Roasting chickens?

[hillsdown]

I have a question regarding chickens.We just bought free range roasting chickens finished on grain and they were male and females.However I assumed that the males were capons and never asked if they were.
So my question is if they weren't surgically sexed would they look different than the hens and would they taste funny or bad?

Thanks,

 

[bigbull338]

I have a question regarding chickens.We just bought free range roasting chickens finished on grain and they were male and females.However I assumed that the males were capons and never asked if they were.
So my question is if they weren't surgically sexed would they look different than the hens and would they taste funny or bad?

Thanks,

as far as i know the sex of the chickens has nothing todo with their taste.

 

[dun]

If memory serves, capons look the same as hens. But that's trying to remember back almost 60 years when we used to caponize the roosters for our own eating.

 

[hillsdown]

Thank you Dun and Big Bull.The reason I asked is that we just got them and I did one up and my parents did one up last night.The one we had was the best chicken we have tasted in years ,but my parents said theirs tasted off almost like it was fish fed.So I though maybe if the sexing wasn't done right with the capon that it might give it a "stronger/pungent" taste.

I hope mine are all just as tasty as the first because I would sure hate to have fishy chicken.

 

[Carlos D.]

We raise those big white chickens, get about 50 for our own use --we take them to the hutterite colony to get butchered --they only want to do hens because the roosters have got huge in the last ten years

 

[I luv herfrds]

Not that I am aware of. I normally roast the hens and fry the roosters.
Did you buy them already butchered or did you do it yourself?

 

[hillsdown]

We bought them from a couple that lives near us.They usually do up a couple thousand twice a year and the chickens are taken to a processing plant in northern Alberta where they are butchered inspected and bagged.This is the first time we have tried their chicken.We usually buy from the Hutterites but I would rather support local tax paying people instead.

I guess we will see when we try another bird sometime next week.

Thanks everyone.

ILH that made me giggle when you asked if they were our own as you can see from my post that i know absolutely nothing about chickens and would never even attempt to raise them myself.Some things are best left to the experts. :lol:

 

[I luv herfrds]

Alright that does it. I'm going to borrow one of those digatal cameras you can film with and film how to butcher a chicken.
Won't PETA love me? :lol:

 

[Lammie]

Alright that does it. I'm going to borrow one of those digatal cameras you can film with and film how to butcher a chicken.
Won't PETA love me? :lol:

I have been trying to get someone to do that for me! I am almost ready to try it again. Now that Steve's gone during the week, I am feeling adverturous. Think I'll butcher me a chicken or three.

 

[randiliana]

I have a question regarding chickens.We just bought free range roasting chickens finished on grain and they were male and females.However I assumed that the males were capons and never asked if they were.
So my question is if they weren't surgically sexed would they look different than the hens and would they taste funny or bad?

Thanks,

I seriously doubt that the males would have been caponized. Caponizing would have been quite a process to do for a bunch of animals that would be butchered more or less before they hit sexual maturity.

You can tell a rooster from a hen by size, so the larger birds would be the roosters and the smaller ones would likely be the hens. The taste of them should be no different, whether rooster or hen. The one that tasted bad, WAS probably bad, or perhaps it was snacking on something that the rest weren't.

 

[MistyMorning]

We buy cornish rock crosses every spring and they take from 8 to 12 weeks to finish. We buy mixed sexes and can't tell any difference between the two sexes. Have to agree with Randalina that to caponize that many birds would be too time consuming and you probably just got a bad one.

 

[hillsdown]

SO here is another question.I thought and the research I have done so far says that the males are smaller than the females as in 99% of the bird population.Is this not the case with chickens?Are the males bigger than the hens when fed out?

 

[I luv herfrds]

No.
My hens have always been bigger, but then again I butcher later then the 12 weeks. I like a bird that will feed us for at least two meals.

 

[Hunny Do Ranch]

We do about 50 broilers each summer and the males are def bigger than the females but there is no taste difference.

 

[MistyMorning]

We do about 50 broilers each summer.

I am impressed! We tried 50 one year and I thought we would go crazy cleaning all of them. We now stick to 25-30. Do you guys ever find that some years you can butcher at 10 weeks and some 12 or more and they are the same size? I usually can't stand the things by week 12! I feel like if I fell down in the coop they would eat me

Sorry to change the subject, but how are the fall colors at you guys places? The reds and oranges popped here yesterday and it is just beautiful. I think we will peak this weekend or early next week.

 

[flaboy?]

Misty, go back to sleep. :lol:

I did a dozen of those big white birds earlier this year. I think they said ready to butcher at 10-12 weeks. I butchered them at 8 weeks and the dang males were 11-12 pounds dressed and the hens were 8-10. Dang turkey size. I guess mine got too much exercise as they were a little rubbery. I did not notice any taste difference between them.

Oh, and I hate butchering chickens. I would rather butcher a hog or a deer anytime.

 

[MistyMorning]

blahboy? Leave me alone you nincompoop. Why don't you go fall off of a pony or something :lol:

 

[randiliana]

We do about 50 broilers each summer and the males are def bigger than the females but there is no taste difference.

I did 125 last year, may do it again next year. In chickens the males are bigger than the hens. So far as I have seen it doesn't matter what breed, from leghorns to broilers. You can usually tell the difference within a month of age, a little longer on the slower growing breeds.

 

[I luv herfrds]

Misty the leaves on the bushes behind the house were just a little yellow yesterday afternoon and today the bush is yellow. Changing color quickly.

My hens were always bigger then the roosters. Son thought the one roasting hen was a turkey.
Lammie talked to my friend about using her digatal and recording the butchering. Her camera's batteries do not last long. Will check with another friend. If no luck there I will ask for your address and mail you a VHS tape. Only thing we got.

 

[MistyMorning]

I did 125 last year.

You are kidding! Do you have one of those plucking machines? Do you sell them or eat all of them? I am really impressed randiliana!

ILH, I had a neighbor who had one the size you were talking about. It was huge!

Best thing about doing this nasty chore is how good the chicken tastes. Store bought isn't even close.