I realize this post will probably elicit a variety of reactions…
Some of you will be thrilled that I’m writing on this topic, since you have old hens or roosters that need a new “job,”
Some of you will be amused to have a post on this topic showing up in your email inbox…
And some of you will probably be horrified that I would ever consider eating one of our chickens.
So allow me to explain myself…
For us a huge part of homesteading (pretty much the #1 part, in fact) is food production. Although we are animal-lovers, the main purpose behind us having cattle, chickens, pigs, and turkeys is so we can grow as much of our own food as possible.
As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t relish killing animals I’ve “known.” It’s not my favorite part of homesteading, but as someone who has made the conscious decision to eat meat (and I am at peace with that decision 100%), I feel it is important I don’t shy away from being able to grow and process that meat ourselves.
As much as I enjoy having chickens, I don’t really consider them pets–more like partners, if you will, in our homesteading experience. And I do have heartburn over the trend over turning chickens over to animal shelters when they pass their point of usefulness.
If we are trying to follow in the footsteps of our homesteading ancestors, let’s be honest: Great-Grandma didn’t give her old hens to the animal shelter. Chickens past their prime were destined for the stew pot where Great-Grandma extracted every last bit of flavor out of the meat and bones. In my opinion, this is “waste not, want not” at its finest.
Enter Mr. Rooster
We got Mr. Rooster several years ago, and I’m glad we did. Having a rooster in our flock seemed to complete the “natural” order of things, and our hens instantly seemed more bold and content in their barnyard roamings. (Remember you don’t *have* to have a rooster in order to get eggs. It’s a purely optional thing–this post explains some of the pros and cons.)
I always kept an eye on him and his ginormous spurs (the sharp appendages on his legs) and watched him for any sign of aggression, especially around the kids. He only offered to challenge me once, but after a little “discussion,” we sorted that out, and he respected me from that point forward.
So, I was shocked when he attacked Prairie Boy, unprovoked, several weeks ago.I heard Prairie Boy whimper, and turned around just in time to witness the second round of Mr. Rooster spurring him and knocking him to the ground. Thankfully, he attacked from behind, and only made contact with the back of his head. There was gushing blood, but no deep wounds.
It scared me to death to realize that the spur marks were at the exact same level as Prairie Boy’s eyes… If he had attacked him from the front, instead of the back, it could have been much more severe.
I realize there is inherent risk anytime you have animals around children, and I accept that. However, we can’t keep animals who are purposely attacking the kiddos, so it was decided Mr. Rooster had to go (that and he was starting to terrorize the hens a bit…).
Giving him away wasn’t an option: no one wants a four-year old rooster that attacks kids… And the thought of tossing the carcass in the trash seemed horribly wasteful to me. So even though I knew the meat would be tough, I was bound and determined to put it to use in *some* way. Plus, I had heard promises of older chickens offering greater depth of flavor to stews and stocks, so I was eager to test the theory for myself.
The Process
Mr. Rooster’s end was swift and rather anti-climatic. After dispatching him and draining the blood, we dipped him in a pot of scalding water, which made the plucking process a breeze, and then proceed to gut and clean the carcass.
Here’s my tutorial on how to butcher chickens (both pictures and a video!).
The Prairie Kids hung out while we did the deed, and they took it all in stride. We explained the process while we worked, and Prairie Girl (4 years old) asked a few questions about the feathers and the blood, and then lost interest and went off to play. It’s important to me that they understand the gravity of killing an animal, and not be “grossed-out” by it, which is why I want them to experience it now instead of hiding it from them until they are older.
So there I was… Holding a scrawny, tough old rooster carcass… And bound and determined that it was going in the pot.
The key with any cut of tough meat is long, slow, and moist cooking. Although older birds are not ideal for roasting or frying, they make fabulous soups and stocks.
How to Cook an Old Chicken
You will need:
- 1 whole rooster or stewing hen, plucked & gutted
- Water (to cover the bird)
- Herbs of your choice (sage, rosemary, thyme, etc) fresh or dried
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt/pepper to taste (I use this salt.)
- More herbs, seasonings, and your choice of veggies (onions, garlic, carrots, celery) to make stock (if desired)
Cover the bird loosely (I used wax paper to allow the carcass to breathe–avoid plastic wrap) and place in the fridge to age for 4-7 days. This is a crucial step for an old bird, as the extended aging process allows the muscle fibers to relax and tenderize. Don’t skip it!
After the aging process, place the bird in a large stock pot and cover it with water. Season if you like (I tossed in some salt, pepper, rosemary, parsley, and an onion for good measure) and cover. Simmer for 6-12 hours.
Remove the bird from the pot and allow it to cool so you can handle it comfortably. Remove all of the meat from the bones.
(I sampled the meat as I cut it up– although there were a few strips of dark meat that were extra rubbery (I gave those pieces to the dogs), most of it was surprisingly tender!)
At this point, you can set the bones aside (we’ll be using them to make chicken stock), and toss the meat back into the broth to make chicken soup. (Just add the vegetables of your choice, noodles, and seasonings to taste, removing the bay leaves before you serve it. I don’t have an *exact* chicken soup recipe, since it’s different every time I serve it.
For this particular project, I decided to can my chicken soup for later, since it’s too darn hot to eat soup right now. (I followed the directions in the Ball Blue Book and used my pressure canner).
Now you’ll be left with a pile of bones. Throw them back in a pot with a few more veggies and herbs (to impart flavor), and boil them long and slow (I shoot for 12-24 hours) to make mouth-watering chicken stock. This post has detailed directions on making the stock, and also instructions if you want to can it (although you don’t have to–it freezes well too).
And there you have it–you’ve just turned a tough old bird into flavorful soup and stock that will be a welcome sight at the supper table come winter.
Cooking up Mr. Rooster was a long process, but thankfully, it wasn’t very labor intensive. I’m glad I did it, too– nothing went to waste, and I was able to add several jars of homemade chicken soup and flavorful, nutritious broth to my larder for later this year. Mission accomplished!
PrintHow to Cook an Old Rooster (or Hen!)
