[AdmiralAsshat]

> By that time, their meat is too tough for us to enjoy eating.

Those used to be called "stewing hens," and were enjoyed quite regularly. You just can't cook them in the same manner as you would a young chicken. They were usually braised low-and-slow not unlike tough cuts of beef.

[Swizec]

Soup! Hens make delicious delicious soup. Meat comes out of a good soup tasting like sawdust anyway.