When to butcher & how/why to "rest" a butchered bird?

[JenMT]

I'm making my first attempt at butchering some of my meat birds this evening!

I have 12 Red Cornish (the slow growers) that are 12 weeks old today. I'm reading here that I should allow them to "rest" a day or more in the fridge before eating or freezing. What is the reasoning behind the "rest"? I don't have room for a dozen chickens in my refrigerator. Also, is it possible to let them get too big if I wait and only do 2-4 at a time every week or so? Thank you!

 

[dsnewark]

Every year we raise 25-50 cornish rocks. We have them butchered in the morning, bring them home and put them straight into the freezer. Never had a problem. I assume the reason it is recommended is for aging.

They will continue to grow, but the only issue I would see is that you will have roasters instead of fryers.

Dave

 

[Dogfish]

Letting them rest a day allows rigor to leave the muscle tissues. Put them in a large cooler, on top of the ice, and let the ice drain out overnight. A 100-120 quart cooler works well for the amount of birds you have. Your solution of butchering a few birds at a time also works well.