Quail average weight: 6 oz Average chicken weight: None Finding out the average weight of chickens is impossible due to the hundreds of breeds out there. But I'll give you the weights of some common utility breeds. Silkie Bantams: 34 oz Rhode Island Reds: 7.5 lbs Buff Orpingtons: 9 lbs Jersey Giants: 12 lbs Easter Eggers: 4.5 lbs Red And Black Stars: 7 lbs White Leghorns: 5 lbs Jumbo Cornish for frying: 3.5 lbs Jumbo Cornish for roasting: 8.5lbs

I assume you're talking about pastured poultry since "free range" actually has no meaning when you're talking meat birds (broilers). The term is just a marketing ploy. For the USDA to approve the term, the grower simply has to show a door for the birds to use on the plans of the hen house, regardless of whether the door is ever open, regardless of whether the birds ever use it, and regardless of the quality of the yard. Cornish cross meat birds put on weight so fast that by the time they're 4 weeks old, they can hardly walk, much less roam through green pastures. With pastured poultry, they are on grass in low cages that are moved daily by the farmer, so they are always on fresh green grass with access to insects. They are also fed grain, but whether it's organic or not is up to the farmer. And the quality of the meat is due to their being on pasture, not the organicness of the ration. Traditionally produced organic birds are raised in the same conditions as any other type of bird, except the feed is organic and certain medications are not permitted. They also are a little less crowded to help prevent disease. I know this because I produced pastured poultry for 8 years in the late 90s and early 2000s. The info about the "free range" came from an article in Consumer Reports during that period. BTW, free range has a real meaning when it comes to layers. Those birds will roam some distance.

Who knows how grocery stores rate their fowl? Originally, I believe age would have made a difference, but dunno about now. Grandma fried young chickens, roasted older chickens and then stewed the old biddies who had got past laying but were "tough as an old hen!" I buy 10 pound bags of chicken quarters at a local store for about $6 partially because they're cheap, but a bigger part of the reason is that they are from larger, older chickens and have more of the real chicken flavor I remember from my childhood. Apparently, commercial chickens are slaughtered quite young, and so are tender no matter what way you cook them. But a certain amount of flavor is sacrificed. For myself, I have a mouth full of teeth that work just fine and I would prefer to chew a bit more to get better flavor. For this reason, I've never been all that worked up about veal or filet mignon. Yeah they're tender, but I want beef that tastes like beef and steak that tastes like steak! Same sentiment applies with chicken. I want it to taste like a chicken!

A 4.5 lb. chicken is 1.5 lbs. heavier than the 3 lb. chicken used in the recipe that I posted. You should definitely NOT cook it less than the 5 hours and it may take MORE time because you are cooking a bigger bird. To be safe, you should check the bird with a meat thermometer after 5 hours at 250F in the meatiest part of the thigh. The temp should be up to 180F and if it is not up to that temp, I would put it back in to roast for another 30 minutes, then check the temp again. Poultry should always be throughly cooked and have no pink juices flowing when stuck with a fork or tip of a sharp knife. Please be careful to check the temp of the bird before you take it out of the oven and pronounce it done.