Can You Eat Roosters?
It’s a shame to let perfectly good meat go to waste, even meat from roosters! Can you eat roosters and what does the meat taste like? Let’s dive in.
The Bottom Line
Yes, you can absolutely eat rooster meat and you probably often do!
Chicken at the Grocery Store
When raising meat chickens for human consumption, these chickens are almost always a mix of hens (females) and roosters (males). For meat production, roosters are actually more preferred, as they tend to be larger more quickly. You have very likely eaten roosters many times in your life.
Often when you purchase meat birds for processing, you will get what is called “straight run”, meaning the chicks that you receive are a mix of males and females.
What are Roosters?
Roosters are male chickens that have reached sexual maturity, which is usualy around six weeks of age. Any younger than that and they will likely be called a “cockerel”. Older birds are sometimes referred to as a “cock”.
Interestingly this is where the term “cocky” comes from, as roosters tend to strut around and rule the roost.
They are typically larger than female chickens. They will likely have a comb on the top of their head and often have more numerous and lush looking tail feathers that point upwards.
Roosters usually, but don’t always, crow. Crowing doesn’t just happen in the morning but any time of day.
At What Age Should You Eat a Rooster?
Young roosters will give you a more tender meat, and you would ideally eat them by the time they are around one year of age. You can certainly eat old roosters as well, though their meat might not be as tender. You can mitigate this by slow roasting!
What do Roosters Taste Like?
It is a common misconception that roosters aren’t good for eating because of the taste. Roosters will taste very much like most other chicken you will eat.
In fact you might find the meat may even have a stronger flavor than your standard commercially raised chickens/broiler meat.
Male chickens usually yield a very lean piece of meat which, if cooked correctly, is not only a rich source of protein but a flavorful addition to soups, stews, hot dishes, etc.
Why do People Keep Roosters?
Roosters make a great addition to most chicken coops. They serve as protection for their hens, keeping an eye out for predators and alerting the flock if they see one. They also will fight off a predator if they attack hens.
Roosters also keep the peace in a coop. I have personally seen roosters break up fights between female birds!
If you want fertile eggs for hatching, a rooster is necessary to get that job done.
Whether in a backyard flock or as part of a free range operation, roosters can definitely have a place in your chicken coop.
You might however deal with rooster problems. The biggest issue people face with a rooster whether you have backyard chickens or a full laying flock, is an aggressive rooster.
We have a zero tolerance policy on aggressive roosters on our farm. Roosters can be truly dangerous to small children, and we have three little ones. If a rooster shows any aggression towards people they are respectfully dispatched ASAP.
What Roosters are Best for Eating?
Different breeds are going to yield different body types/different amounts of meat.
Broiler chicken breeds are going be your largest breeds that are bred specifically for meat production and is what the poultry industry uses. Cornish Crosses, Cornish Rocks, or even more heritage breeds like Freedom Rangers are a good choice.
You can also find good rooster meat from dual-purpose breeds like Australorp, Rhode Island reds, Orpingtons, Wyandottes, etc.
Egg-laying breeds are also fine to eat, although you will find there is less meat on the bird.
Where to Get Roosters
Anyone who is raising chickens will likely have extra roosters at some point. There always seems to be one hen who sneaks off and hatches eggs. You have about a 50/50 chance of female chicks or male chicks.
If you check Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and Facebook Homestead and Poultry groups, you will likely find grown roosters for very cheap or even free. They may be listed on Facebook under code names like “alarm clocks”, “Roos” , etc.
Each fall we have some folks that celebrate a special harvest festival in their religion each October. They text me around September asking if I have roosters. Whenever I have a few available they stop out, wrangle the roosters themselves, and take the work off my hands.
Someday when my kids are bigger I’ll process my own roosters again as I have in the past. For now, I’m happy that they are put to good use providing food for others.
If you are a backyard chicken owner and don’t have the heart to process your own roosters, you will likely find someone who will take them off your hands.
How to Cook Adult Roosters
Slow cookers are your best friend when it comes to cooking older birds including hens and roosters.
Place your whole bird, even frozen, in a crock pot. I like to line the bottom with sliced onions and toss in any herbs you might like. Place the chicken on top and slather a few tablespoons of olive oil, coconut oil, or butter on top. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
Roast in the crock pot on medium or high heat for 1.5-2 hours in it was thawed, or 5-6 hours if frozen.
Temperature check the meat, it should be at least 165 degrees F.
Remove the chicken from the crock pot and allow to cool.
Using forks, pull the meat (which should fall right off the bone) from the chicken.
It is now ready to use in your recipes. Check out some ideas below.
You can also keep the carcass and make chicken stock!
Ways to Eat Roosters and Old Hens
Even though though it comes from old birds, the slow roasting process will give you a tender at is ready to enhance your recipes.
- Dumpling Soup or Chicken Soup
- Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwich
- Chicken Salad
How to Process Roosters
I find that roosters, at least males of the egg-laying breeds (meaning they have less meat on them than meat breeds or dual purpose breeds) are best if eaten in soups, hot dishes, etc. There isn’t enough meat on them and there is very little fat. For me it isn’t worth keeping the skin on them for roasting.
That being said, I typically choose to skin out my roosters rather than going through the process of scalding and plucking.
Prep Work
Roosters deserve to be respectfully dispatched the same as any other animal.
I will typically pen up my roosters the night before I plan to process them. I don’t deny them food, thoy fugh this can make processing a little easier I still prefer them to have a nice last meal.
The next day, I will prep my processing area. This usually includes a sanitized large tank filled with cold water, an easily washable table with a cutting board, [sanitized pruners, a “gut bucket”, surgical gloves, a sharp knife, and the garden hose at the ready.
Respectfully Dispatch
My personal preference for dispatching a rooster is to catch them, and hold them upside down for a moment. Then, in the style of pheasant hunters and the like, I will firmly take their head, and twist it around completely. This snaps their neck in a second and they are killed instantly.
Other options are to chop their head off swiftly with an ax, use a sharp pair of pruners to cut their head off, or place them upside down in a killing cone and pierce their neck.
All if done quickly and properly can be quick and respectful as possible.
Processing
After the rooster is dead, I will then remove the head or slice across the neck so they carcass will bleed out.
Next, lay the rooster out, breast side up. Place the knife just under the edge of the ribs and push the knife into the skin.
Slice up to the neck, then slice a line down each of the legs. Work the skin off the bird entirely, removing the skin, feathers, head, all in one go. I place this in the “gut bucket”.
Next, remove the feet at the joint using the pruning sheers.
Next, slice carefully around the bottom of the vent, reach in the chicken, and remove the organs. I keep the heart and livers. I set them aside to rinse them, then place them in the cool water tank.
Remove the gizzard and trachea through the neck opening.
Then the bird is rinsed and placed in the cool tank of water until you have finished processing the other roosters.
Packaging and Clean-Up
I find I am typically able to scrunch the legs up alongside the chicken and get them into gallon sized freezer bags. I double bag the, just to be safe. Then they go in the freezer.
You could also section them up right then and there to place in jars, and can the roosters according to instructions via pressure canner.
After you have finished everything, use a bleach sanitizer to sanitize the table, equipment, etc. I like to leave it dry out in direct sunlight.
The “gut bucket” can be put deep in compost or disposed of by burning/burying, whatever is legal in your area.
This entire process for one bird would take me about twenty minutes, not including set-up time.
