Sending roosters to the "deep freezer"

[yerdoncm]

Hello. I had a quick question regarding killing/eating a rooster vs. a hen. My wife and I just got started with 6 chicks that are now about 12 weeks old, and we're pretty sure that our RIR is a rooster. Since we aren't looking for fertilized eggs, we're considering him for dinner

. Anything in particular we should expect when we "do the deed"? I'm assuming the white breast meat to be smaller, but this will be the first chicken we have ever plucked/cleaned/etc. Thanks!

 

[acid_chipmunk]

Check out the meat bird forum. Lots of good advice over there.

 

[gritsar]

Ah, sending the roos to Camp Kenmore. I'm not sure on when you can eat them. I just wanted to mention that there is no difference in fertilized eggs vs. non-fertile - not in taste, appearance (unless you look really really close) and not in nutritional value.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

This article has really good information regarding the backyard chicken and cooking homegrown (not the cornish crosses). www.albc-usa.org/documents/cookingwheritagechicken.pdf

 

[Happy Chooks]

I've processed 2 spare roosters. Here's some tips of what I encountered:

21 weeks is too old, closer to 16-18 weeks would be better.
A killing cone would be ideal, blood drains out and you don't have to deal with holding a flapping bird.
Cut off food the night before, so the crop isn't full. (give water though) You get to the crop through the neck cavity.
A REALLY sharp knife is essential not only for gutting but cutting off wing tips and feet.
Plucking is a lot easier than you think. It smells gross though, gotta get used to that.
If you are leaving the carcass whole, tie the legs in. Once rigor mortis sets in they don't move. (couldn't get it stuffed into a large crockpot)


There's a really good video in the meat section that I watched before doing it.