Processing roosters (and/or hens)

So, I have taken this on, a new thread to speak of those yummy birds we process. I don't know if there has been another thread made about this facet of life, but here goes.

I love my young cockerels that we had processed for our table. They were buff orpington and buckeye, both seemed to have very similar weights after they came home from the day at the processor. About 4 pounds to each bird, nice long legs and good sized breasts. They were very yummy (only eaten 2 of one breed and one of another breed), still about 8 to go and I can't wait to try different methods of cooking them. I also want to grow some out to an older age so I can do a taste comparison of age for flavour. I have a keen memory when it comes to remembering tastes , whether that taste is good or bad!! (I do not like coq du vin, tried that the other day, the bird was good, but hated the red wine taste, which is weird cause I LOVE red wine). Beautiful days, CynthiaM.

Good post Cindi. Did you know (I just read this somewhere) it is recommended to NOT put the freshly processed bird in the freezer right away but wait two or three days and that way the rigamortis is suppose to 'leave' the body, making it a more tender eating experience? Have you heard this one? I have about 30 poker straight-legged roosters in my freezer because they all went in with rigamortis having set in.

And I must say I have made some fabulous chicken stew with Dumplings (which I'd highly recommend) but that is after cooking the bird for a few hours in a pot of boiling water.

Does anyone roast their birds before throwing in the soup pot to give it a 'roasted' flavour?

Am I falling the topic properly by putting this info in?

I always roast my birds, and then do soup with the leftover carcass, and the little bit of meat I can salvage. Very seldom do we fry or anything else. I was hoping to this year, but after my losses will have to wait another year. If I do fry, I will also fry the back, neck and wing tips and then put them in the soup pot. Don't really know why, just the way my mom always did it I guess!

Now that we’ve had the pleasure of eating a few of our homegrown AM/EE boys, I can say with absolute pride that they were doubly D-Delicious. Although the carcass was not as meaty as we’re used too (especially in the breast area) what they lacked in size they made up for in flavour. One bird easily fed our family of five for the evening meal. Then, just like smokyriver, I used the leftovers/bones to make homemade broth and MMM, homemade chicken soup will never be the same again at our house! I’m actually looking forward to growing out my culls this year, especially the Rocks. (chicken dinner walking anyone?)

Chicory, I was advised to let the meat rest in the fridge (wrapped loosely in wax paper) for at least 48 hrs before freezing, also doubled bagged to freeze. It worked wonderfully because they are tender as tender can be. Oh, and because I skinned them, I roasted them covered in tin foil with a little water or broth in the bottom of the pan. YUM!

Smoky - I need to clarify about the roasting and actually I was confused myself. I know people that roast the carcass someway that doesn't dry it out after most of the meat is off and then they make soup with the roasted carcass I was wondering if anyone knew about that method.

Flicker - resting the meat after processing sounds like really important information for all of us who turn our layers into meat birds, as well as those who do straight meat birds. I had no idea until recently. Maybe I was a minority who didn't have that info.

Why wax paper and not the plastic bags that they come in (if you have an abbattoir do your birds) after processing? They don't dry out in the fridge being loosely wrapped in wax paper?

Well wrapping my roasting pan (lid included) in tin foil seemed to work to keep the bird tender and juicy. Then I boiled the leftover carcass in water to make the broth. Not sure if that is what you mean Chicory?

I used wax paper because I had lots of it on hand. I did the processing myself.

Flicker Chick wrote:Well wrapping my roasting pan (lid included) in tin foil seemed to work to keep the bird tender and juicy. Then I boiled the leftover carcass in water to make the broth. Not sure if that is what you mean Chicory?

I used wax paper because I had lots of it on hand. I did the processing myself.

Forget about the roasting of the carcasss - lol - it appears I don't know what I'm talking about.

Sounds good on the wax paper though. Thanks Flicker.

You do need to leave them out of the freezer for several hours or more, to allow rigor mortis to wear off. It doesn't matter if they're in plastic, paper, or anything else. All that is needed is time to allow the muscles to relax.