Ingredients
- 1 whole rooster or stewing hen, plucked & gutted
- Water (to cover the bird)
- Herbs of your choice (sage, rosemary, thyme, etc) fresh or dried
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt/pepper to taste (I like this salt)
- More herbs, seasonings, and your choice of veggies (onions, garlic, carrots, celery) to make stock (if desired)
Instructions
- Cover the bird loosely (I used wax paper to allow the carcass to breathe–avoid plastic wrap) and place in the fridge to age for 4-7 days. This is a crucial step for an old bird, as the extended aging process allows the muscle fibers to relax and tenderize. Don’t skip it!
- After the aging process, place the bird in a large stock pot and cover it with water. Season if you like (I tossed in some salt, pepper, rosemary, parsley, and an onion for good measure) and cover. Simmer for 6-12 hours.
- Remove the bird from the pot and allow it to cool so you can handle it comfortably. Remove all of the meat from the bones.
- At this point, you can set the bones aside (we’ll be using them to make chicken stock), and toss the meat back into the broth to make chicken soup. (Just add the vegetables of your choice, noodles, and seasonings to taste, removing the bay leaves before you serve it. I don’t have an *exact* chicken soup recipe, since it’s different every time I serve it.
I love posts like this because you are right – this is the way it has been done for much longer than our current ways of purchasing chicken from the grocery store. While we do love our chickens and do our best to care for them, there will come a time when they will be dinner. It’s all about self-sufficiency. Thanks for the post!
You and the others’ postings on this website have a healthy approach to raising animals for food. You respect the animals and care well for them during their lives. Life, however, comes to an end for all. Butchering and consuming chickens does not mean that they are not being honoured. In fact, their end can be viewed as providing sustenance for others to continue on. Sounds cheesy, but that is what meant by the circle of life. Too bad the same can’t be said for humans at their life’s end.
Oofdah, settle down Dahmer.
So I’ve been helping a friend butcher roosters/hens. He gave me a 3+ yo rooster, which is what brings me to your page. He also gave me quite a few feet and necks to make into stock along with the rooster. Two questions… one… are you wrapping the rooster in wax paper or just laying it across the top of him? Next, the feet and necks are from young birds. Will they be okay refrigerated for 4-5 days while I wait on the old guy? I’d rather do it all together.
Carla,
I’m confused. Do you put the chicken in the fridge with water or just wrapped with wax paper and after 4-7 days you put it in the pot with water and herbs?
Thank you,
Glenda
I had the same question. I think you put in the water AFTER you age in fridge
You age the chicken first. Then use the water to cook the soup. Then with leftover bones and chicken feet (if you have them) you can make bone broth.
…. It saddened me that someone like you had to explain why you do the things you do, when to the rest of the civilized world, its the norm.
I actually love the tough meat on an old chicken. And pressure cooking does help to cut a lot of time.
Thanks for the recipe ?
after they start attacking the only thing to do is put them in the pot. you did a great job of turning him into a couple of meals. cooked slow older birds are great and very tasty.
I am so happy to know you dispatched of Mr. Rooster. Poor Prairie Boy! I had no idea people gave their chickens to animal shelters. I must be behind the times. We have always named everything, cows, chickens, rabbits. But everyone also knows when it is time, that animal will be butchered. We are raising our food. No explanations necessary.
Ok ? to Naming, Honoring, and Consuming domesticated animals (wild animals too, but they usually don’t get names). I grew up with 300 chickens, dozens of bovine and swine, etc., so this cycle was well practiced. I’m recalling a scene at the Home Place during my college years. Noontime meal with my Mother and little brother. We were enjoying “Swiss Steak,” of home grown, young adult, beef. We were remarking on how delicious. Someone said, “As much as I like Shadrach here, he’s not quite as tender as Shorty was last year.” With a nod to Carla (‘too bad we can’t recycle people in the same way’), the past their prime animal friends here were “dispatched” as senior senior citizens, not simmered in the pot when they expired. ??
Tomorrow we will butcher (… uh… dispatch, I guess…?) a few of our birds. One is a rooster. Thanks for this article. I’ve never dispatched a rooster before, and this is good info.
It’s sad that any explanation is needed, as to why one wouldn’t throw a bird in the garbage, or adopt it out to a shelter. I’m amazed that that’s even a thing!
I appreciate this article, and I’m glad Prairie Boy is doing well.
I agree with everyone above, great call on the rooster!
Thanks for the post! We are thoughtfully considering adding chickens to our family’s food production, which at the moment consists of the garden variety. I’d love to have the eggs, but knowing what to do with the hens when they stop laying has given me pause. I’ve heard they aren’t very good to eat, so this helps tremendously! (One more point in the “get chickens” category!) 🙂
We have had to butcher mean roosters many times and I have found if I age them like you did for a few days and then the day before I roast them I inject them with apple juice they are normally tender. I always roast old birds first and then simmer their bones for broth. I have found the broth is richer if the bird is roasted first. Thanks Jill for the great post!
Oh my goodness, you guys are making me hungry! Love the apple juice idea!
Great to roast, then simmer for soup/stock. But/and, “Old Hen,” simmered, drained, and courtly ground, with Saltines, etc., plus mayo and seasoning, makes fantastic “Pressed Chicken” sandwich filler ?. Younger chicken, prepared similarly, makes for pasty, suitable for Babyfood.
Does aging old hens/roosters work if they have been skinned or does it work better for plucked birds. Thanks!
From a 69 year old homesteader, the only addition to the pot that I would make is about a half or more cup of wine, which does an awesome job tenderizing ANY meat, whether you stew it or bake it!!
We soak our old girls overnight in the wine and then cook it with fresh wine. We learned that trick from a lady that raised sheep. She used cheap red wine. It made the chicken a funny purple color so next time we will try white wine instead. It made a great difference in taste and texture.
Query, do you soak the bird in wine in the fridge or is it safe to soak it in wine at room temperature for 24-48 hours?
Actually, the odd colour is correct if you follow traditional French recipes, such as Coq au Vin. But if you do decide to make a gourmet dinner from your old chicken, just be aware that you need to cook for much longer than most recipes say. As Jill said, long prep times and long cooking times are the answer.
So, while I use Julia Childs recipe, I increase the cooking times as Jill does. Yesterday we dispatched two of our oldest ladies. Two beautiful, healthy Plymouth Rocks who served us well and have had a three year retirement. But they had started bullying the younger hens and disrupting laying.
