Setanta wrote on Oct 22
nd, 2023 at 5:35pm:
...Highly unlikely. Roosters are culled as hatchlings. There is no money feeding them until they are big enough to eat.
Dunno...
Chickens become sexually mature at 20 to 22 weeks.
This differs between breeds and the amount of
light that the chickens receive. Some chicken
breeds become sexually mature at 16 to 18 weeks.
Testosterone increases the density of muscle fibres
allowing muscles to increase in mass and strength.
In male chickens, testosterone results in tougher
meat, and in older roosters, the meat can be described
as "stringy".
Meat chickens are
both male and female. They're
slaughtered between 6 to 8 weeks, and there is no
differentiation in the meat. Layer chicken roosters and
"dual-purpose roosters" grow slower and are slaughtered
when older.
So it's perfectly legal for Coles and Woolworths to sell
older roosters as chicken.