Hello! Welcome to BYC!! Sounds like you've got plenty to do around there! I'm assuming you eat the birds you cull...how do the older birds compare in taste and texture? I haven't done it myself!
Hello and welcome from Tennessee! I'm a new chicken-keeper soaking in all the knowledge and wisdom. Your farm operation sounds impressive. I love Pennsylvania, such a beautiful state. I lived there for many years before we moved to Tennessee.
Thanks everyone. Yes we eat the culls. The taste and texture is ok if cooked properly. You can't grill or fry the older ones, but they make good broth, soup, taco meat. Just gotta use low heat and keep them below the boiling point. We turned a lot of them into sausage and it was great. We just don't have as many as we used to these days to make a bunch of sausage. The sausage can be grilled or cooked anyway you like it without texture problems. The older layers have a good amount of fat for making into schmaltz!