I am posting the entire process, minus the dispatch, on my Facebook page if anyone wants to follow it (assuming Jill is happy for me to post a link, or alternatively I can post here, but it could be lengthy). Jill please let me know if you are happy for me to post either of these options.
I am excited that my lovely girls are not being wasted.
Can you forward to my e mail how too kill and cook so I can print please? Thank you so much. 44puplove44@gmail.com
Can this be done in a crock pot?
Your suggestion of wine is the old method called coq au vin. Works wonders on an oldie.
Excellent suggestion Gloria!
Hi to all. I follow the prairiehomestead.com for years. I want to share with you a tip of my roasting our traditional Christmas turkey. For years I have a bucket with lid that holds a big bird. I get the frozen bird at the store. Thaw it in the fridge or start at room temp; takes a while, more than 24 hrs. Then submerge it in the bucket in the cheapest white wine available, for 24 hrs. turning it at least once so the wine does it job. Prepare your own favorite dressing rubbing it inside and out side. Slow roast covered. Inyect juices. Follow roasting directions on the label.
Thank you for this post! We have yet to butcher any old hens but I am keeping this post marked to remember how to stew. I will make sure to purchase dual purpose birds when we order chicks. No roos for us!
Thank you for this post! We have about 5-6 older hens that will need to be butchered soon. They had stopped laying last fall and I was just about to set up for the butchering and low and behold they all started laying again! It was way too funny! I do know that soon they will be needing a new job and I will need the room. This post was excellent for me as I had no idea how to make an older hen tender! I appreciate the comments too–I will take the suggestions for wine and so forth into consideration when the time comes for the hens to go. As for your rooster, we had one like that — he didn’t like being in the cooped up one bad winter and attacked me one morning! Thankfully I was fully covered in my coveralls and winter coat. Needless to say he didn’t crow the next morning. Homesteading is wonderful but not always fun when it comes to doing what is best for older animals. Thank you so much for providing timely information!
That’s terrible that people raise these animals, but put them in an animal shelter, where they’ll most likely be euthanized than adopted. As sad as “dispatching” animals is, at least raising them as food gives them purpose and a swift end. Good for you for teaching your children skills that they’ll be able to use as adults.
I have a local butcher who will “dispatch” for me at a fair price. I’m having 6 done tomorrow (first time for non-broilers to me), and I wanted to ask how to freeze them. Do I need to age, cook, etc first or just age, or can I age them after freezing?
We got 6 chicks this year to increase our flock by a few – and ended up with one dying from an aggressive hen attack (the only female!!!) and 5 roosters. Needless to say, that’s way too many roosters, so we let them grow from March to July and butchered 3. Hubs feels like a professional now that he got through 3 of them (he hunts, but chicken buthering is new to him). We are going to try to rehome 1, and we are keeping the other because he is very mild mannered and his huge comb reminds me of Elvis lol. Some of our friends were shocked that we could kill animals that we had raised from peeps, but they don’t understand that factory farmed chickens live sad, unhappy lives. While the roosters were destined to be a meal, they still lived happy lives where they were well fed, sheltered, and able to roam our 1 1/4 acre yard for bugs and grasses. Sometimes you have to get yor hands dirty to truly appreciate food. It doesn’t magically appear in the store under plastic wrap. Thank you for sharing this post!
Our kids all are very aware of where their food comes from – they usually watch when we cull a rooster. In our experience, we only have roosters for about a year or so before they try attacking a child, and at that point, the rooster is dinner. I haven’t had any hens live long enough to need to cull them, but a friend is going to be giving us some old hens for culling soon. My kids are so excited because they know this means chicken and dumplings!
Hi, thanks for the post, I have a whole bunch of roosters I need to cull, so your post is very timely. What do you recommend if I want to freeze the whole bird first? Do I still age in the fridge for a few days and then freeze. I have about ten plus to do, so do not want to make the stock straight away. They are not old roosters, but ones that came with my unsexed chick order, this will be my first time processing chickens. Thanks, Lisa
Young roosters can be frozen and cooked like any other chicken, it’s just the old ones that are tough and chewy like rubber bands *L*
If they are young birds, I think you’ll be fine skipping the aging process. 🙂
To Lisa who asked about the order of aging and freezing. Always clean thoroughly and age first. It’s the enzymes in the meat that break down the toughness and make it more tender. After freezing, they don’t work anymore. You still need to keep the meat cool enough to prevent bacterial decay while you’re aging it. I raise sheep for lamb meat. Our processor ages the carcasses 7 days at 42 degrees before he cuts them into chops, roasts, etc… When we harvest a deer, we have a walk-in cooler room and age 21 days before skinning and butchering. The result is much more tender than without aging. I have found with wild geese, aging for 3 days before plucking makes it easier to get the feathers out, too.
Recently had a similar scenerio. Cooked the young rooster like you would a normal hen. It was horrible! Tough with a horrid taste. My son lierally got sick after eating it! Next time i will age it & follow receipes above.
This post is really useful!
Thank you!
I did not know the tip of the 4 days in the fridge and I’ve just read the comments and I’m very intrigued with the wine thing!
I have 3 old rooster in my freezer..will give it a try with your advice next time!
Thanks again and … animal shelter for old birds?? Really??
Can’t believe that..nothing like that here in Italy….for now. But I am sure we are very near to that… people often look at us in a weird way when we say we raise our animals for food….well..!
Friends of ours had a rooster that attacked numerous times and they spoke of butchering him. They didn’t. It attacked my husband and he clocked it upside the head. We thought he killed it, but it was up and running the next day. I guess they finally did kill the rooster, but for me – I didn’t trust it and I would put an animal down when it becomes a threat.
Our original rooster, Colonel Sanders, had a son Dom Deluise. The son decided it was time to usurp the commander and attacked. It left Sanders dazed, but he recovered only to be attacked again the next night. We killed Dom because it wasn’t the right time of day to be butchering, but Sanders died overnight. His other son, Sanderson, has become the new stud on the block. He has the same gentle protective manner his father does and I hope he doesn’t make the wrong move of attacking.
