[rachelr]

Grannie Anne has given me loads of information on raising meat chickens bless her but............. I wondered how many people on here bring on their own sunday lunch and what birds they use and when they tend to cull them

Thanks
ps sorry if i offend anyone but i really want to try and do this I am soooooooooo fed up with cardboard chicken

[wolverine]

I would like to try it but doubt I'd be allowed : (

[Diggit]

Hi, sorry for the thread hijack but I was just curious, at what age are the hens when they are ready for the pot?

[pekinpete]

friends if anyone hatches eggs can count on at least 50% will be cockerels,rather than having to cull at day old i keep them and raise them to a size they are fit to eat (about 6mth) i at least know how they are kept any one who has eaten home raised chickens know how different they taste have not eaten shop bought chicken for ages so those that want to raise a few for eating i would say go for it,all my birds are raised outside

[GrannieAnnie]

Hi, sorry for the thread hijack but I was just curious, at what age are the hens when they are ready for the pot?

Well the ones in the supermarkets are about 39 days old when they are culled!  The meat chickens we rear are ready at 8-10 weeks, but we keep them until between 12 and 16 weeks usually.  At least they get a bit more life then!  But dead weight they seem to peak at around 4-5kgs so its no good keeping them any longer.

Or like Pete says, if you raise chicks and get cockerels, pure breed boys are usually culled at around 6 months, but they don't usually have much breast meat on them, boys seem to have more on the thighs!!!

[Diggit]

Thanks. Interesting stuff 

[NormandyMary]

OK then..now here comes a really daft question, Ive been too embarrassed to ask it before. If you buy a chicken, oven ready from the supermarket, would it have been a girl or a boy?

[rachelr]

A shop bought chicken is a girl honey. boys are either sold as cockrels or capons(they have been castrated)

Not a silly question at all but as anne says boy have no breast lol but good thighs tee hee

[joyfull]

caponizing is no longer legal in this country, but still allowed in France and Germany I do believe.

[darkbrowneggs]

I always raise my "boys" up until they are a good meat size.  Marans were originally imported for use as a meat bird, as in those days they had been bred to produce a small 2-2.5 lb bird in about 12 weeks, which is something I am trying to get back to. 

My young cockerels make about 5lb dressed weight in 20-22 weeks.  They are free ranged and fed wheat so not forced in any way.  I think there is plenty of breast meat on the carcass, though as with the dimple breasted turkeys it is the bone structure which has been changed which gives a different look to the bird when on the table

The meat is white and fine textured with (in my opinion) an excellent gourmet flavour, and almost fat free.

I eat the older cock birds also and they make a wonderful Coq au Vin.

All the best
Sue

[joyfull]

well culled one of my boys today an araucana x - very small but ok for the two of us 

[GrannieAnnie]

It's not illegal to caponise by castration though Joy, as opposed to the pellet injection, but the commercials don't do it as its too fiddly!

[wolverine]

Well I personally think the guys got it bad enough without having his balls off. most men might agree 
Makes me feel funny just thinkng about it   :blink:

[rachelr]

I agree. I have never understood capons. Why would they do it. A farmer down the road advertises capons for sale.

Thats how i looked into it I had never heard of them before. Do they become meatier. I must stop by some day and ask if he is selling live ones or dressed ones.

[NormandyMary]

The french prefer capons to turkey at Christmas, but the price they charge for them is phenomenal, around 35€ for a bird that would feed maybe 4 people. Mind you, turkeys are only tiny over here too, feeding 4 would be a struggle with the prepacked ones you get here. For larger birds I think you can order them, but they are so very expensive.