Young rooster with tuff meat

[Molpet]

That broth cooks for 14 to 20 hours on low heat and I pick the meat after it is done for casseroles, tacos, sandwiches, or soup. It is really tender, but as someone else mentioned, the texture is different than the 6 to 8 week old Cornish X you buy at the store. I generally butcher my cockerels around 23 weeks, the pullets are usually 7 to 8 months old when butchered.

Why would you butchure a 7-8 month old pullet? That's when they at prime laying age?

I grow out about the same... As far as pullets, how many is too many? Not all pullets are worthwhile as breeding stock... You need to hatch 50-100 chicks to get a couple of breeding stock replacement's.... I have 34+ hens and about 50 pullets...and 21 dz extra eggs... Worth more to me in the freezer than the$5 I would get selling a part CX pullet... I have more than that in organic feed

 

[Ridgerunner]

Why would you butchure a 7-8 month old pullet? That's when they at prime laying age?

We all have different goals and ways of doing things. My goals are mainly meat and playing with genetics so I hatch plenty of excess pullets. Eggs are just a nice side benefit. There are only two of us so I can get two meals out of a pullet, the second one is in soup. A larger bird just means I get chicken for lunch a day or two so while size is nice it's not that important to me. I keep replacement pullets every year but only a few. I don't want to carry a bunch through winter when I have to feed them so much.

I need a certain number of chickens to eat each year so I can eat one chicken a week. That's how many I hatch. I'll start butchering the pullets I know I don't want to keep by seven months and work my way to the ones I do want to keep. You never know how many will be male/female when you hatch, since I only need a certain number each year how many would I need to hatch and feed until I at least knew the sex?

I do not sell excess eggs, I give them away. I keep a closed flock for health/biosecurity reasons, I'm just not interested in selling pullets and still maintaining a closed flock. For many reasons my life is simpler and I can meet my goals by eating both cockerels and pullets. Others have different goals and lifestyles.

 

[aart]

I grill 12-16 wk cockerels, definitely rest before cooking, and I rest before freezing too.
3 days in fridge.... already parted out and in bags.
It's not tough....it's 'toothsome'.