Roo v. Hen eating question

[furbabymum]

So my husband has seen or heard somewhere that roo's are stringy and taste bad. Truth to this? My whole plan is to eat any unwanted roos and now my husband is saying no roo no how.

 

[mmktdox]

I think it all depends on how old the roos are. I processed five barred rock roose last year when they were about 35 weeks and they were great. I've read on this forum that after one year, they can be stringy. It all depends on how you cook them though. Nothing wrong with chicken & dumplings! And coq au vin is a recipe for a year old rooster (or so I'm told). If you don't like them you can always make chicken stock from them.

 

[donrae]

Depends on how they're cooked. Low and slow is best, lots of folks brine first. Look around here for cooking dual purpose roosters. Older hens aren't as tender as grocery store chicken, either. It's not the sex, it's the age. Store chicken is 6 weeks old when they're butchered and have never had the chance to use their muscles. Tell him it's like eating steak, compared to eating veal. A little more tooth, but sooo much more flavor!

 

[DanIndiana]

I've definitely noticed the roosters are more tender when they are younger. Though a bit small, I like them around 13-16 weeks. Two fit in the crock pot just right. They all taste good when they are cooked on low for 6-8 hours until they are falling apart.