Oh well done!!!!! Your rooster sounds like he turned out delish!!!! :). Got to love home canned chicken soup, too. Won’t it be fun to have some homemade soup some cold, blustery day and remember your cranky rooster, lol!!!!??! Are you guys getting lots rain right now? We are getting dumped on……
Yes! We had some awesome rain earlier this week–love it!
That sounds good but I have another way. After the bird is cleaned place in an empty crock pot, add nothing and cook on low for 12-24 hours. I have done this with banty yardbirds as well as big roosters that have gotten aggressive. The bird comes out juicy, fork tender and golden.
Terrific post! We do the same with our old birds, except I soak them in brine for a day after the 3-5 day aging process. My birds are tender and juicy and very flavorful!
Oh my– I need to try that too–yummo!
Please can you give the proportions for the brine? And also, does it need rinsing afterwards, or does it taste salty?
This is a very interesting post! I learned something about roosters today! Has anyone cooked the hens in a pressure cooker? I use mine for chicken parts and get the best broth and most of it is jell after it has set 2 days in the frig. The broth tastes better than when I used to cook it for some hours, and is much darker. I use the chicken meat and added carrots, onions etc. to make chicken pot pies.
Sounds amazing Melanee!
Roosters!
I’m really sorry about your son getting hurt. That’s a scary moment for you two.
Ah, roosters. I have one that has gotten a stay of execution because I haven’t set aside the time to process him. It’s just me going into the pen, though. If I had little ones, it would’ve been off with his head the first time he gave anybody the stink eye. Thanks for the heads up on aging them in the frig. Makes sense. We age the other meat we get, I believe to tenderize it, so why not chicken?
Glad your son is ok. I’ll bet he loved eating Mr. Rooster, after getting clobbered by him.
~~Lori
Thank you for another amazing post. I think that in general your readers can handle it. Many of us are homesteaders too. My roo was getting very aggressive when the coyote came along and took him away. I’ve never been so grateful for a coyote attack! But my hens are getting older and I wasn’t quite sure how to approach the situation. Thank you! And good for you for doing it and sharing it with the kids. Kids need to understand where our food comes from to appreciate and respect it. I think if I had of grown up more familiar with the process it would be so much easier for me now.
This post is helpful in so much as I will also be breaking my proverbial rooster-butchering-cherry soon. I have 8 of them, one was purchased on purpose, the others were/are surprises and I am keeping 2 or 3, but that means I have to decide which ones to butcher out etc. and either way I’ll end up with a lot of chicken stock.
My husband does not like it when mom & I can food, says it looks gross in the jars and is threatening to paint all my canning jars black, but with the amount of chicken stock etc. I’ll end up with, I don’t have enough freezer room so I will HAVE to can some of it.
LOL, the mental picture of black, painted jars made me giggle a bit– but hey, whatever works! 😉
My very French answer is coq au vin, that what you do with a old roster.
Cut the chicken in 8 ,bake a fews piece of bacon,fried the chicken piece in the rendered bacon fat,add a chop onion or 2 .pour a bootle of red wine over it ,add salt and peper,a few twig of Tyme and let it cook on a low heat for 4/5 hours.
Other options is almost the same but very different flavor.bake the chickens piece in butter,bake till golden ,add a small can of silver onions without the brine,pour a liter of hard cider,2 table spoon of Apple cider,salt and peper,cook on low for 4 hour.cup up 4 apple ,bake them in buter until golden,add 2 spoon of surgar and add the caramelize apple to the chicken pot,cook for half a hour more.
YUM!
I was amazed that it wasn’t until the last comment someone mentioned Coq Au Vin, which is exactly what you want to make with an old rooster! That recipe was specifically created for old roosters, and it is to die for! But if you are going to make coq au vin, please follow a traditional recipe, which means it is not a one day process, but at least two…… nom nom……….
Yes, I saw many mentions of coq au vin in my research, I’m definitely going to try that next time around!
Jill, after living in France I learned the French are totally dedicated to fine food, and fast food has no place in the traditional kitchen. But Julia Childs translated traditional recipes into more practical ones for those of us wanting a traditional result, but with a bit less work.
Her Coq au Vin recipe is brilliant, I adapt it a bit because it is how I was taught in France. The first thing, I think an earlier post mentions, is to marinate in wine overnight. And the second, I mentioned earlier, is to follow your advice for a longer cooking time.
It is delicious!
I think you did the right thing butchering the rooster. Some roosters can be good additions to the flock but one that is aggressive has no business being around people.
We have always used older birds as raw dog food, but I think next time I will try making soup. 🙂
It’s so funny but my dogs refuse to eat any of the roosters we’ve dispatched. I’ve tried to feed them all sorts of stuff and they just sniff at it and basically tell me where to shove it ? I don’t know what the deal is. Maybe they know it’s their friends who hang in the backyard and think they’re gonna get in trouble? Lol
Creepy.
Great article! You are right on, Jill. It is always easier to dispatch those roosters when they are bullying the hens or attacking the kids. I used to skin them if I had a few to do at a time-it saves time and if I was only going to stew them, the skin was not essential. I could get a rooster from walking around to chillin’ in the fridge in under 30 minutes. =) P.S. Do try Coq Au Vin-it is delicious.
Coq Au Vin is definitely on my to-try list!!
I have never butchered chickens before and currently have several that aren’t laying. So this post came at a good time! What size pot did you use to scald them? This may be a silly question but if I was to butcher more than one chicken at a time – how would I do it? Freeze them and cook them at another time or buy a big enough pot to cook more than one chicken at a time…. Thanks for any tips you can share.
We used one of those turkey fryer pots with a propane burner. If you are butchering young birds, you shouldn’t need to age them– they can go right in the freezer.
We often just skin our older birds to save the time of boiling water and plucking. Takes just a minute to get the skin off. Doesn’t make much difference if you are just going to put them in the stew pot anyway. A necessary part of homesteading, but not very fun. I’d be happy to guest post a tutorial on butchering/killing if you’d like.
I’d love it if you’d do a tutorial on butchering! Especially if you have pics to go along with it. 🙂 If you are interested, send me an email at jill(at)theprairiehomestead(dot)com
Glad you child wasn’t harmed. I would have killed the SOB on the spot with my bare hands.
