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How long would you wait to process "free" roos

post #1 of 4
8/10/12 at 8:03am
Thread Starter 

I was offered 20 free roosters.  Various breeds about 5 months old.  I turned down the offer because they were a little more than 100 miles away so gas would have cost me ~$50 in my old Bronco.

 

For future reference though, how long would you wait to process birds that were given to you?

 

Not knowing what they were fed, if they were given meds etc would make me worry about not allowing a withdrawl period.  I would definitely ask the person but would still rather err on the side of caution.

DOGS: 4 Shih Tzu, 1 Papillon, 1 Great Pyrenees

CHICKENS: 1 BO, 2 EE, 2 WLH, 10 blue and splash JG, plus various aged JG, BO, JG/BO and JG/EE chicks, and 8 meaties.   

DUCKS: 20 Muscovy ducks: 5 adults, 7 juveniles and 8 ducklings.  6 Pekin ducklings

 

Some threads started with basic info.

Picking a duck breed, where to buy, what genders to get

Raising and caring for ducklings

 

Reply

DOGS: 4 Shih Tzu, 1 Papillon, 1 Great Pyrenees

CHICKENS: 1 BO, 2 EE, 2 WLH, 10 blue and splash JG, plus various aged JG, BO, JG/BO and JG/EE chicks, and 8 meaties.   

DUCKS: 20 Muscovy ducks: 5 adults, 7 juveniles and 8 ducklings.  6 Pekin ducklings

 

Some threads started with basic info.

Picking a duck breed, where to buy, what genders to get

Raising and caring for ducklings

 

Reply

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post #2 of 4
8/10/12 at 8:36pm

I'd just ask the person. I really can't imagine anyone medicating that many birds. And if I thought I couldn't trust the answer, I probably wouldn't take their birds. If it was just one or two--"these were supposed to be hens and we've been raising them in our backyard but now they're crowing, please take them and don't tell us what's going to happen to them"--I'd process them that night. 

 

The flip side is.........how long do you want to feed them?

Rachel BB
 

Well, the kittens aren't so cute anymore and the easter egger cockerels are in the freezer. Plus, I think offering them as "prizes" scared folks off! So, I'm still posting quotes, if you know it let me know. I'm very enamored of this new one, it may hang around for a while!

 

"If I'd known the world was ending I'd have brought better books"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reply

Rachel BB
 

Well, the kittens aren't so cute anymore and the easter egger cockerels are in the freezer. Plus, I think offering them as "prizes" scared folks off! So, I'm still posting quotes, if you know it let me know. I'm very enamored of this new one, it may hang around for a while!

 

"If I'd known the world was ending I'd have brought better books"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reply
post #3 of 4
8/11/12 at 5:58pm

If they were "free" cockerals of old enough to get a meal from....we'd process them that same day.  They'd never set foot in the run. 

 

If I had to grow them out more - not worth it in terms of feed and threats of diseases from other place - let alone quarrantine space and extra waterers/feeders to tend to.....  If you've got your own laying flock of any size, and brooding/incubating more - you've got your own 'free' cockerals!  Enjoy those first before hunting around for 'free to a good home' cockeral.  Frankly, there's just not enough meat on a dual purpose bird for our family of 5 to consume.  I'll end up cooking 2x the birds and wind up with twice as much soup stock but not enough meat in the soup! 

-- Blessed are the flexible, for they will not break --

Beloved spouse of wonderful husband, Mom to two men-in-training, 4 Eastern 3-toed box turtles, 1 spoiled parrotlet, 1 pompous feline and a jealous dog.  20 Black Java laying flock.  Love our Java's!  Meaties growin' in the barn.

Reply

-- Blessed are the flexible, for they will not break --

Beloved spouse of wonderful husband, Mom to two men-in-training, 4 Eastern 3-toed box turtles, 1 spoiled parrotlet, 1 pompous feline and a jealous dog.  20 Black Java laying flock.  Love our Java's!  Meaties growin' in the barn.

Reply
post #4 of 4
8/13/12 at 3:55pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks, the hardest part is we just had to relocate 2 months ago and while I was able to find started BO pullets and a roo, I am running out of the Cornish cross that I processed and insisted that we bring on the move.  So, I've got about 5-6 months to wait for a BO to grow out (they aren't laying yet and adding incubation and grow out time)

 

On the plus side, I was able to get four 12 week old cornish cross for free today.  If I'd called 10 minutes earlier, I could've gotten all 8.  It started storming and was already after 1pm so they are in my "work in progress" coop away from my flock and will be processed in the morning unless DH decides he finally wants to learn how to help process a chicken.  (I'm not holding my breath)

DOGS: 4 Shih Tzu, 1 Papillon, 1 Great Pyrenees

CHICKENS: 1 BO, 2 EE, 2 WLH, 10 blue and splash JG, plus various aged JG, BO, JG/BO and JG/EE chicks, and 8 meaties.   

DUCKS: 20 Muscovy ducks: 5 adults, 7 juveniles and 8 ducklings.  6 Pekin ducklings

 

Some threads started with basic info.

Picking a duck breed, where to buy, what genders to get

Raising and caring for ducklings

 

Reply

DOGS: 4 Shih Tzu, 1 Papillon, 1 Great Pyrenees

CHICKENS: 1 BO, 2 EE, 2 WLH, 10 blue and splash JG, plus various aged JG, BO, JG/BO and JG/EE chicks, and 8 meaties.   

DUCKS: 20 Muscovy ducks: 5 adults, 7 juveniles and 8 ducklings.  6 Pekin ducklings

 

Some threads started with basic info.

Picking a duck breed, where to buy, what genders to get

Raising and caring for ducklings

 

Reply
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