Not sure I did it right?

[sen2two]

So I harvested my first set of 5 roosters this past weekend. Everything went okay, but after reading a bit here. I'm not sure I got it completely correct. I just want to make sure I don't poison myself.

After skinning the birds, I rinsed them off with water directly from the faucet to remove any remaining feathers or hairs. I rinsed out inside and outside to remove any gunk I missed while pulling the guts out. I then put them straight into a ziplock bag. Squeezed out as much air as i could, then strait into three freezer.

I read a few threads saying they stored in a fridge or ice/salt bath first. Are these steps necessary?

Also, I left the neck as is after removing the head for slaughter. Is that good to roast as is? Or do I need to cut the neck down further? I've never eaten neck bone, I'm unsure if I should just take it off completely...?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I just want to make sure I don't poison myself.

No, you didn't poison yourself. Resting them in the fridge or an ice bath has nothing to do with making them safe. After death, rigor mortis will set up. That's where the meat gets really stiff. If you eat them before rigor mortis passes they can be tough. I do exactly what you did, freeze them the day I butcher them. But when I cook them I thaw them in the fridge and then let them set an extra day in the fridge. If I make broth with them I don't even bother thawing them, they go straight into the crock pot frozen. When I pick the meat after making broth it's tender enough to eat no problems.

Brining is different than letting them age. To brine you let them rest in a salt water solution, usually before freezing or cooking. The salt in the water flavors them some but the big advantage is that the meat retains moisture. If you cook the meat with a moist method that's not important, but it can be a nice benefit if you cook it with a dry method. I'd consider roasting a dry method. Baking is a moist method.

The third thing that often gets confused with these in marinading. You typically marinate after it is thawed and before you cook it. A marinade will impart flavor but marinades are generally made with an acid, typically wine, beer, or vinegar. The acid breaks down the texture and makes it more tender. A big part of Coq au Vin, which is how the French make a gourmet meal out of a very old rooster, is marinading in wine. You do not want to over-marinade a young bird, it can turn mushy. How strong the acid is in the marinade and the age of the bird has an effect on how long it should be marinaded.

I left the neck as is after removing the head for slaughter.

I don't totally understand your question. When Mom cooked a chicken she served the neck as a separate piece, whether it was fried, in chicken and dumplings, or something else. The back was also a separate piece, when you have five kids and one chicken you stretch it as much as you can. Both those were mostly bone but you can get some meat off of them.

I use the neck in making broth. When the broth is done I pick the meat off the bones and use that as cooked chicken meat in tacos, chicken salad, soup, stew, or as a sandwich for lunch.

 

[sen2two]

Thank you very much! Your replies helped me a ton!

I do have another question you seem to be familiar with. Bone broth. I very much would like to make my own bone broth to get the benefits of the collagen.

I do have a crock pot large enough to fit my 2 to 2 1/2lb chickens. How would I go about cooking and getting the bone broth from the whole chicken?

Basically, Can I cook the whole chicken and make the bone broth at the same time in one shot?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm not sure what your definition of bone broth is compared to regular broth. My understanding of bone broth is that you cook it for a few days as compared to my "overnight".

You might read my post in this thread about how I make broth.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/old-chickens-and-roosters.1315744/#post-21449087

Some people do cut chicken into serving pieces and cook them in the crock pot. I've done that before but that is not overnight making broth, probably more like 7 or 8 hours. If your chicken is young and tender that may be too long, the meat could fall off the bone or be too mushy for you. When I cooked it like that I saved the liquid to go in my next batch of broth. You can always try it and see how you like it.

If you cook the meat for three days or so to make bone broth I'd expect it to be too mushy, but you could still use it. It would be safe but you might not like the quality. Again, trial and error can help you decide what you like. We all have different tastes.