We've been eating our homegrown rooster culls and the occasional hen for 3 years now and enjoy them immensely. I find it very satisfying to be self sustainable in this way.

The first year was U of A RIR culls. These were on the scrawny side as any hatchery "dual purpose" stock would be (I don't think that any hatchery stock is really dual purpose) but were delicious and tender with proper crockpot cooking. Second year with my own culls from good heritage RIR and White Chantecler breeding stock, were a vast, vast improvement over year one stock (like night and day really), no scrawny birds here and depending on age, were delicious roasted or crockpot. Year three from my selection process is showing great results for meat qualities both good size and rate of growth.

Two of my 4 1/2 month old Chantecler cockerels graced our Christmas table this year and were served with pride to our guests. (I'm not yet raising my own turkeys and this year I just could not bring myself to buy the commercial product). They were roasted whole and were tasty, tender, and delicious. Without exaggeration, our guests were delighted at how tender and delicious my homegrown roosters were and that made me very happy . Feed 10 people with leftovers for 5 more servings followed by soup for another 6 servings.

This is how we process our roosters/hens:

We take our culls calmly to slaughter. I've think this is an important first step. We don't let them see or hear others getting done and get stressed about it. I handle my roosters a lot so they are hugged and calmed before I pass them over to my husband to do the final deed. My husband is very good at doing the deed quickly and effectively and we contain the flapping about to prevent bruising and additional toughening of the meat.

I hand pluck as we only butcher our culls as we want to eat them (no room in the freezer). If we decided to butcher our culls en masse, I would probably invest in a plucker or send them to a processor because the arthritis in my fingers would make it very difficult to handle more than 3 at a time. I have read that auto plucking can make the meat tougher; I can't attest to how true that is or to what degree they are toughened if not hand plucked, it's just what I do.

I let them rest in the fridge. This is easy when you only do 1 to 3 birds at a time. Once they are cleaned they are popped into an extra large zip lock bag and rest in the fridge for a minimum of 2 days before they are cooked or frozen. I rest older birds (around 1 yr old or older) for 3 days.

Initially I only brined the older roasters but now I do the young roasters as well. It takes about 2 minutes to prepare the brine, then pour it into the zip lock bag and pop the chicken back into the fridge for a few hours (depending on the size). When you're ready to plop them in the roaster, give it a good rinse and you're done. It does not make the meat salty (unless you don't rinse of course). The brining helps keep the meat moist and the meat is so tasty!!

Roast your chicken upside down. This is a trick I learned a long time ago, long before we dined on our home grown heritage chickens. When you roast upside down, all the juices from roasting go down to the parts you want to eat instead of draining down into the back area. Okay the skin on the breasts is not browned but who cares, the chicken is carved before it hits the table anyways.

For older birds at one year or older, you can get fantastic results using a crock pot.

OK I am really want to love my home grown birds, I really do!!!
I culled my extra roos a few months ago, and in fact I did just about everything lilfarm said.
I cooked them this morning , my first home grown roos. I started them upside down, poured some bacon fat over them, put some onions and a garlic clove in the cavity. I slow cooked them at 300 and after two hours turned them over and added a can of beer. I finished cooking them, covered in foil, until the meat on the leg came off easily.
Here is the rub, they were skinny hairy birds when I put them in, and they were tough little birds when I took them out.
I have stock cooking on the stove as I write, and I intend to make (I hope)a delicious chicken pie from the meat and stock tomorrow.
But to be honest the bird looks and is tough, it looks unappetizing and although the meat I picked off tasted OK, it didn't knock my socks off.
I know heritage meat takes some extra care in cooking and I think I did that. I want everyone to love and want heritage meat but as a grower I must be happy with what I produce and today I am not.
I will try and try again but if we want the public in general to covet our meat and be prepared to pay a premium dollar for it we must be totally satisfied ourselves and I must say at this point I am not.
Maybe I will be happier when I try a hen, I will keep trying because I believe they are better, I just have to prove it to myself.
sigh

Gotta ask mirycreek about the cooking, all I know is that it is absolutely delicious

I'm so looking forward to my first home-grown roasted chicken, though I might have to ask a couple of you over. Coocking is most definitely something I do incredibly poorly (poor hubby), despite my intense effort and my knack for spices. I respect good flavour, can detect spices and understand textures and how the develop but I just..

