New to the meat business

[ChocolateMouse]

If you thought your ISAs were tender at 16 weeks, you will be just fine with 12 week old CXs. From my experience the meat matures similarly... There's just more of it.

 

[TherryChicken]

Why can't you fry older boys? I'm not understand the older the rubberyer ect.

 

[TherryChicken]

Older chickens sorry

 

[blucoondawg]

You can fry anything you want to but you won't be able to chew it, slow cooking of some sort will tenderize the meat of older birds.

 

[TherryChicken]

So younger birds are tender and older ones aren't?

 

[blucoondawg]

Yes I'd the Same with hens a old layer is pretty much only good for soup. If you let a rooster go 6 months or so you can pretty much guarantee you won't be able to chew him if not slow cooked its actually younger than that where they'll toughen but I haven't experimented enough to be sure. I want everything butchered for sure by 20 weeks and I like to do between 12 and 16 of they're big enough

 

[TherryChicken]

Is it best to slow cook all? Or can u throw it on the grill and grill it normally? Like what u buy from the store

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Depends on how old the bird is. 16 weeks and less you can probably toss it on the grill. Old hen or rooster? 30 weeks? Five years? Consider a slow cooker, pressure cooker or stew.

 

[blucoondawg]

My ISA brown roosters last summer were around 14-16 weeks when I got them butchered, they could still be fried but the dark meat was noticeably darker than store chicken, the dark meat was starting to toughen, it was not what I'd call tough but it was chewier, it could still be eaten fried, I wouldn't want to go much older on a chicken I wanted to fry or grill. The dual purpose breeds will still put on a little size after that but I'd rather sacrifice a little carcass weight to still have birds I can cook any way I like rather than try to squeeze a extra half a pound out of them and have something that's only good for soup or a slow cooker, I prefer to grill or fry most my chicken, I'll roast one occasionally and the older birds will turn out good on a smoker too since that is a lower temp slower cook but I haven't done a very old bird that way, the one I did was around 7 months

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Grill or broil I'd not go past 14 weeks. That's my limit and try to cull dual purpose cockerels at 12 weeks. Life getting in way and simply not wanting to do it will push age to 14 weeks if I have a lot of them. All those are grilled for summer. Meat texture changes a lot from there on in males. I've slow roasted year old birds. It's fine at that age if you brine the bird and cook at 325F. Those would be extra breeder that didn't make the cut in spring. I hold two in case something happens then keep the better bird to breed. Retired laying hens and breeding cocks go way of gumbo here. Once in a while I'll do pot pie.

I've a friend that raises his CronishX to 12 weeks. I asked him if he limited feed any? Nope, just likes 10 lbs roasters. Says it's the best tasting birds he's ever had at that age. Assume it's the added age flavor.