Single hen

[aaronmusgrove123]

my friends going to hatch some cotswold legbars then eat thembut said you can only eat certain breed but is this breed a type you can eat ? and what colours are the males when they hatch (they are autosexing arnt they) oh and whens the best time to eat them she says they will eat them when they are older but will they not be horrible when they are old p.s im against her but oh well

aaron

[Snowy]

I think that is a very sensible approach to take! Any breed of chicken can be eaten, but some obviously have more meat on them and give a better return after you feeding them for 20 weeks or so. And I would think the best time to cull them is when they start crowing!

Don't know the answer to the rest of your questions, but I do agree with your friend. However, they do need to know who will be doing the deed for them and, if they are planning to do it themselves, make sure they have been properly taught how to do it to save any unnecessary suffering.

[aaronmusgrove123]

They will eat the hens aswell and they will just wring their necks they wouldnt go for training though they jusr do it in the garden but can you eat a 4 yr old hen i would gave thought it would be stringy on taste poo

[Egluntyne]

A 4 year old laying hen wont be very palatable unless it is casseroled very slowly.....and even then it might not be very special.

[feemcg]

I wouldn't have thought there would be much eating on any Legbar......they're quite a lean breed. Better to fatten up some Ixworths or Sassos - these utility breeds are better for the pot.

[Lesley]

There's not much meat on a legbar - we eat any cockerels from our hatching. We cull at about 20 weeks, when they start crowing, the breast meat is fine but the legs are very stringy and we give those to the dog to eat! (raw)

[MadMitch]

I wouldn't have thought there would be much eating on any Legbar......they're quite a lean breed. Better to fatten up some Ixworths or Sassos - these utility breeds are better for the pot.

 

Keep away from my Ixworths.

 

They are supposed to be good to eat though, and Dorkings also. Where I get mine from they eat any they don't sell, they use an electrical stunner thing to kill them though.

[Griffin]

If they're after an autosexing bird that's good for the table too they can't go wrong with Dorkings. Plenty of meat on that and can be sexed at birth.