You made a good point about allowing the meat to rest in the fridge for a couple of days. Sometimes people are in too big of a hurry to cook a freshly butchered hen or rooster. The meat really does need to rest.
I’ve had good luck pressure cooking old roosters. I cut up the bird, and place in the pressure cooker with salt, black pepper, dash of red pepper, onion, garlic, celery and about 1- 1 1/2 cups of water. I cook at 15lbs. of pressure for 35 – 40 minutes. After cooking time is up I remove the bird to a platter to cool and make a milk gravy from the broth in the cooker. Pick the meat from the bones and return to the gravy. Serve with homemade noodles or fresh biscuits. It’s some pretty good eating 🙂
Awesome– thanks for the pressure cooker tips–I want to try that next time!
That sounds good Granny Miller. Will have to try that. We have processed several birds young and old. I can’t see letting them go to waste. Its part of life where we live 🙂 Thanks for the post.
I so appreciated this posting. When I was young my GrandMother did this very procedure and Wow did I learn a good thing. My Mother would clean & cook the birds. I took this into adulthood w/me and cherished all this knowledge. Had my own small farm, family and was so happy to be able to rem. how to take care of my family. Oh my the things our families can teach us. Now with that being said I did not know how to tenderize an old bird. . Thank you so much for this info! This was an awesome posting… You done a great job !! Pat yourself on the back my Dear!
why thank you! 😉
Oh dear. I must confess that as a wanna be homesteader, all these recipes in the comments make me hope rather longingly of one day accidently getting my own rooster 🙂
Our 1 yr old rooster surprised me by attacking a couple days ago. His stay of execution is until my husband’s next day off! Thanks for a great post – I have some great and delicious plans for this roo now!
I remember my grandmother dispatching chickens on their farm. She would catch one by the neck, whirl it around over her head until the body flew away. The chicken would land on the ground and continue running around headless for several minutes. It was both horrifying and facinating to an 8 yr old
Oh wow! Yeah, I’m not that talented… We just used an axe. 🙂
But don’t forget to put 2 nails in the top of a stump (or something) that the neck will just fit into to hold it in place. I tried chopping off a chicken head once without that help. Poor thing! Just kept jerking it’s head every time I swung until I accidentally cut off it’s beak. NEVER again! I need all the help I can get, and so does the chicken, even if it is execution time. I tried “wringing” a chicken’s neck once, like Gramma said to do, with disastrous results–just wasn’t strong enough to do the job quickly and finally. The things we learn by sad experience!
Don’t forget to put a couple nails in a stump (or whatever) just far enough apart to hold the chicken head in place while you stretch out the neck. I tried to chop off a chicken’s head once without that aid. Oh, my. Poor thing! It kept jerking it’s head every time I took a swing until finally I cut it’s beak half off. NEVER again! I also tried “wringing” a chicken’s neck once with disastrous results. Only made the chicken dizzy, as I just wasn’t strong enough to get the job done. Thing things we learn by accident!
I’ve made a pretty good chicken pot pie from an old hen before!
What about frying them… we have tried and I finally got the breasts tender from boiling them first but the legs and thighs were still like rubber … Our grandmothers made the best fried chicken from their farm raised flock and for the life of us we cant remember how… Any suggestions..
A while ago we had a very handsome but mean Buff Brahma rooster named Jingle who made the mistake of attacking my wife. She screamed bloody murder and I booked it from the other side of the farm. Wife was unharmed, but Señor Rooster had his neck wrung on the spot. We had a very tasty rooster soup that night.
We also have an elderly hen who is mean as can be, but I can’t bring myself to butcher her – she is so old and nasty the thought just makes me queazy.
I love all of the comments, some art among the homesteaders, and the cooks are just so funny, wringing my tears out of eyes. I am just new to the idea, of cooking the roosters, young or old, in my childhood, I had the chickens and turkeys, gees in house prepped and dressed, but we had no refrigerators, so what was cooked went on the table till it was finished, breakfast lunch and dinner… I thought that was too much at times, when a turkey was a sizeable bird, but this is the way it was. Now, I just got three roosters, and one became nasty, and rude so the decision was made by the authority!…has to go, for the sake of others.. Well, it is quiet now. I the only man walking in boots, had to deal with it. I took my knife and forced the head on the stamp chopping wood, and …you know, the blood was drained, till the shaking was gone. I held the bird between my knees, and then to the kitchen, where from the lack of big enough pot, I just poured the boiling water under the feathers of the bird. It made the plucking so easy, and not messy at all, the feathers went into the composting bucket, with all intestine, but carefully removed before discarding, the stomach, liver(!!! Careful with the green looking bag), and heart. I did cook for 6 hours that first half, before it started accepting the fork!… What a experience!..smell delicious, but waiting!…I cook on the top of my wood stove, so lowering temperature is not an option, but will put the pot on some crate next half for sure… I will too try the wine, for that other way of cooking… Ihad fantastic time reading all the posts, comments, seems like there are quite a few of us turning the old things new again!… Dear Jill, thank you for starting this conversation!.. That was very useful experience, as I live about 50 km away from community, but have satelite for communication, or education.
Coq Au Vin, Or, The Magic The French Use To Coax The Most Inedible Meat Possible Into Something Delicious
December 16, 2012
When we butchered our old laying hens a couple of weeks ago, we also butchered about six roosters who had been living among the hens, fertilizing eggs and maintaining the pecking order, as it were. We butchered them last. We should have done them first when our energy was freshest. Roosters are some tough mothas! Their skin is tough to cut, requiring constant re-honing of the knives, and their cavities are impossible to open up: it took the full-strength of both my arms to pull them open enough to remove their innards. You can actually see the striations in the bands of muscle tissue, the thought of which made my jaws clench in fear of excessive mastication and the need for dental floss. To look at an old rooster carcass, one imagines a meat that has more in common with rubber bands than with actual food.
