The Poultry Keeper

ChickenGeorge2 · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 115 Location: Northern Ireland

Can anyone answer my latest question? I have just been offered a number of Roosters mostly Araucana that are very surplus to requirments. The man is question says that if I was looking for roosters for the pot that I can have them, fatten them up and use them for meat. Are theese birds suitable for this or is it a waste of time and effort. He is going to kill them anyway and just bury them as his wife won't eat anything they have reared. It does seem an awful waste but so is feeding them for fattening if they aren't that type of bird. I have never done this before but am prepared for it with my own stock. In fact that is what I am aiming for, home reared healthy animals killed quickly and humanely. Any advice would be much appreciated. scratch

Regards Mandy in anticipation

NannyP · Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2005 9:44 pm Post subject:

I don't know the answer, but I should imagine any bird, whatever make and colour would have some eating quality to it. Maybe some are meatier than others, but there will be meat on them surely.
I look forward to hearing what others have to say Wink

Jamie · Joined: 24 Apr 2005 Posts: 260 Location: Devon.

Hello there.
Well Araucana's I would say are not a breed bred for there meat qualities and I would not think they would get very fat so am not sure if there is much point but as Nanny P said there should be some meat on them so it is worth something just depends how much it would cost to fatten them etc..

That is good that you want mear reared/s;aughtered that way and it is the best and kindest way. A method not used much these days.

But I have not had that much experiance with Araucana's so I would get someone else opinion too on that one.

Best of luck with them and I hope I have been of some help.
Kindest regards.
Jamie.

debcat · Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2005 9:59 pm Post subject:

Hi, I don't know much about araucana's, but some of my roos last year were not that large so I just cut off the breast meat and made curries and casseroles.
Cutting off the meat saves plucking and gutting as well as you can just skin them to get to the meat
HTH
Debs

jaydee67 · Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2005 10:48 pm Post subject:

We ate a couple of Shetland roos - young, about 5months old if I remember correctly they are similar/ descended from auracanas. There wasn't a huge amount of meat - apparently roos get fatter if they have less room to move around, ours were just in with the rest. We skinned and prepped them and after 24 hours in the fridge we used them to make soup.

Deb_Moderator · Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 3661

They are smaller. They should be dispatched as young birds. You would be better off saving yourself the work and hassle and do as Debs has said. Just dispatch and take the breast meat and thigh areas.

No, their meat quality is not the best, and they have small portions of it.

HTH