Roosters for xmas

[Chicona]

I have 3 roosters at 12weeks atm . They are getting there beards and making noise now there learning to do the crow

I hoped they would be ready for Xmas there girlie sisters look good but the boys always looks slimmer
See people say when they crow they go but..

I’m worried if I butcher them for Xmas they won’t have much weight gained ?

Would they still have edible meat ? They will be obviously around 15 week at butcher but I’d hate to butcher and have nothing to be able to do with them

Got them in the small pen atm off back to the field tomorow chicken tractor needed repairs after the rain can get better pics there

 

[Molpet]

Depends on how you want to cook them. Older birds need to be cooked lower temperature or pressure cooked
I harvest around 16 wks.

 

[Ridgerunner]

people say when they crow they go but..

That's usually people that are not allowed to have roosters or maybe even chickens in general so they don't want the crowing to announce that they have chickens or they can't stand to watch the boys in puberty. It doesn't have anything to do with the amount of meat they get.

I’m worried if I butcher them for Xmas they won’t have much weight gained ?

They will not be horrible considering their breed. At 12 weeks dual purpose cockerels do not have much meat at all but they start putting on meat soon after. People that butcher them at 12 weeks are typically not raising them for meat. Several people on here like to butcher them at 16 weeks, there is enough meat for them. I start butchering mine at 16 weeks to start thinning the numbers down and spread the actual butchering over time, but my preferred age is 23 weeks. By then they are finished with any growth spurt. Any weight gained after that is really slow. They do continue to out in weight after 16 weeks.

15 weeks is not optimum for amount of meat but you should be OK.

Would they still have edible meat ? They will be obviously around 15 week at butcher but I’d hate to butcher and have nothing to be able to do with them

I would not want to fry or grill them. You should be able to cook them using about any other method. Most people would probably roast them. I would bake them.

I cut them into serving pieces, put them in a baking pan with a tight cover to keep liquids in, add onion, garlic, some herbs and maybe a carrot and celery, and bake for 2-1/2 to 3 hours at 250 degrees Fahrenheit (120 Celsius). At their age 2-1/2 hours should be plenty. When you are done carefully use a slotted spoon to remove the serving pieces, the meat might fall off of the bone if you are not careful.. There should be some liquid in the pan. Strain it to get the chunks out. If you take the fat off of that liquid you can use it as schmalz. Some cultures value chicken fat. The other liquid left behind makes a really good broth or stock.

Don't forget to age them so rigor mortis has passed. If they are aged and cooked properly they can be tender and delicious.

 

[Chicona]

That's usually people that are not allowed to have roosters or maybe even chickens in general so they don't want the crowing to announce that they have chickens or they can't stand to watch the boys in puberty. It doesn't have anything to do with the amount of meat they get.


They will not be horrible considering their breed. At 12 weeks dual purpose cockerels do not have much meat at all but they start putting on meat soon after. People that butcher them at 12 weeks are typically not raising them for meat. Several people on here like to butcher them at 16 weeks, there is enough meat for them. I start butchering mine at 16 weeks to start thinning the numbers down and spread the actual butchering over time, but my preferred age is 23 weeks. By then they are finished with any growth spurt. Any weight gained after that is really slow. They do continue to out in weight after 16 weeks.

15 weeks is not optimum for amount of meat but you should be OK.


I would not want to fry or grill them. You should be able to cook them using about any other method. Most people would probably roast them. I would bake them.

I cut them into serving pieces, put them in a baking pan with a tight cover to keep liquids in, add onion, garlic, some herbs and maybe a carrot and celery, and bake for 2-1/2 to 3 hours at 250 degrees Fahrenheit (120 Celsius). At their age 2-1/2 hours should be plenty. When you are done carefully use a slotted spoon to remove the serving pieces, the meat might fall off of the bone if you are not careful.. There should be some liquid in the pan. Strain it to get the chunks out. If you take the fat off of that liquid you can use it as schmalz. Some cultures value chicken fat. The other liquid left behind makes a really good broth or stock.

Don't forget to age them so rigor mortis has passed. If they are aged and cooked properly they can be tender and delicious.

Thankyou for that helps a lot
There not a Cornish cross but a decalb which is a smaller genotype from the white rock cross used for egg production normally but my wynadotte Araucauna had a good romp and defiantly pushed the size up as 12 weeks and their the same size as there mothers already can see progression daily atm lol he just got his eye brows haha