I made a franken chicken. Even the BARN CATS didn't eat it. *Faint*

I'm -so- watching this thread closely.

Chicory, I know what you mean. My Grandmother used to do that she would take and wrap cheesecloth or something similar that had been soaked in gravy/or juices (broth) and then roast it again. She would then crack the bones before Boiling the carcass. I am not sure what else she did with it as she would never tell us, and still wouldn't even if she could remember. She now has alzheimers and does not remember most things anymore unfortuneately!!

We also rest the birds after butchering. We always left them soaking in ice water overnight, or in cold water which we kept cold throughout the night, not letting it get to room temp. We have done this for as long as I can remember. Thank the good Lord we always had a second bathroom with a shower as our bathtub had the pleasure of being our cooling tank. A neighbor here just uses a plastic barrel that has the top cut off and has been cleaned thoughly. He fills this with water and ice and throws the chickens in, then covers it with the top of the barrel.

Thanks for saving me smoky. That method sounds very familiar. I understand it enhances the flavour of the soup just like roasting vegetables vs. steaming or boiling. Just gives it a yummier flavour.

Cracking the bones would, I suspect, allow the marrow to flavour the stock better?

Our procesor recommended resting the birds chilled for at least 24 hours so we did that with all our meat guys.

I'm actually tossing a RIR cockrel in the slow cooker tonight to make some soup. We did two batchs of franken chickens this year and 2 "red boys" went along for the ride. They were about 16 weeks old. Their sizes were not too bad 4lbs and just under. The legs and thighs are huge and the breast are not bad. We will see how he turns out.

I have been pleased with my franken chickens though. I'm kinda with Uno on this one. Mine are free ranging out in the fresh air eating grass and such. The last few weeks I go 50/50 with corn/wheat whole grains and their grower. Then taste 1000% better then any store bought roaster and you get your better bang for your buck. I like the roo's for soup or stock but I guess it would depend on the breed you are working with to have a roasting table bird.

Lilfarm, I think you’re on to something in keeping the birds as calm as possible before the evitable happens. From what I’ve read on processing, even a little stress can greatly affect overall meat quality.

Looks like I’ll be bone cracking next time I’m making broth/soup!

Yes, there is a major change in flavour if they suspect what's going on. We do ours out behind the house so none can see what's happening. Ours are pasture raised too, lots of grass and bugs, so the flavour is pretty good. Sometimes we simmer till tender but still in one piece, then lay them on a cooky sheet and cover with barbeque sauce and broil till the sauce scorches a little. Using a rack in the roaster and simmering in the roaster itself makes it easier to lift them out in one piece. Save the broth in the roaster for later.....

"We take our culls calmly to slaughter. I've think this is an important first step. We don't let them see or hear others getting done and get stressed about it. I handle my roosters a lot so they are hugged and calmed before I pass them over to my husband to do the final deed. My husband is very good at doing the deed quickly and effectively and we contain the flapping about to prevent bruising and additional toughening of the meat."

Yes, Lilfarm, I couldn't agree more. I believe that all animals should be slaughtered "on farm". Though this is not possible if you are going to sell your meat. It makes me angry. I have lots of friends/family who love to eat home-grown meat and believe in the philosophy of it, but I cannot sell them my meat unless I deliver the animal to the processor live and have them killed and processed there. I do not think any animals should be transported off the farm for slaughter. The transport stresses them and must do at least a certain amount of damage to the meat. Just my humble opinion. Not trying to guilt anyone who takes them off farm. I myself do it occasionally b/c I am forced to.

nuthatch333 wrote:OK I am really want to love my home grown birds, I really do!!!
I culled my extra roos a few months ago, and in fact I did just about everything lilfarm said.
I cooked them this morning , my first home grown roos. I started them upside down, poured some bacon fat over them, put some onions and a garlic clove in the cavity. I slow cooked them at 300 and after two hours turned them over and added a can of beer. I finished cooking them, covered in foil, until the meat on the leg came off easily.
Here is the rub, they were skinny hairy birds when I put them in, and they were tough little birds when I took them out.

