Wellsummer surprise

[chanceosunshine]

So, our rooster got a bad attitude about 6 months ago. We gave him a chance to adjust it, but he just got worse. It was becoming impossible to walk through the chicken pasture without a broom handle for protection. We had determined that he was going to be stew but we were putting it off. He forced my husband's hand the other day after he came after him as my husband descended a ladder.
The surprise is that at 1 1/2 years old, his dressed weight was 2lb! My husband couldn't believe me and reweighed him. I rested him in the fridge for 4 days and he's stewing on the stove now. My other surprise is how dark his meat is!
Don't you think a "dual purpose" bird should have weighed more than that? They have free food and free range all day long.

 

[sourland]

That was small.

 

[Molpet]

So, our rooster got a bad attitude about 6 months ago. We gave him a chance to adjust it, but he just got worse. It was becoming impossible to walk through the chicken pasture without a broom handle for protection. We had determined that he was going to be stew but we were putting it off. He forced my husband's hand the other day after he came after him as my husband descended a ladder.
The surprise is that at 1 1/2 years old, his dressed weight was 2lb! My husband couldn't believe me and reweighed him. I rested him in the fridge for 4 days and he's stewing on the stove now. My other surprise is how dark his meat is!
Don't you think a "dual purpose" bird should have weighed more than that? They have free food and free range all day long.

Hatchery birds are usually bred to produce the most chicks, but that is small. My 2 barred rock cockerels dressed out 3 and 1/2 lbs at 16 weeks....from townline hatchery

 

[chanceosunshine]

He didn’t look small at all, but I guess he was all fluff and rage.
Nice dark thighs though.

 

[chanceosunshine]

It makes me nervous because my daughter-in-law is hatching some Wyandotte/Rangers for me for meat. They may take forever to get to a decent size.

 

[Molpet]

It makes me nervous because my daughter-in-law is hatching some Wyandotte/Rangers for me for meat. They may take forever to get to a decent size.

I have been working on a meat mutt project... A random heritage mix roo over a CX pullet . They dress out 5 to 7 lbs at 16 weeks... I'm on the 4 generation.

 

[chanceosunshine]

I will be happy if I can pull 4lbs off at 16wks.
What is the meat like?
I was shocked at how dark the welsummer meat was. The legs were as dark as roast beef. It was really good and made great broth.

I have been working on a meat mutt project... A random heritage mix roo over a CX pullet . They dress out 5 to 7 lbs at 16 weeks... I'm on the 4 generation.

 

[Molpet]

I will be happy if I can pull 4lbs off at 16wks.
What is the meat like?
I was shocked at how dark the welsummer meat was. The legs were as dark as roast beef. It was really good and made great broth.

The older they are the darker the meat for the most part. And more flavor.
The ones mixed with black Jersey giant have really dark meat, but they take longer to fill out, about 6 months.

 

[chanceosunshine]

The older they are the darker the meat for the most part. And more flavor.
The ones mixed with black Jersey giant have really dark meat, but they take longer to fill out, about 6 months.

Do they eat you out of house and home by then or do they do a lot of foraging? I was impressed with the flavor for sure!

 

[Molpet]

Do they eat you out of house and home by then or do they do a lot of foraging? I was impressed with the flavor for sure!

They forage a lot. I ferment the feed and that helps https://tikktok.wordpress.com/2014/04/13/fermented-feed-faq/