Thinking of cooking these roosters, I remembered that Chef Linton Hopkins gave a fantastic talk at the Georgia Organics conference a few years ago: he discussed the merits of the “lesser” cuts of beef, such as tongue and heart. He suggested that when cooking these meats, one has to consider what that part of the animal did in life and prepare it using the complementary characteristics. A tongue or a heart is constantly in motion, working ceaselessly chewing cud, ripping out grass, or pumping blood day and night. Thus, these cuts need a lot of long, slow cooking at a low temperature. A tenderloin, on the other hand, is a muscle that is barely used, thus it is soft and needs only the shortest amount of cooking at a very high temperature.
A chicken is no different, only, instead of specific parts, the whole body is what we are concerned with. A young chicken, hen or rooster, has not had the chance to work its muscles for very long, and so, the meat is very tender. This is why most roasting birds are slaughtered at or before 12 weeks of age. Industrially-produced chickens are butchered even sooner (and at a much higher body weight due to inhumane breeding practices and concentrate feeds laced with growth hormone).
An old farm hen or rooster, though, has lived several years: pecking, scratching, fighting, roosting, nesting. Roosters are especially active. They have to service a lot of hens, provide them with protection from other roosters and predators (yes, a rooster can fight off a hawk or a raccoon if inclined), and maintain the social order of the flock through engaging in and breaking-up fights. They are big, muscly, and tough in life, and so they are also in death.
So, how do you cook a cock? Coq au Vin, of course! This dish is quintessential French peasant food. It is designed, through long, slow cooking in wine (which is highly acidic and thereby breaks down muscle tissue) to turn an otherwise inedible rooster into something that is, frankly, succulent. It is a food borne out of the frugality of farm life. While old roosters and hens in our modern food system are sold as dog food, or processed into thin, salty canned soups, or are otherwise lost to the industrial food machine, a small farm or farm hobbyist can access a traditional staple of French cuisine that just isn’t the same when you use a store-bought fryer.
In fact, when researching to find a good recipe to work from for coq au vin, I could not find one that gave instructions for actually using a “coq.” They all called for a regular fryer or pieces of a fryer. As if in lament for the lack of availability of roosters, Lynne Rosetto Kasper titles her recipe for coq au vin, “Coq au Vin Nouveau!” Gentle readers, this is not coq au vin. In fact, it is everything coq au vin is not: it has a short cooking time and relies on modern conveniences such as “canned, low-sodium chicken broth”, “skinless chicken thighs,” and bizarrely, “white wine.” Nouveau indeed!
I eventually found a recipe over at the Smitten Kitchen based off of the classic Julia Child recipe. It still called for a regular fryer, but the elements were all there: a whole bird, cut into pieces, browned with lardons, stewed in Cognac and good red wine, the sauce finished with a buerre manie, and served with browned mushrooms and caramelized pearl onions.
There, doesn’t that sound better? I thought so.
I was finally able to find a recipe that actually called for a “coq” or “cockerel” in my trusty Larousse Gastronomique, which connected up with what I found at the Smitten Kitchen, only it called for a longer cooking time and to thicken the sauce not only with the buerre maine, but with the cockerel’s’s blood as well. I wish I had saved some!
And so, I present to you, the coq au vin that I made with a couple of old roosters in the traditional mode:
A note on ingredients: I used old roosters, but old stew hens will also work well for this. Use a young chicken or hen only if you can’t find old birds. Or better yet, make a different dish suited to a more tender meat!
Please also, do not feel constrained to use the standard button mushrooms for this. I used some fantastic oyster mushrooms from our fellow farmer, Michael over at Indian Ridge Farm, who has the most amazing, large, and beautiful mushrooms I have ever seen. Many recipes call for morels (which are expensive and hard to find), but I say this is one area where you should really play with what is locally and seasonally available: chanterelles, shiitake, hen of the woods, oyster, etc. Just remember, whatever mushrooms you use, fry them in batches with lots of space between them, otherwise they won’t brown.
Equipment:
A heavy, 10-inch, fireproof casserole such as cast iron or enamelware (DO NOT use nonstick), long matches, a fine, mesh strainer, parchment paper
Ingredients:
6-ounces bacon, cut into lardons
4 tablespoons butter
2 old roosters, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup Cognac, Armanac, or strong Brandy
6 cups (about 1.5 bottles) young, full-bodied, French red wine such as Burgundy, Beaujolais, or Cotes du Rhone
2 cups brown chicken stock or beef stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 cloves mashed garlic
1 teaspoon thyme
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper
For the buerre maine:
6 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 to 1 pound caramelized pearl onions
1 pound sautéed mushrooms (see note above)
Method:
In your large, flame-proof casserole, melt butter until it is hot and foaming. Add the lardons and fry slowly until browned and crisp. Set aside the lardons, but leave the hot fat in the pan. Season the rooster pieces with salt and pepper, then gently brown, letting any bits of fat and skin turn golden and slightly crisp on the edges. Pour in the Cognac and carefully light it. When the flames die down, add the wine, tomato paste, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves. Let simmer for a few minutes. Then, cover tightly with a layer of parchment paper and foil or oven-proof lid. Place in a 200 degree oven and braise for 3-4 hours (longer if you have time). After the braise is complete, remove the bits of chicken. They should be falling off the bone. Filter the juices through a fine strainer and refrigerate for a few hours, or overnight.
Meanwhile, make the buerre maine by kneading the flour and soft butter together until you have a homogeneous paste. Set aside.
Remove the layer of fat from the refrigerated sauce and heat. Whisk in your buerre maine until everything has dissolved. Reduce the sauce by about 15% , it should coat the back of a spoon nicely. Adjust seasoning.
Add the chicken back to the sauce. At this point, you can refrigerate your coq au vin for a few days before serving, if you wish.
For the accompanying mushrooms and onions (taken directly from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking):
What a wonderful piece of cookery writing… Ovr here in Europe most of us imagine that you only eat fast food and in the car over there, so I was thrilled to read your post. We live and farm in Spain and kill and cook our own chooks, roosters and sheep. Of course nobody does it like the French, but it looks like you have got pretty good at it over on the west side of the pond. Many thanks
Chris Stewart
After having had several failed attempts at cooking several old hens I really appreciate such a great detailed recipe! Thanks so much!
My 2.5 year old ladies were put in the freezer following butchering. They have been in there for a month or so. Do I need to thaw them out and age them yet, or does the freezing help in this process?
