Chicken prep question

[WeekendSmoker]

A couple of times I have bought live chickens which then were killed/cleaned for me on the spot.
The issue that I have is the following : I let the chicken sit in the fridge for 24-48 hrs yet when I use them the meat is stiff to the point that it acts like it's frozen. legs/wings don't wiggle and the meat is impossibly stringy.
I've read up on it but is seems that after 24+hrs the rigor mortis supposedly starts to disappear yet even after 3 full days the chickens are still stiff like a board.
What am I doing wrong??
Thanks for any and all input

Rgds
WS

[shilala]

Are you buying broilers or old layers/roosters?
If it's old birds, and I'm talking even a year old (layers or roosters), that's what you get.
You can't even cook the rubber out of them in a pressure cooker.
If a brother butchers yard birds at around 7 months, they're good for soup, and that's about it.
If you're going to buy birds for the oven, you want broilers. They're usually available in the early summer, mostly from kid's 4-H projects.

[WeekendSmoker]

ahhhh..... I can't believe the answer could very well be that simple. I think they are layers - I will check and report back. Thanks a lot!
Rgds
WS