We came up on the losing end of the chicken lottery this time. Out of eight mystery chick picks, five were cockerels (males), and only three were pullets (females).
What kind of homesteading woman am I, if I couldn't watch what had to happen?
The squeamish kind, I guess.
Hubby is just as content to do it all himself, I think, to avoid having me standing over his shoulder. "Offering suggestions," as I see it... "Bossing me around," according to him. "And stressing me out."
We made the rookie mistake (according the the Backyard Chicken Forum) of cooking them without letting them rest in the fridge for at least 24 hours, so they were a little tough.
Shrug . . . next time you'll know, right? I've about 30 extra of the guys running around now, all named 'Soup' or 'Chicken 'n Noodles.' Must work myself up to tackling the task. (It takes me a week or so to talk myself into it.)
ReplyDeleteOK - tell me - do they taste any different than the one I buy at the grocery store/WalMart. Better I hope. My chicks will arrive next week. I ordered 6 of the females.
ReplyDeleteI am laughing at the Soup and Chicken noodle names...truthfully, I would make a terrible homesteader! gail
ReplyDeleteHey, that looks pretty good!
ReplyDeleteReading hen blogs has taught me that being male is a capital crime, Rurality.
ReplyDeleteNo chickens allowed in my neighborhood and we don't come from homesteading-type families. My bet is that both of us would be squeamish.
In our house a wife at one's shoulder is not called Bossing Around or Causing Stress but "Hovering".
Laura, I hope to talk Hubby into resting the chicken next time. And maybe brining too.
ReplyDeleteBecca, well *these* guys weren't better. (Too stringy.) The ones we had before were kind of stewed, so you couldn't tell much difference on that.
Gail, yeah you can't name them like pets and then eat them!
Meg, it looked great, smelled great, and would have tasted better if it just weren't stringy. The breasts were better than the legs/thighs.
Annie, being male isn't a crime... just acting like one! I would have no trouble just keeping them as yard ornaments if they weren't so ornery.
I have always wanted to have some chickens. Current residence not allowed, but one day I will move. Does the cockerel you just ate taste different/better than grocery store chicken?
ReplyDeleteI'm with you-watching my parents butcher chickens when I was little made me swear off such activity unless I absolutely have to. (I was only 5, and what got me was the combo of dad demonstrating how they run without their heads and the smell of him singe-ing the pin feathers with a hobby torch-yuck!) I will admit though, they tasted WAY better than store bought, plus we knew exactly what they had been fed!
ReplyDeletebummer - at least you had some good dinner. Our 6 are looking like all hens...so I can breathe a sigh of relief.
ReplyDeleteHow they taste depends on lots. The chicken in the store is 6 weeks old and tastes very tender. your Roos will be older and have stronger muscles. they thing to do is brining them for grilling and make soup and crock pot meals from them.
ReplyDeleteBeth, it was kind of stringy, but I think that we just didn't prepare it correctly.
ReplyDeleteKarmyn, I wish we'd been that lucky! We had a lot better ratio the first time we got mixed-run.
Sweetpea, I definitely want to try brining next time!
apparently my grandmother Jenny (1871-1956) would get up at 4 am, grab a rooster and ring his neck, and have him on the breakfast table at 6.
ReplyDeleteI guess she didn't follow the 24 hour rule.
Mom & I would butcher 15 a day. We did not let them "rest" either as we always fried one or two for dinner (noon meal), but Mom butchered when they were fairly young. I haven't checked your blog in a while, Rurality. I enjoyed my visit, as usual.
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