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

[mxpres]

Dumplins,Dumplins,

 

[3KillerBs]

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

I've bought them in just about every state/town I've lived.

They're in the freezer section near the turkeys in Wal-Mart and most major grocery chains.

It isn't perfectly reliably, but if you run your hand across the breast area you can try to feel for a protruding breastbone. There's never as much meat as on a regular, grocery store, meat bird, but you can try to get as much as you can.

Some places I've lived they were reliably cheaper per lb than roasters/fryers but here in NC chicken and dumplings must be a lot more popular because they cost more than the others.

 

[1stepcloser]

This is a great thread. If the birds are edible I would feel a whole lot better about helping them cross the Rainbow Bridge when they stop laying.

 

[ethingtonart]

If the birds are edible I would feel a whole lot better about helping them cross the Rainbow Bridge when they stop laying. hmm

LOL! Me too!

This is a lot of great information, I really needed this! I'm going to look at the store for the old layers too!!​

 

[3KillerBs]

You'll find that the stew hens have a much richer, stronger flavor than your usual, grocery-store, 8-week Cornish X that never saw a bug or a blade of grass.

It comes as a bit of a shock the first time.

 

[fasbendera]

The best chicken I can remember was the old hens my dad bought at a sale barn. They were so old they couldn't wring there necks they just kept getting longer and longer so they resorted to chopping the heads off. My mom canned them (pressure cooker) some we deboned and the others we just cut up into peices and stuffed into jars. Followed the directions for canning chicken and it was amazing. My mouth waters just thinking about it. I plan on replacing my hens after their third year of laying and canning them.

 

[scooter147]

Folks who try my chicken n dumplings rave about how good it tastes and always ask me what my secret is.
The answer is very simple a good old fat hen. You just can't beat it for flavor.

 

[fasbendera]

Canned chicken is amazing! My dad brought home some old layers from the sale barn and mom canned them because she knew they would be tough. Best chicken ever. You need a pressure canner. Can't wait to can my first hens this year.

 

[randomchick]

I wait till its time to be heating the house for winter, slaughter an older hen in the morning, and cook on the wood stove all day. I actually have bought some older hens from a neighbor before mine were old enough to retire because they have so much flavor. You can make the best soups and stocks from older hens.
Bonus, they have extra fat once you slaughter you can save it for baking amazing bread.

 

[toxo]

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Explain please!