the bird. I felt she wasn't that old. Hahaha! I was so proud and felt very self sufficient.

I let the meat rest for 48 hours and then brined overnight. I figured it looked perfect and I would roast it like I normally do. It came out beautiful.

As they say though....looks can be decieving. I tried to cut the bird for the table and it was putting up a fight. I actually broke my pair of kitchen shears. We sat down to eat, mind you, I didn't tell anyone dinner was one of ours. (funny thing we eat our sheep and no one thinks anything of it. I mention our chickens and they all make faces.

So I didn't tell anyone

)
We all fought with the meat on the bone. They blamed me brining it. I laughed at the struggles. I've never worked up a sweat trying to eat before. After dinner was over I told them. We all had a good laugh. Next one will go in the pot and I will make stew.

Wow! I learned a lot on my first bird. hahaha

 

[ChickenAsylum]

I tried roasting a 16-week old roo once. Enough said.

 

[PatS]

I have roasted several year old roos at a low temp with plenty of broth in the bottom of the roast pan and they came out fine. Not that my fork sliced the meat like warm butter, but still quite good.

 

[deerman]

old hens are called stewing hens for a reason.........boil them ,make chicken dumpling or noodles........mmmmmmmm

 

[cassie]

When I was newly married I fixed a fried chicken dinner with all the trimmings. Trouble was I fried a rooster. He wasn't ancient but he was looong past the fryer stage. He looked beautiful on the platter. Nice and plump and beautifully browned. We just couldn't eat him. We tried, though. If you tried to pierce the meat with a fork it would just bounce off. You could not bite a piece off the drumstick. That night we ended up having a lovely chicken dinner minus the chicken. The following morning I threw him in the crockpot. He was nice and tender when I served him up the next evening.