Too many roos....Newbie needing advice

Here is another....

I believe all three of these are likely cockerels

Chop their head off, pluck em, gut em, clean em up and bbq a whole chicken!!!! Thats what they are for.

Honestly, in many areas, trying to rehome roosters as pets is fairly laughable, at least unless they are some really rare breed or especially gorgeous/cute. But don't let that stop you from at least trying (this time of year is not the best time for that either). If you don't want a bachelor pen, and you can't stomach the thought of processing them yourself, then probably the quickest way to "get rid of them" is to advertise them on CL for free (as eating birds). Personally, I'd rather a bird be processed for food rather than end up as a "pet" in bad conditions.

chucktownchick said:

Click to expand...

chucktownchick said:

Here is another....

Click to expand...

chucktownchick said:

I believe all three of these are likely cockerels

Click to expand...

chucktownchick said:

Click to expand...

Judging by just the combs and wattles, you are most likely correct that these 4 are cockerels. However, I am not yet seeing any pointed hackle feathers or shiny, pointed saddle feathers and it is not unheard of to have a pullet develop early, though unlikely. Orpingtons do tend to mature slower than many other breeds. Look under the feathers on the back, 3-4 inches in front of the tail and see if there are any pointed, shiny feathers coming in. They are a sure sign of a cockerel.

Get some more girls, like five or six more, or separate some boys into a bachelor pen. Those are some handsome boys! Orpingtons are usually pretty laid back, especially good quality ones like you have so you may not have as many issues with tussling. It looks like you take good care of your chickens and want what is best for them.
Boys with no girls get along well with each other as there is no one to fight over, so if you do not want to get more hens, put some cockerels in a bachelor pen. I would leave one or two of the boys in with the girls and put the other two or three in their own pen. That way the boys are happy and you do not have to get half a dozen more girls.

Thank you, Free Feather! I appreciate the compliment. Like I said in my original post, I am new to this so I am still learning. I had never even been around chickens, but I did a lot of reading the year before I got them trying to prepare for them. I love animals and do my best to take care of them. I appreciate your advice too and will take it into consideration.

So the birds are around 3 months, correct? If so, I agree the birds in question are cockerels. Orpingtons can be slower to mature, and sometimes the hackle and saddle feathers don't show up til 4ish months, but those combs don't lie.

The good news is they're pretty nice looking birds. They seem to have the actual Orpington shape of a rounded basketball, unlike so many Orpingtons we see on these boards. That could help you find homes for them.

I think it's great to stick to your original plan. I'm personally a big fan of roosters, but I don't think they're for everyone. If you planned to have only layers, especially if you're limited on the number of birds you can keep, stick with that plan. Just because you got males by mistake doesn't mean you're obligated to keep and care for them their entire natural life. Folks sell animals all the time, and it's perfectly okay.

I'd definitely start advertising them now. CL, your local feed store, FB groups, wherever you can post an ad. Put your location in your profile, someone here may be local to you and want one. Who know? You can also post on your state thread under the "Where am I, where are you?" section. It may take a few months to get rid of them all, so start now and be patient.

Take good, close up profile pictures of the birds for your ads. Emphasize their gentle nature and rounded fluffiness.