When to slaughter

[KatM]

After our first batch of egg layers, we have 100 chickens coming in on July 9. The all-heavy-males assortment from Murray McMurray, not sure what breeds we'll be getting but at what point do I have to have them slaughtered? Thanks.

 

[justusnak]

If they are cornishX, 8 to 10 weeks...just heavies...(rir,doms,buffs) maybe12 to 16 weeks. Depends on how big you want them.

 

[KatM]

Not so much concerned about the weight but the tenderness of the meat. Bear with me if I sound like a complete fool but I'm guessing the younger the juicier?

 

[4H kids and mom]

Yup, age plays the biggest role in the ultimate tenderness of the meat. What you feed plays the biggest role in the flavor.

 

[greyfields]

The cornish crosses are ideal from 8-10 weeks. You can for certain grow them another month and get some massive birds (every BBQ'd a 15 pounder? that's some good chicken).

'Tenderness' is a function of the birds age combined with how much exercise they get. If you let them run around too much, the meat can tend to get stringy and tougher. This really isn't an issue with Cornish Crosses since they're sloth-like.

'Juiciness' is more a matter of how you prepare the bird for dinner.

After having done this awhile, I am really preferring the more stringy farm birds over the stuff you find in the grocery store. The birds I raise taste of chicken. The birds at the store are just insipid imposters, with no flavor of anything. Stick with it and I bet you'll be savoring your old roosters before long!