What age to fry??

[MissPrissy]

My extra cockerals were 19 weeks old when we culled 3 last monday. For roasting and the stew they were really good but I think they would be tough for frying. We are culling about 10 or so more tomorrow. I plan to put them in the pressure cooker and then strip the meat and freeze it and make stock.

 

[Windy Ridge]

Meat birds are so tender in part because they're so lazy. I know my boys are pretty active, so I'm more or less sticking to stewing.

My extra roosters were dual purpose breeds (except for one little bantam cochin), and we butchered at 6 months and 4 months. I didn't try anything like frying or roasting, but they made GREAT, MOUTHWATERING Chicken and Dumplings and Chicken Noodle Soup (with homemade egg noodles).

It's finally soup weather, where I am. I also do a Spicy Thai Chicken. I was going to put the recipe here, but realized it would be better in the recipes forum, so look there in just a little bit.

 

[Barnyard Dawg]

Quote:
My wife agrees with 4 months is the best age, she prefers Barred Rocks and Brahma’s the RR just don’t seem to fatten up like the others. We will cook the roosters when they start crowing. The older ones my wife will cook the chickens whole, in a large soup pot, utilizing the broth and then cutting up and putting them in a hot pot and then we will eat them the next day.