cockerel on the way to the oven... :-(

[hepina]

Hello there,

our almost 12 weeks old cockerel (not 8 weeks old as stated before) started to crow and it means he has to go :-( (Sorry, got my numbers wrong).

My partner is happy to do the 'killing' but I am going to be left with cleaning the bird and getting it ready for the oven. I have done it previously (loooong time ago) so would like to ask few questions:

- how soon do I need to take the feathers off? Is it straight away job or shall I wait, lets say, till morning if the bird is dispatched in the evening? I have used boiling water method previously (to submerge the bird in it).

- do I need any special washing procedure for giblets? I am thinking of neck, heart, stomach and possibly liver (if I am careful enough not to puncture the gallbladder - I know that I can contaminate the whole bird if I have a leak)

- is there anything I need to aware of / to be careful about?

- and finally - if dispatched on Friday night would be the bird ok for Sunday roast?

Thanks for your help.

 

[chrismahon]

Hi Hepina,
Sad thing, but people forget that for every hen there is a dead cockerel. At 8 weeks he will be tiny so I assume he will be kept to 6 months as stress free as possible to maximise weight. We have gone to 8 months but then the meat gets tougher and is really only for curry (Wyandottes and Orpingtons). You don't say what breed as some are better for roasting than others. Best remove the feathers immediately when he he is hanging upside down from his legs and not drippng blood all over. You can leave it a few hours but then you will find hot water helps. Wings first then neck and legs as these go cold quickly.
Remove the head and neck avoiding puncturing crop if possible when parting it from skin. Don't trim the skin too far back or you expose the breast when cooking, better too much skin than not enough. Free the windpipe from the surrounding tissue. Cut right around the vent and slit slightly upwards to breast to give enough room to get fingers around all the guts, separating them from the rib cage and then pulling them all out in one piece. You may need to cut away some fat first to achieve this. Takes a bit of practice and a very sharp knife -I used a stanley blade initially. It takes a good pull and if the wind pipe isn't free the guts will break up first so take care. Make sure there is nothing left inside. Wash the carcass out very thoroughly with cold water just in case you have damaged the inards on removal.
Forget stomach. Liver may shred as it is withdrawn. Squeeze blood out of heart. Neck as it comes.
We have found that wet feathers don't make such a mess anyway. In our experience birds left hanging overnight in the cellar with guts in will swell and stink and the meat is tainted.
We despatch first thing in the early morning so that the bird is quiet and importantly the crop is empty. Usually Saturday or Sunday morning for Sunday roast.

Hope this helps.

 

[hepina]

Great, thank you, this is what I needed

Yes, he is tiny and there will be hardly any meat on him. His crowing today was very quiet and shy. He is a cross not pure breed, a bit of White Sussex in him (Dad) and black polish cross (Mum).

I understand and accept that there is no use for cockerel in a build up area. I knew it when I put eggs under our broody but it doesn't make it any easier...

The reason he has to go is that our main cockerel (his Dad :roll: ) doesn't like him - he finds little one intimidating and crows much more than usually. And one particular neighbour of ours doesn't like any of our cockerels (neither hens but that is her problem).

We will try to keep him as long as we can to let him to gain some weight. I think we may have another one or two cockerels 'in making' so will have to repeat some time in the future.

 

[chrismahon]

Glad I could help Hepina,
We found out by trial and error really. Everyone seems to have slightly different ideas and we tried them all. Spent a lot of time trying to find the right shaped knife for the vent work. Needs to be very small with a well rounded end and razor sharp right to the end. Got one, but its not quite what I wanted.

White Sussex is a Utility breed so should be fine to roast.

You may find his dad has already asserted his authority and he should stop crowing entirely until he feels strong enough to challenge for top position. At about 8 months in our experience and then its a mess -don't go there.

Be careful about the noise. Had to rush up to Lincoln to collect a Wyandotte Cockerel and two hens after the owner was served with a 7 day noise abatement notice. We bred from the trio, initially to test fertility, and now have 17 more hens and 4 more cockerels and a freezer full of chicken for curry.