Can You Eat Male Chickens? Managing Your Roosters

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Can you eat male chickens? This is a common question from homesteaders and small farmers who are getting started with chick raising. You might be surprised to find out that in fact, approximately half of the chicken meat that you buy in the grocery store is actually from roosters. In fact, when it comes to meat breeds, there’s really no difference between rooster meat and hen meat.

The important factor in answering this question really has to do with different breeds, and whether you’re raising broilers or layer chickens. While meat chickens are processed at only a couple of months of age, before there are really any sexual differences, roosters from layer breeds tend to live longer and often need to be culled (selectively slaughtered) when they become too aggressive. You can eat these birds so they don’t go to waste, but there are a few things you should know first.

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Can You Eat Roosters?

Yes, you can eat roosters. Roosters are just male chickens and are perfectly find for human consumption. When meat birds are raised for meat production, they’re slaughtered before 12 weeks, and about half of these birds are roosters anyway. You can also eat other breeds of roosters, including older birds, but these will be much tougher simply because they are older.

Eating any older bird compared to a young (12-week-old or less) broiler is going to be a less enjoyable experience. Older birds should be cooked low and slow in order to minimize the toughness of the meat and bring out the flavor. Homesteaders eat these older birds when needed, but it’s not ideal as far as taste and texture of the meat go.

Can you eat male broilers?

Cornish Crosses are the most popular broiler chickens (or meat chickens), and these are the type of birds you’ll find in grocery stores. These birds grow very quickly, so they’re ready to process around 8 weeks of age. At this point, there aren’t a lot of differences between hens and roosters. Their temperaments are virtually the same (we haven’t noticed any temperament differences at all), and their size is nearly identical.

When you buy straight run broiler chickens, about 50% of them are female chicks and around 50% are males. They grow up almost exactly the same, so you’ll be putting both males and females in your freezer. And after they’re processed, they taste just the same, too. For some animals, male hormones can affect the taste of the meat, but this isn’t the case for these young chickens.

Broiler meat – which comes from young birds specifically bred for meat production – is much more tender and flavorful than the meat from older adult chickens.

Can you eat male chickens of other chicken breeds?

Yes, you can eat any male chicken of virtually any breed, including males of the egg-laying breeds. It’s all chicken meat. The main reason why chicken-keepers want to eat roosters is because they either have to many or the rooster is getting too aggressive.

It’s a common misconception that hens (female chickens) need roosters in order to lay eggs, but they do not. They’ll continue on with egg production with or without a rooster.

Since roosters don’t lay eggs, the average backyard chicken keeper doesn’t have much use for more than one or two roosters. And when you get more than one rooster to about 10 or 12 hens, they can start to get too aggressive. For some naughty roosters, they can become aggressive with more than just the female birds. Some also become aggressive with people, which can be scary, especially for little kids.

Whether you order straight-run chicks (not separated by sex) or you buy female chicks, chances are that with these day-old chicks (or even a few days or weeks old), you may have more roosters than you bargained for mixed in. It can be very difficult to identify chicks by sex when they’re that small.

This can lead to rooster problems, which is why you may need to cull a rooster or two from your backyard flock.

Why Keep Roosters?

If hens don’t need roosters in order to lay eggs, should you keep your roosters from egg-laying breeds around at all? Here are a few reasons why you might want to consider keeping a rooster or two in your flock.

They fertilize eggs. You don’t need a rooster around in order for hens to lay eggs, but you do need one if you want your eggs to be fertilized and hatch into baby chicks.
Protection. Although extra roosters can sometimes become TOO feisty, having one or two around can also be good protection for your flock and homestead. Roosters tend to scare away predators like hawks, snakes, and dogs. This is an important factor and primary reason why a lot of chicken keepers like to have a rooster around.
They’re beautiful. Roosters are beautiful creatures! They add a whole new dynamic to your farm (and may wake you up with their signature crow)!
Helps keep hens safe. The backyard chicken owner often likes to keep a rooster around to be somewhat of a “leader” of the flock. Roosters actually tend to help keep the peace among the hens, as well as alerting them to danger.

Do We Eat Male or Female Chickens From the Grocery Store?

When it comes to commercial chickens and factory farms, Cornish Crosses are the main breed that’s raised for meat consumption. Just like on small family farms and homesteads, these broilers are processed as younger birds, around 6 weeks (a little younger for Cornish Game Hens and a little older for roasters). In these early stages, they haven’t reached sexual maturity, and the meat is essentially exactly the same. When you buy chicken breasts or other chicken products at the grocery store, there’s no way you can tell whether it was from a female chicken or a male chicken.

What about laying breeds?

In the egg industry, male chickens unfortunately have little value. Since only females lay eggs, and these males from layer breeds don’t grow quickly enough to be a part of the chicken meat industry, they don’t serve much purpose. New chicks are sexed at 1 day old, and the males are culled humanely. They’re used as ethically as possible, usually as animal feed.

Male chick culling is somewhat of a sad reality in the poultry industry. Fortunately, for the average homesteader, roosters often have the opportunity to grow up with the flock and be processed for dinner as older chickens.

Tips for Cooking Roosters

If you do decide to cull some roosters from your flock, you’re not going to want to cook them the same way that you’d cook your average broiler that’s only a few weeks old. The older the bird, the tougher it is. Cooking it low and slow is the best way to cut down on the toughness as much as possible. Avoid making fried chicken or roasting your chicken, as it will be difficult to eat this way.

Here are some tips for cooking your rooster.

Let it rest. Start by letting your bird rest in the fridge for a few days before cooking. This allows the meat to relax a bit and the rigor mortis to pass.
Cook it low and slow. Keeping the temperature around 300 degrees F for many hours helps to tenderize the meat and make it more juicy.
Add moisture. Adding moisture or marinades, as in soup, is a good way to create a more juicy dish.
Season it well. Don’t be afraid to use stronger flavors and plenty of seasoning.
Use it for broth or stock. If you can’t bring yourself to eat the meat, you can boil the bird and use the liquid for broth or stock.