Freezing can help age them a bit, but it probably wouldn’t hurt to let them age a day or two after they thaw. Good info in this article: https://livestockconservancy.org/images/uploads/docs/cookingwheritagechicken.pdf
Thank you so much for sharing ! Great info !
I just had an old rooster attack me for the last time. I looked this up after I had him in the stew pot, so I didn’t age him in the frig. I hope it will still turn out ok. Maybe I’ll just simmer longer. I have made coq au vin with store bought chicken and it was delicious. I didn’t have time to use that recipe with the rooster. I’ll try it next time.
I bet you’ll still be ok!
Our oldest rooster, not quite a year old, just met his demise yesterday. We had been discussing the need to butcher him since he attacked our son in December. Normally he doesn’t go in with the chickens, but since I was gone on a trip things were different. My husband doesn’t have the heart to kill things if he doesn’t have to, so Spazzy stayed on. I got to deal with him upon my return, but life was just so busy I left him alive with the girls. We “managed” him by chasing him all over the yard whenever he’d give us the stink eye or actually fly at us, and he’d leave us be for a few days. Well, he attacked for the last time, so we rounded him up and put him in a small cage overnight until we were ready to tackle it. I ended up doing the killing, and yes, his skin was tough! My knives aren’t super sharp anyway, but I’m pretty sure they would have been fine on a younger bird.
I knew to let him sit, so he spent yesterday in the fridge, but just double-bagged, not in water. Today I made a brine, but didn’t get him into it until noon, so not long enough for dinner. I think I’m going to leave him in it for another day or two after reading through this post and comments!
I have a feeling it will be me doing all the butchering, though hopefully I can convince my man to do the goat when he’s old enough.
I caught my 3yr old rooster eyeing a fight with the pit mix dog (90lb) today. His son Jr will most likely be the new leader of the flock. Grandpa was a jerk. Spurred my wife’s leg. She said it was ok. But shed no tear when a raccoon took him. She did miss the hens taken.
Slow cook the old ones. Make Tamales! It’s a history and kitchen experiment. They freeze well.
I gotta tell ya’…I came here to see what to do about stinky rooster meat, and had a lovely read, instead. So glad you are posting about your real life. 🙂
And, there is this cute little happening that happened here, recently. My granddaughter was noticing chicken trucks going by empty and returning full of xchickens.
She asked and got a fair answer about them going to become meat. She then reasoned, “They are saying, ‘Bawk, bawk, please don’t let me be died! Bawk, bawk, please don’t let me be died!'”
We’ve all laughed about a lot of non-pc things, lately, but are letting her get her 2cents in, too. She’ll learn. She loves McNuggets! 😀
Jill, I have a question. We are planning to kill (for food) 4 of our laying hens. Should we keep them loosely covered in the refrigerator for a few days before we pack them to freeze?
I noticed one person commented that rather than scald and pluck their chicken, they skinned it. It sounds easier, but I wonder why more people wouldn’t do that if it’s neither here nor there. Is there a reason that this isn’t the norm? I’m asking because we are in the process of getting ready to undergo this whole task for the first time with our rude rooster and my husband seems to like the idea of skinning it. Although I would like to collect the feathers for a friend who requested them, so it seems that I’d still need to scald the skin once it’s off.
I helped my mom scald and pluck chickens, as a kid. As an adult I have done it with a helper. I watched some videos on skinning and thought “this looks easier” . It’s not. Skin is tough on the older birds and the innerds don’t want to come lose let alone come out. Took me 1.5 hr to do 1 rooster. I will pluck the next ones.
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Lmao what an evil inconsiderate person. Once the animal becomes inconvient for YOU and no longer is of any use/monetary use to YOU you really have convinced yourself that killing an innocent being is perfectly justified. How do you even get in this line of thinking, do you ever think that animals were not put here for us and just want to be left alone and not killed prematurely because some asshole can’t make a profit off of them anymore. I’m sure you tell yourself that he had a nice life being an unwilling product on your farm to exploit only to end up killing him. Despicable.
Why are you here?? Why are you even reading about this ?? If you don’t like it…get off the page and stop your whinning & crying!! You must really live a sad, sorry, pitiful life to want start up crap here. So sad, your life is filled with so much hate and bitterness!! This is a FREE COUNRTY and EVERYONE is ENTITLED to our own CHOICES. !! With no explanation to you! Native Americans where here first…they hunted for meat and had a garden. Almost everyone seems to have some Native American in their family tree somewhere..and you probably do too. You going to bash them too? Maybe you’ll be bashing yourself.
Wow! Yeah, the author is soooo evil. All of these “native wild chickens” want to do is scratch around and peck at the dirt. Maybe they have dreams of buying a house someday and raising chickens of their own. They didn’t ask to be caged up like some animal. They have goals and dreams. And now their little lives are cut short because someone wanted to live and eat responsibly and healthy.
Come off it! These birds were bred for meat and eggs. They live in the moment and don’t know what hit them when they are processed to make good, healthy food without hormones or antibiotics. They’re a good source of protein and calcium, and round out a HEALTHY diet.
Put down the bong, eat a turkey sandwich and wake up!
I am dealing with the same issue with my elderly father. He’s awfully cranky and he lashes out at me quite often. He also is suffering from dementia and occasionally thinks he’s back in the days of my childhood and that my children are me and my siblings. He had a spell and ended up whipping Consistent Boy with a switch.
Aside from being upset because I do not abuse my children, his aim is a little off and instead of a swat on the bottom like he intended, he missed and hit the back of his head! That could have been his face! He could have blinded him!
Keeping him around any longer is simply not an option but I know what happens in those old folks home and I can’t morally justify subjecting him to that either, not to mention the absolute financial drain. This recipe sounds like it would be good but I’m not sure I have a big enough pot, even though he is an old man of skin and bones, similar to your rooster. Do you have any other tips on how to humanely and respectfully dispatch of him?
You left out the best part! Save those feet! Spurs and all. Parboil them and remove the outer skin. Add the skinned feet to your stock pot and slow cook with the bones for 24 hr. The resulting flavor and health promoting collagens will super-charge your stock.
Grandpa would definitely be a tough old bird. I mean, an elderly man has been walking around and scratching at the dirt for many more years than a 5 year old rooster. And you’ve made a good point about not having a pot big enough to fit him in. Might be best to chop him up and use the meat as dog food.
