too many roosters

[keinanna]

So I bought a box of 21 baby chicks a few weeks ago and as they have grown I have realized that most if not all of them are roosters. At what age do they need to be separated to prevent fighting and does anyone know what can be done with them? I dont want or need 20+ roosters. They are barred rock chickens about 5-6 weeks old

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

So I bought a box of 21 baby chicks a few weeks ago and as they have grown I have realized that most if not all of them are roosters. At what age do they need to be separated to prevent fighting and does anyone know what can be done with them? I dont want or need 20+ roosters. They are barred rock chickens about 5-6 weeks old

If you don't have the desire or facilities to keep that many roosters and are not up to processing them yourself for meat then it would be best to move them out sooner rather than later as finding someone to take them might take a bit, especially if you are going to be choosy about the type of situation they are sent off to (ie if you are not willing to have someone take them who intends to process and eat them).

 

[keinanna]

Are barred rock roosters any good for meat? What age are they typically culled at for meat?

 

[donrae]

I eat mine around 20 weeks, but plan to try my next batch a little younger for more tender meat. They're not like a store bought carcass, but I pressure cook them and pull the meat for enchiladas, casseroles, etc. Here are some pics, these birds were barred Rock/Easter egger mixes, so a touch smaller than a pure bred barred Rock would be, but you get the general idea.....these birds were skinned, not plucked.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

You can also vary how soon you process them by how you feed them. Feed them higher protein for growth and meat building, keeping in mind these are not Cross X and won't handle the high 24% protein.

But 18 to 20 weeks is pretty normal for a non-meat breed...Barred Rock is considered somewhat dual.

...and are you positive they are really all roosters? 20 of 21 chicks turning up male is extremely high probability unless someone was dumping sexed roo's.

LofMc

 

[keinanna]

We are not 100% sure of them all being roos but from pictures we have seen on here a good majority of them seem to be roos. We bought them at around 10 days old at our local livestock auction. I got them for $1 per bird.

I would not be surprised if the seller did dump a bunch of sexed roos. There was not much competition on the bidding for them and we were very inexperienced these being our first ever flock of chickens.

After careful examination we think there may be up to 6 hens unless we are completely wrong in our comparison with others photos.

 

[keinanna]

It's hard to get a good picture of them but it looks like because they have such distinct barring especially on the wings the majority of them could be roos

 

[keinanna]

They are somewhere between 30-40 days old

 

[Lady of McCamley]

While double barring should indicate roo, I'd wait it out...it can be surprisingly hard to sex Barred Rocks with the variations in hatchery stock and the variations in feather growth.

Comb development is the best sign, and a couple do look to have substantial comb growth, but not everyone. The roosters will get noticeably bigger redder combs while the pullets will stay small and pale until point of lay (generally...some can be precocious).

Make your determinations when they are 6 to 10 weeks of age. You should have a good indication by comb size, then confirmation by barring especially as they become closer to 8 to 10 weeks.

But sometimes it is very hard to tell if it is white on black or black on white, and there are long threads of which gender is this Barred Rock with more than a few people surprised.

LofMc

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

While double barring should indicate roo, I'd wait it out...it can be surprisingly hard to sex Barred Rocks with the variations in hatchery stock and the variations in feather growth.

Comb development is the best sign, and a couple do look to have substantial comb growth, but not everyone. The roosters will get noticeably bigger redder combs while the pullets will stay small and pale until point of lay (generally...some can be precocious).

Make your determinations when they are 6 to 10 weeks of age. You should have a good indication by comb size, then confirmation by barring especially as they become closer to 8 to 10 weeks.

But sometimes it is very hard to tell if it is white on black or black on white, and there are long threads of which gender is this Barred Rock with more than a few people surprised.

LofMc

X 2 - *I* wouldn't be calling the gender on these birds based on what is visible in the photo.