That's a total bummer. I would feel the same as you had my results remained the same as what I experienced year one. I could never have roasted a bird from my first year's batch and had a great result, though with a crockpot we had delicious meals all the same. But there's nothing like a really superb roasted chicken. I never would of dreamt of serving an oven roasted, home grown heritage chicken to my Christmas dinner guests if I knew I was going to get less than really fantastic results.

I've been scratching my head over why you are getting such poor results. I would think that your partridge chanties from Cherry Creek Canadians should be quite good as she breeds for standard and production qualities. Her stock has really good type and size and have good growth rates. Hmmm.

not sure, but a couple things that may help have come to mind from my experience and observations.

As soon as my young ones are sexable, I separate them into male and female groups. Just the way my current housing situation is set up, the females go into a large communal space and the males get separated into a several smaller groups to grow out. As I said, this is due to what I have available for housing but in hind sight may have some benefits in better meat quality at butcher time.

Right now I have 4 pods of males in tractors (or arcs), tie stall, dog run all about 4' - 5' by 10' which gives them very adequate space for the small numbers in the pod but does not give them a huge amount of real estate to really get running around on. Also, they are away females well before sexual maturity (limits fighting and other extra curricular activity), away from sight view of other pods (limits fighting), limited numbers in the pod plus I don't switch the boys around once they're put in a pod (limits fighting) and the pods are usually composed of hatch mates (limits fighting).

I'm thinking that if I had the same number of boys in one area even given the same sq. ft. per bird, they be allowed a much larger space to race around out which likely leads to tougher meat. I'm thinking this because of the experience I had with the little guy in my Avatar, he was such a friendly little guy. He had the ability to get out of the 6 ft high dog run. He was the Olympic gold medalist of chicken sprinters and high jumpers. He didn't like to be very far from me if he saw me out and about and my lap was his favorite place to be. Well. As you can see from where my lower hand is he did not possess the desired long keel bone and had not much breast, his type less then desirable so he was definitely not going to make it to the breeding pen. But I managed to put off the decision to cull for a number of selection rounds until I was finally faced with having to make the decision. Let me tell you, his little drumsticks were a challenging chew.

So I'm wondering about a few management things that might lead to scrawny birds or tougher meat in heritage breeds (who will be living longer than 8 weeks before butchering):
Are the boys are with females until butcher day so chasing the girls and fighting with each other??
Too many guys together causing extra stress??
Too much running around space??

Food for thought (LOL)

i prefer to get them while young....
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sorry... couldnt resist

Thanks for your input lilfarm.
It turned out to not be as bad as I originally thought. After roasting the birds I found picking the meat off the bird left me disappointed. But the stock turned out to be really tasty, as did the gravy and while the meat was scant and tough it makes nice chicken salad sandwiches and will make a nice chicken pie.
These were not my chanties, one was a full grown faverolle rooster, the other a seven month old orpington rooster. Both had been running all over the farm with the ladies right up until their last day. I didn't fatten them up on corn and they did spare with each other. So I think I was just initially disappointed, next bunch I cull I will isolate and fatten up.
Live and learn. They did have a nice life just short.

Well it was strange waking up to the smell of soup this morning but WOW what a stock it made! My only regreat was not adding more water! The RIR dude fell apart as I was trying to take it out and tastes pretty good. Up next soup..........

nuthatch333 wrote: So I think I was just initially disappointed, next bunch I cull I will isolate and fatten up.
Live and learn. They did have a nice life just short.

Nuthatch, I really think you will find a huge difference by separating and fattening them. The meat will be tough and dry if there isn't sufficient fat to keep it nice and moist.
Believe it or not, the broilers I raised last year turned out tough and dry! Now, I've grown broilers on and off for 15 years and never had such poor results. It is hard to ruin a commercial broiler, but last year I managed to do it. The heritage roos I butchered turned out much better.
I know now it was a combination of the grain mix I was feeding them and freezing them too quickly after processing. As you say "live and learn".