Sometimes Dinner Requires a Hatchet

I bet those pioneer ladies that we’ve long forgotten had to wield sharp hatchet-like tools in order to prepare dinner.  Around here it is unfortunately not so often.  However, last night’s dinner prep did require my husband’s hatchet.

We recently “cut” down on our rooster population.  We had four cocks and their fighting was increasing, likely due to spring being right around the corner!  And, our lady hens were starting to lose a lot of feathers from all of the lovin’ they were getting.  Around here we don’t let the strongest rooster survive…usually he’s the meanest and most territorial.  So we intervene to keep only a couple of happy cocks around.

So last night’s dinner was a taste test of fresh market chickens versus fresh woodsy farm rooster.  To prep our roosters, which we killed and plucked on Sunday…I needed to chop off their feet.  I had considered roasting them with feet attached but I couldn’t manage to pluck off all of the feathers around their feet.  (I did save the feet to work on today and use for future stock!)

Also…roosters grow spurs on their feet.  This picture shows our dominant rooster and the size of his spurs!

THE END RESULT:

Everyone had both rooster and market chicken for dinner last night.  Both were excellent!  The rooster meat was darker but not really tougher by any means (and these birds were likely a year old and quite lean.)  My favorite part of dinner, however, was having my one son request seconds of “rooster, please!”