But. You can still use some of the parts of that tough old bird. Maybe tan the hide and make a jacket, or lampshade? Or maybe a couple of nice purses or wallets? I’m sure you could sell them on Etsy to offset some of the cost of butchering.
I’m sorry to hear about your son. Glad he isn’t blinded, and is doing ok. And for sure an old folks home isn’t the best answer. They would just Euthanize him anyway. Def sounds like its time to dispatch Grandpa in a humane way. Let me know if you ever find a cone big enough to process him.
Great recipe, btw! Thank you for sharing. I’m getting ready to process a 1.5 year hen who is bullying all the others so bad they’re bloody. It will be my first time processing a chicken, and I feel a little more confident that it won’t be a disaster!
Reminds me of the song “Sic ‘Em On A Chicken” by Zac Brown Band. 🙂
Can you please tell me what you do with the bones after they are cooked for stock? Are they burned and ground for the garden?
My hero! Thank you for sharing this! I love your news letter. I started doTerra around the same time you did and also have a little mini farm with chickens. So, I love all of your canning ideas, recipes, farm stories, etc. You are living the dream girl! My oily peeps are more suburban, but you and I are kindred spirits with this stuff!
FWIW you should simmer bird bones when making stock.
I did a bunch of research before our annual turkey soup making last weekend and found out that when you boil chicken/turkey carcass to make stock, you leach a great deal of calcium out of the bones which can turn you stock white, You get the same flavor and loosen the remaining meat off the carcass at high temp, just below boiling,
At least that’s what I read on several sites taking about making turkey stock.
Jack
Was your rooster a Blue Andalusian (or something like that?) We got a free rooster chick last year of that breed and he was the most aggressive rooster I have ever met. He attacked everything, even the hens, for no reason. We butchered him a couple of weeks ago. Nobody was sad to see him go.
aging it was news to me, thank you! I have a rooster that badly needs to be culled. I can’t walk across my own yard w/o watching my back. He has one poor hen so traumatized that she won’t step out of the run. All the others go roaming about and she is all alone in the pen all day. If she knows he is locked up, she will go out and be a happy normal gal. Patrick started as a pet and a chick here. Hubby can’t believe I really want him dead. Hubby doesn’t know what it is like being spurred. Enough of that!
Soup it is. 🙂 I have put my website/blog below, it is very new, just started it a few days ago so not much content yet.
Hi!! Our super aggressive rooster finally met his end, after kindly giving us some offspring. I stuck him straight in a brine after my husband slaughtered him; should I let him sit in that brine for 4-7 days? I totally forgot about letting the muscles relax ?
María Angélica Bravo says
October 5, 2019 at 11:03 am
Hi to all. I follow the prairiehomestead.com for years. I want to share with you a tip of my roasting our traditional Christmas turkey. For years I have a bucket with lid that holds a big bird. I get the frozen bird at the store. Thaw it in the fridge or start at room temp; takes a while, more than 24 hrs. Then submerge it in the bucket in the cheapest white wine available, for 24 hrs. turning it at least once so the wine does it job. Prepare your own favorite dressing rubbing it inside and out side. Slow roast covered. Inyect juices. Follow roasting directions on the label.
Wow! Thanks for sharing your tips!
Thanks so much for this, especially on letting the carcass rest for an extended period ! We have an old bird who needs dispatching as well and have pinned for referral info!
I’m glad this is helpful for you! Those old birds can be difficult to cook, for sure.
I read all the comments and they are so helpful. We have 8 hens that need to go soon because egg production is down and we have chicks ready to take their place. My husband is convinced skinning is the way to go. My question is will that make a difference in the aging process? Has anyone done the 4-7 day aging with a skinned bird?
I’d imagine it would be about the same.
Thank you for including the bit about aging. That has been one of my questions. I am terrible at plucking. I ended up skinning my bird because his skin looked awful and he was filthy! Plus, I couldn’t get all the feathers off him. I also think I need better knives.
When I was young, I am a pensioner now we used to get spent laying hens from the Prussian woman who used to deliver eggs to us! We were a large immigrant family of 9 kids & 2 adults living in the city so my mom had to practice economy! 75lbs. sacks of potatoes and 50lbs sacks of onions and carrots straight from a farmer my father worked for when he first arrived in Canada with a wife and child and another on the way and no job!!
Anyways the best way to tenderize an old hen or rooster is to pressure cook in a stovetop pressure cooker that attains 15psi like a Presto (which is the cheapest)for about an hour and the meat just falls off the bone! I don’t know anything about how these new Instapot pressure cookers work but I do know that they don’t make 15 psi but closer to 12psi or less. The meat makes a delicious chicken salad plus a delicious soup with the liquid and more broth/stock by pressure cooking the bones again with soup greens (It can include end pieces and even onion skins because it is wasted afterwards.).
Not often but every once in a while when I find a mature chicken I pull out my pressure cooker and pressure cook it.
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We got a rooster last year because we kept losing hens. I was going to butcher him this summer because he kept attacking my 6 yr old but then he earned himself a stay of execution by saving one of our hens from a hawk or some kind of bird. If any of us need to go I to the chicken yard, or my 6 yr old needs to do her job in the coop, we all ask my 9 yr old to get George. He is our rooster tamer. George will attack the rest of us, but he always, without fail, runs away from my 9 yr old. It is pretty funny to watch.
Thank you for this article. I have a few roosters to eliminate from the flock, they were our spring chicks…so only about 6 -8 months old (but still big and tough meat! we learned that last year). I am curious what you suggest if I intend to freeze the entire bird. Still let it age for 4-7 days in the fridge before freezing? Then when it comes out of the freezer simmer for 6-12 hours?
Excellent advice and plan. I love your mindset of high efficiency and low waste. I’m always thinking along the same lines. We usually give our culls to a nearby family (not of US descent, but one far more familiar with using old birds for food). They are happy to take them. Another option for those days and seasons when the time and energy are in short supply (My husband and I are living with chronic Lyme disease and that is our normal) is to bury the carcass under a garden plot. Great way to attract all manner of worms and microbial life to enhance the soil.