[Mustelid]

Hi there,

I live next door to an industrial poultry unit and the farmer there very kindly have me a dozen cobb meat birds at two weeks of age so that I could rear them free range. 

They were ten weeks old yesterday, and have been on mixed corn for a fortnight/three weeks to slow their rate of growth a little. 

They're all big enough to kill, so yesterday one of the larger cockerels was selected for lunch.  However... it was like eating shoe leather, the meat was as tough at the proverbial old boots!  The bird was 8lb ish dressed out and not being used to cooking such large chickens, I may have overcooked him!

I'm debating killing and dressing them all this evening, but surely they're fine for longer than ten weeks?

Is it worth keeping the hens and crossing them with another type of cockerel to produce a better all round meat bird?  Will these hens be reasonable layers?

Thanks,
Gavin.

[Sbom]

Did you leave them to hang between killing/plucking and dressing? 

[Eve]

Gavin, you've come across the same problem we had... it turned out birds need to hang (actually, resting in a rack in the fridge is just as good) for 24 hours or so before jointing it. That wasn't obvious despite lots of googling beforehand, though it seems obvious to those in the know. Whoops.


Okaaayyyy, this is not going to sound very scientific and someone may well correct me or provide you with a 'proper' explanation, but this is how I understand it:
- when a body is killed, it will go through rigor mortis
- if you kill a bird and cook it right away, it's in full blown rigor mortis when on your plate. Shoe leather stage.
- if you leave the body to rest for a day or so, rigor mortis will have passed and it'll be a nice, juice bird on your plate. Yummy stage.


Now this is the bit where I may be talking nonsense or someone will have a better explanation, but here goes:
- we do pluck / skin the birds and gut them, but we don't joint them because (drumroll for the unscientific bit) it seems that to go through rigor mortis successfully, all these muscles sort of work together. We joint the day after, before freezing / cooking.


Since the hanging / resting for a day with the jointing afterwards, we never had shoe leather chicken again.


Now if someone says that they can be jointed before resting, that'll make my hubby happy who then needs to clean the chopping board only once  But I can't imagine freezing immediately (before rigor mortis has set in) would be a good thing as how would a muscle go through rigor mortis and back to tender again when frozen?

Anyway, with your next bird, kill it the day before the meal, pluck / skin and gut it. Hold off with the jointing unless oodles of people here now contradict me on that. Then enjoy - and be very pleased the first bird wasn't your long awaited, much cherished Christmas turkey 


Good luck

[davet]

Seconding the others.  We killed + ate a bird the same day, and it was tough as anything.  Found out afterwards about the "let it rest".

[Andy McLeod]

I can back up all that has been said above. We regularly get 15-20 Ross Cobbs in from 1 day old chicks and the get slaughtered anytime between 7-10 weeks. It is important to let them rest in a fridge for 48 hrs to allow the meat to relax. We have also found that if they are cooked at a slightly lower temperature initially and then increasing in the last 20 mins or so allows the flavour to develop more and get crispy skin.

[Mustelid]

Thank you so much for the replies!  It was in the oven thirty minutes after dressing out.  Lesson learned....

[Dave C]

I kill and pluck then hang overnight, (having been fasted since the night before), gut and clean next day.
I will then still let it rest in the fridge for another day or freeze.

As for keeping the Pullets, it very difficult to keep Ross/Cobbs due to the rapid growth and weight gain, these birds are designed to be culled at 6-8 weeks, so a restricted diet is needed and as much free range as you can give them.
The Pullets will lay but most will be double yokers so not the best for breeding.
Put them to any duel purpose cockerel and you will get a healthier meaty bird.

Ross/Cobb are fast growth birds, I've had Sasso medium growth and slow growth birds which I've kept alive for over a year now and bred from.

[Charlie1234]

I Grew some cobbs for the table a while ago and at 8 weeks they were 3kg - 4 kg dressed,one was placed in the fridge overnight and tasted fantastic. The others were frozen and whenever we had one they were excellent eating.

As Dave C has stated they are meant for  processing at 6-8 weeks,at this age mine were off their feet most of the time + having problems breathing.

[farmers wife]

Ive bought cobbs at farmers markets and to be frank the meat does not impress me - it is a fast growing bird with no fat.  Ive been eating slower bred chicken recently and find it hard to chew the cheap style chicken even the smell turns me.


I am currently raising chicks for the table and the reason I have close the slower growing bird is due to the ethics and quality.


I would think about keeping hens that suit your needs and either hybrids/crosses or pures and chose whether you want layers or meat for now.  I have layers for eggs and bought eggs and incubating in machine for table birds.  I would keep it simple for now until you are more confident.


Last year I had a pigs and lambs slaughtered both had a poor texture and the lambs were practically inedible for the first time ever.  As far as I am concerned it was the fridge temp that ruined them and the killing and sudden drop in temp at the small abattoir was to blame. So follow the rules slowly and thoroughly read up on the field to folk as its a huge disappointment and cost when it goes wrong.

[harmony]

"Last year I had a pigs and lambs slaughtered both had a poor texture and the lambs were practically inedible for the first time ever.  As far as I am concerned it was the fridge temp that ruined them and the killing and sudden drop in temp at the small abattoir was to blame. So follow the rules slowly and thoroughly read up on the field to folk as its a huge disappointment and cost when it goes wrong"
[/size][/color]
[/size]That is interesting. Surely the abattoir follow the same procedure each time so unless there was a problem that/those days everyone's meat would be inedible and they wouldn't have any business left?[/color]
[/size][/color]
[/size]One of the main reasons meat is "ruined" is stress in the animal. That can be at loading, the lairage or some point between lairage and stunning.[/color]

[artscott]

As everyone has said above a couple of days hanging in the shed or fridge (depending on time of year) is good for birds up to about 6 months.  Older than that may need longer, as long as you have been careful with your hygiene you could rest/hang for up to 5 days without problems.


Another point that may help is resting after cooking (you hear it all the time from the telly chefs!).  After cooking, take the bird out of the oven, wrap in foil and leave in a warm place (back of the cooker of similar) for 30 minutes or so before serving.  It really does make a difference or all types meat.

[Charlie1234]

Another point that may help is resting after cooking (you hear it all the time from the telly chefs!).  After cooking, take the bird out of the oven, wrap in foil and leave in a warm place (back of the cooker of similar) for 30 minutes or so before serving.  It really does make a difference or all types meat.

VERY TRUE