Quality of meat at 1 1/2 years and 3 years in layers?

[ethingtonart]

We are planning to use our "spent" layers as meat birds, but are unsure how long to keep them laying. I am currently planning to replace them with younger pullets at around 72 weeks. I was wondering though, is there an advantage in the quality of the meat to butcher laying hens when they are 1 1/2 as opposed to butchering them at around 3 years old?

I hope if their meat is, in fact, better at a younger age I would have a greater chance of being able to sell some of them as layers and still be able to let my husband have some for meat birds. (My excuse to sell some would be to off-set the cost of replacement pullets

)

Thanks!
(I'm a vegetarian BTW)

 

[wombat]

By that point, I think it's crock pot cookery in either case.

 

[pringle]

Yep crock-pot or soup.You cant bake it or anything else becouse the meat will be extremly tough and it will taste pretty gamey.

 

[animal_lover03]

The meat will probably be to tough to eat, one way it would taste good is if you used a crock pot as wombat said.

 

[scooter147]

Yep, it's to the soup pot with them
Soak them at least 24 hours in very cold brine water, 48 hours is better but 24 works.

 

[wombat]

Crock pot - slow cooking, with lots of veggies.

The only down side is having to smell it for HOURS before you can eat it!

Like Scooter said, brine them first!

 

[3KillerBs]

I've yet to own any of my own chickens, but I love it when the stew hens -- retired layers and broiler breeders -- in the grocery store go on sale.

Simmer gently on low heat for a long time and you get heaven in a soup bowl.

 

[Winsor Woods]

Quote:
I agree. I like this way the best. Chicken Fricassee would be a close second. Either way you're eating better than anyone else on your block.

Dan

 

[comp6512]

Quote:
What store/section? I would love to do a test trial...

 

[scooter147]

Quote:
What store/section? I would love to do a test trial...

There with the whole fryers generally or next to whole turkeys in my store. Don't be shocked when you see the price. In my area they generally run around $9. But if you make a big pot of soup or dumplings you can easily get 3 meals out of it. Obviously depends on how big your family is but when there was three of us we had more than three meals.