Questions about butchering a RIR. HELP PLEASE...

[AlbionWood]

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+1 to that!

Even for ordinary BBW turkeys, brining makes a difference. For older birds or lean wild game, it is amazing what brine will do. I shot a big old wild tom turkey this spring - expected it to be as tough as a shoe, but after brining for 16 hours it roasted up just fine and was by far the best turkey meat we've ever tasted. Brining causes changes in the protein structure of the meat, making it tender and it holds moisture better during cooking.

Now I use iced brine to chill after butchering. Helps draw the blood out and I think it protects against bacteria, too. For chickens I only brine for 2 to 4 hours, then rinse and dry off. I think that keeps the meat from getting too salty.

 

[jaku]

Chilling with salted ice water isn't brining. I use salted water to help the meat break down and get the water colder, but in 30 gallons of water, I might use 1-2 cups of salt. A brine will change the flavor of the meat, and shouldn't be done to a whole batch of birds, rather an individual bird that you want to taste brined, as it limits the uses for your bird to some extent. A true brine will have about a cup of salt (plus sugar and other ingredients) in 1 gallon of water.

 

[babyleaps]

I butcher my roos (ESPECIALLY the ones that are mean to hens or chase my kids!) and use my crockpot to cook them slowly. The meat will be a bit stringier than you may be used to, so you may want to chop it and put it in something like tacos, soup, etc.

 

[bburn]

I cooked a 21 week RIR rooster. After reading everything about how tough roosters were I was scared not to cook long and slow. It was not necessary to cook that long and that slow. I put it in the pot with some water, onion, celery and seasonings...including bay leaf and cooked all afternoon. (in truth I did not have to cook that long...should have taken it out earlier I think, deboned it and chopped it up and put it back in the pot) Then I made dumplings....best chicken and dumplings I have ever had!!

Now, somebody please start sharing your recipes for a good brine to use. When I start thawing out the rest of these guys I would like to try it!!

 

[isabrowneyedsue]

i was just given 8 rir roos, i was told that grandpa butchered one, and it was very tough, the fact that they are very young worries me but he butchers differently than me so i figure that was the problem. but i do have a a bunch of other questions here, and i suppose it's a matter of personal taste, but for those of you who raise birds for meat

1) is there a breed you prefer for reasons other than size?

2) are there breeds that you find to be very tough no matter what you do?

3) when you butcher do you prefer to chop off the head or bleed the chicken out? ( i have been using a homemade cone, and that seems to be working okay )

4) is it really important to remove food and water 24 hours before butchering? i forgot to do that the last time, and thankfully avoided the full intestine

i think that's it, for now anyway

looking forward to any and all input!

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

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How old are the roos?

 

[isabrowneyedsue]

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How old are the roos?

the roos are somewhere between 3 and 4 months old, i think. and i am pretty sure they aren't older than that, they have little nubby spurrs and seem skinny still

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

For my cockerels, I do not start thinking about butchering until at least 5 months but more like 6. Course if they are a pain or problem then they get done sooner.


With dual purpose birds - like your rir cockerels - the body (bone structure) grows first and this takes up to 4/5 months on good feed (20% protein or higher) and longer if on lower protein or free range mostly. After the body grows, then muscle starts to fill in the body.


When I started, I would pick up and feel the boys once a week or so (can be at roost when they are calm) - feel the muscle on both sides of the keel (breast bone) and the thighs. This will give you a good idea on weight gain.


ETA: I also like to put the cockerels in their own run/coop at about 4 months or so. Prefer it to be away from the main flock, with room for them to run around and build muscle - but not pace the fence looking for/at hens.