# How much should chicken weigh to butcher?



## PD-Riverman (May 24, 2007)

I am talking about a Young RIR rooster. Have any of you just weighed if it to see it was "Time"? I have read that you can just pick it up and feel it to see if it is "time". Being new at this----might not get that right. 

These roosters were given to me yesterday along with some pullets. Do not need to feed the roosters but they are still young(about as tall as a laying RR hen just alot lighter.

I like fried chicken----is this possible or would they be to tough?

How long do you let them sit in the fridge before you freeze them for fryers?

Thanks


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

I have no idea what an RR chicken is, but any dual purpose breed will be slower growing and 5-6 months until butchering age. A chicken is never too old to butcher. You just change your cooking methods as they get older.

If you want tender fried chicken, you'll do better with the various hybrids that are ready to butcher at 8-10 weeks of age.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

They sit in the fridge until rigor mortis passes. When you can wiggle the legs easily, they are ready to be packaged and frozen.


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2011)

I have butchered cockerals that weren't any bigger than pigeons. There isn't really an age limit, but normally a dual purpose breed is butchered by 6 months so it won't be as tough as shoe leather.


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## eclipchic (Oct 24, 2010)

around 16- 20 weeks and 4-5 lbs live is what we go for. We had quite the mix of birds this year and all dual purpose breeds and for the most of them, they needed to be at least 16 weeks. Some we let go to 20 weeks and they were much better looking, meatier birds then.

one of the breeds we had was RIR


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## PD-Riverman (May 24, 2007)

Sorry, left out the "I" in the "RR" on the chicken type. They are RIR. These were given to me and there are chickens ages ranging from 3 days old to laying about 40 of them plus he has some more---mainly roosters he wants to give me. He liked hatching out eggs in the incubators, sold some, now he is getting out the chicken business. So I was thinking------take them and butcher some, but having little experience in butchering is why I ask all these questions. I have butchered many chickens when I was a young boy but the process was handled by my Mother and I just did as I was told so I do not know how she cooked it. I butchered 5 about 25 years ago, throwed them in a pot and boiled them(no pressure canner) and boiled them for hours and they were so tuff that I ended up giving them to my dog and he used them as a chewey. Dont think the dog ever did eat one of them. These are young but I just do not know the best way to process them. Thanks for your help.


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## adamtheha (Mar 14, 2007)

A rooster will start to reach it's sexual maturity at 16 weeks, so if you butcher at 14-15 weeks, you will hopefully still have a relatively tender chicken. It should be at least 4-5 lbs by then. Most of my roosters are 2.7 lbs, at 9.5 weeks. The hens you can keep them quite a bit longer before they aren't "broilers" anymore. Most dual purpose will top out at 7 lbs within 5-7 months, but I would get them before that time.


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## PD-Riverman (May 24, 2007)

Their age is the problem----I have no Idea how old they are because this guy had every age mixed. I can guess, but felt weighing them would be better, but then again not sure about that. Thanks



adamtheha said:


> A rooster will start to reach it's sexual maturity at 16 weeks, so if you butcher at 14-15 weeks, you will hopefully still have a relatively tender chicken. It should be at least 4-5 lbs by then. Most of my roosters are 2.7 lbs, at 9.5 weeks. The hens you can keep them quite a bit longer before they aren't "broilers" anymore. Most dual purpose will top out at 7 lbs within 5-7 months, but I would get them before that time.


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## BlackWillowFarm (Mar 24, 2008)

Look at the spurs on the roosters. Longer spurs means older birds. Most young roos won't have much more than a nub or a really short little spur. Some of my year old or older roos had spurs an inch long.


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