In article >,
George Shirley > wrote:

> >> I ask the same question. Back in the day DW and I ran about 50 free
> >> range chickens all the time. We ate the liver and gizzards routinely and
> >> never had a problem (as he wipes drool from his misshapen face). <G>
> >
> > Mmm... Free range rooster. Yum!
> >
> > The feathers (especially the neck, flank and tail feathers) were worth
> > money on eBay for fly tying. I was careful to dry pluck those prior to
> > scalding to finish cleaning the bird prior to gutting them.
>
> No eBay back in our chicken plucking days, no internet, now WWW. Saved
> rooster neck feathers and pheasant feathers for my Dad and other fly
> fishermen. We butchered very few adult roosters, usually only kept one
> to service the hens and chopped the rest at eight to ten weeks of age
> for "broilers."

Free range roosters have a very rich flavor. Even older ones (6
months+) that are tough are tasty as stock and chicken salad. Older
rooster is known as "hard rooster" and they sell them head on at the
asian market for a premium price.

Sometimes I did not get around to killing them for awhile. We had some
mixed breed hens with game hen in their bloodlines and they were expert
at hiding nests. I'd wake up in the morning once in awhile to a hen
leading around a dozen chicks or so. <g> It was cute but annoying!
About 1/2 of them were males so needed to be slaughtered.
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.