Processing Day Support Group ~ HELP us through the Emotions PLEASE!

[katbriar]

Thank you for the idea, I will try to use black paper to block their coop window, maybe that will help some and buy me a little more time.

Aluminum foil works really well. And it intercepts all those chicken-mind-controlling signals from aliens and the CIA.

 

[hillfloweranch]

I started raising my own turkey's couple years ago and one my coworkers was interested so I gave him one. ..he's been my best advertisement and last year another coworker ordered one. Now this year I have 13 coworkers wanting turkey's and a few are even wking to come up and learn how to process their own. So it's taken 2 years but slowly people have accepted that the meat and eggs they get from me are tastier, healthier and overall better than what they get in the store. So don't take offense just smile and wave, smile and wave.

 

[chicken pickin]

I need to put  afew more in the freezer. Usually I butcher a few and  1 goes into the roaster and the others the freezer.  Hope you have a good freezer now. 

I do. I have a large upright freezer, the kind that looks like a refrigerator. It gets filled ever summer/fall with roosters, cx meat birds and turkeys.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: My mother had one of those!! I always thought it was hard to find the food items in it--- then I got the chest freezers!! Gosh I have meat down at the bottom from 2001

-- and it is still good!!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote: Exactly. We use the nails too.

I am planning on processing my young batch of roosters very young this time around. My batch of boys is getting to noisy early in the mornings and I don't want to end up with neighbor complaints.

They are all only about 13-14weeks old. Has anyone processed this young before? I know I need to do it sooner than later but the thought of the lack of meat they will have makes it seem senseless. Thoughts on this are appreciated.

There won't be as much meat, but hey, people eat silkies and surely there is more meat on them than a silkie. You could process and make them into enchiladas or soup. I usually try to wait until 20 weeks to process, they fill in a lot more by then.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Exactly.  We use the nails too. 

There won't be as much meat, but hey, people eat silkies and surely there is more meat on them than a silkie.  You could process and make them into enchiladas or soup.  I usually try to wait until 20 weeks to process, they fill in a lot more by then.

I had read that the time to process Pekin Duck is right before a molt. Anyway I abided by that time frame (~12wks) with some KC x Rouen mixed drake lets here, they were way too small. I would never process that early again. (Or pay the processor to process them, to be factual). Ended up, I fit 3 of those drake lets in a 10qt Dutch oven, with some room to spare. I would wait if you are able. I suppose I'm talking ducks, and you're talking chickens, but poultry is poultry, right?

 

[Bethel3330]

Exactly.  We use the nails too. 

There won't be as much meat, but hey, people eat silkies and surely there is more meat on them than a silkie.  You could process and make them into enchiladas or soup.  I usually try to wait until 20 weeks to process, they fill in a lot more by then.

How much will the meat change in taste and texture from 14 to 20 weeks in a male? I'm curious.
Thanks

 

[fisherlady]

How much will the meat change in taste and texture from 14 to 20 weeks in a male? I'm curious.
Thanks

It will depend on the amount of activity the rooster has... if they free range or have a lot of room to run around (such as chasing hens in the yard) then it will definitely begin to get a bit stringier by 18-20 weeks, it is just a result of muscle development. So the meat will taste a bit stronger and have more chewiness, but it won't be extreme unless you get a really active bird or start getting into the 6 months + range.

 

[BCMaraniac]

It will depend on the amount of activity the rooster has... if they free range or have a lot of room to run around (such as chasing hens in the yard) then it will definitely begin to get a bit stringier by 18-20 weeks, it is just a result of muscle development. So the meat will taste a bit stronger and have more chewiness, but it won't be extreme unless you get a really active bird or start getting into the 6 months + range.

I wonder if you know you are going to butcher young roos if it would help with tenderness/stringiness to pen them for a couple of weeks to limit their activity......assuming they won't kill each other during that time.....maybe a 50/50 trial is in order. I know that Bresse roosters are freeranged until 4 weeks before butcher, then crated and finished off on grain and dairy.....the activity curtailed to tenderize the meat and the grain/dairy ration to accumulate fat in the muscle.

 

[fisherlady]

I wonder if you know you are going to butcher young roos if it would help with tenderness/stringiness to pen them for a couple of weeks to limit their activity......assuming they won't kill each other during that time.....maybe a 50/50 trial is in order. I know that Bresse roosters are freeranged until 4 weeks before butcher, then crated and finished off on grain and dairy.....the activity curtailed to tenderize the meat and the grain/dairy ration to accumulate fat in the muscle.

I would expect it would help, it may not reverse the toughness already accumulated, but it should certainly restrict any further development of fibrous tissues....