question on quality of rooster meat

[fiddlebanshee]

I brought 4 -9 month old- roosters to a farm yesterday for butchering. I can do it myself but didn't have time. So they used cones and then flipped them in a hot batch and a plucking machine.

When I got the birds home I skinned them (I don't like skin on chickens for eating) and the meat was very, very dark, even the breast meat. There was hardly any fat anywhere and not all that much meat either. Were my birds starving? They acted healthyand they had access to feed 24/7. They chased each other around quite a bit.

Is this lack of quality meat usual for roosters? I might not go through the trouble again and just kill them and leave them in the woods for the wild animals to eat.

Also, I think their hot bath was a little bit too hot because there seemed to be about 1/8" of the breast meat that was cooked.

I stuck two legs in a crockpot with some veggies on high for 4 hours and the meat was inedible. Very tough and sinewy. Could this be because the hot bath was botched? It wasn't like this with the rooster we killed last year. That boy was delicious.

So what can I do with the meat of 4 roosters that is inedible. I do not have any dogs.

I think I will stick it in a crockpot on low overnight and then mince and give it back to the chickens and quail. Any other suggeestions?

 

[Irishhenman]

They probably weren't a meat breed. Most breeds don't have enough meat on their bones for a decent meal. You really need to have meat birds eating as much as they possibly can to put on weight. The chewy texture was because they were nine months old and probably weren't finished off well.

 

[RogerShoaf]

Stating up front that I am no expert and those that actually know are cordially invited to dispute my speculation, I suspect that at the time of death the bird was full of adrenaline and you got some hot meat.

Some critters are not good eating if they are all worked up at the time of dispatch.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

Fiddlebanshee, a crock pot is an all day affair. 4 hours barely got it started. With my non-meat 9 month old roosters whose carcass looks like a starved buzzard it takes at least 2-1/2 to 3 hours in the oven @ 350 and that's after resting them for 3 days in ice cold water. Otherwise it's like trying to eat the sole of my boot.
My new wife is from the big city where they do everything in a hurry & rush. She has wasted so many of my chickens because she can't understand that cooking a homegrown chicken is different than a store bought that I have to do the cooking on chicken night. Otherwise my poor roosters gave their life for nothing
Hope this helps.

 

[bobbi-j]

The color, quality and quantity of the meat (or lack thereof) is very likely due to the breed of bird. As stated above, non-meat breeds just don't have much meat on them. I like to put them in a stockpot and let them simmer for the better part of the day. ChickenLegs is right - the crockpot is a day-long project. I'd cook it up, freeze it with the broth and have some amazing chicken soup stock on hand. One other thought on the dark meat. Maybe it got bruised by the plucker?

 

[fiddlebanshee]

They were 3 Marans roosters and one pure bred Ameraucana rooster. I believe those are both a dual purpose breed, so I had thought that there would be a bit more meat.


Quote:
Interesting thought. I butchered another Ameraucana rooster last year also at about 9 months old and that guy was delicious and he had a bit of fat around his intestines and on his legs (not much but still a bit). BUT:
1. he was the only rooster at the time so he didn't get chased so much
2. I didn't free range my birds yet, then. So he basically spent the summer and the winter in a large run and coop, but not out and about like my chickens do now. So he led a more sedentary (lol) life.
3. We didn't use a plucker, but plucked by hand.

I will try it one more time. I froze the remainder of the meat. So I will take another two legs and do the crockpot thing overnight on low during the weekend. Let's see where that gets us. Otherwise the rest is going to the dogs of a colleague. Nothing will be wasted, anyway. I will still make broth of the carcasses.

I think I will not go back to this butcher, as he also cooked about 1/8" of meat on the breast because his scalding bath was too hot, and I think he left them in too long.

Thanks everyone for the replies! It's been a most enlightening experience.