What age is a good age for processing excess heritage cockerels?

[LtDanFan]

i hatched out some of my own backyard eggs for fun and after brooder attrition (i delayed putting them outside due to fear of weather issues so they got crowded), ended up with 7 pullets and 5 cockerels. They hatched out 10/22. Since i cannot have roosters and if i were to break the rules i’d want a pure bred cream legbar man, i plan on souping all of the boys. At what age would they be considered “prime” for slaughter? Ie, how long should i let them live and grow before i would get a good return on my time-investment?

If it helps, these are from CCL rooster (since passed on) with CCL, BYM (probably americauna crosses) and olive/easter egger hens.
I know not traditional “meat” breeds but at least probably dual purpose-ish.

 

[Molpet]

Depends on how you want to cook them.
I usually roast and start harvesting at 16 weeks.

 

[FunClucks]

Since you're dealing with neighbors and no-rooster laws, as soon as they crow, they may need to go. I raised 21 babies, 12 of which were cockerels. By 3 months 5-6 of them were crowing, but they can start as soon as a few weeks old, it depends on the breed and individual birds.

I ended up selling most of them to someone who paid more than it cost me to raise them, and then I didn't have to spend hours of my time processing a bunch of skinny cockerels outdoor in the middle of June in Alabama (could've timed that better).

If you have egger breed birds, they may be pretty scrawny at slaughter time, and the earlier you process them the more tender they will be. Anywhere from 12-16 weeks is generally the time when they are most tender, with toughness increasing from 12 wks onwards. The more tender they are, the greater flexibility you have in cooking methods. The older they are, the slower and lower temperature your cooking method should be to encourage tenderness. I raise mine anywhere from 5mo to a year or more, and into the pressure cooker they go - always tender. The younger birds get to be roasted in the oven, or fried.

After you process them, make sure you rest them in the fridge until joints move freely before you freeze or cook them, or the meat will be like rubber. You have to pass rigor mortis before eating.