Curious, what do you do with an accidental rooster

[Rockergirl]

We aren't allowed to have a rooster. What would you do with a rooster if it was mis-sexed, if you couldn't keep him? Please don't laugh at this question, but are there places that actually take unwanted chickens?

 

[Sussex19]

Many people try and re-home by putting up ads and stuff.
There are sometimes rescues and people who save rooster, but they are few and far between. Or you can eat them, home grown chicken tastes a lot better then store bought.

 

[AntiqueB]

There are sanctuaries around, if one happens to be near you and isn't already full. You can also try to rehome, but it's the luck of the draw. Asking even a token amount of money supposedly helps.

I had one, and was lucky enough to find a nearby person through BYC who happened to be looking for a rooster and thought he looked nice. I was lucky, and so was my boy. They kept him until he died a natural death.

 

[jpalmatier83]

Many people try and re-home by putting up ads and stuff.
There are sometimes rescues and people who save rooster, but they are few and far between. Or you can eat them, home grown chicken tastes a lot better then store bought.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Our current option is the feed store which will charge you a rehoming fee and then house them for resale (honestly not sure how many they can manage to sell, but I've seen folks buying). There was a local farm that also took "dinner donations" but not sure if they still do.

Our first cockerel, we just culled ourselves, but that was upsetting for hubby so he'd rather go with the other options.

 

[ForFlocksSake]

I’m new to this but I can tell you what we will be doing. We have 6 chicks that we’re supposed to be pullets. 1 is definitely a rooster (very obvious at 6 weeks for this one) and 2 others now I’m starting to question.

We’ll be waiting for them to fully confirm their roosterness (crowing,sickle feathers) and eating them. It’s definitely not my favorite idea but it makes the most sense. I hunt, fish, and eat plenty of meat, but this is difficult for me. I need to get myself used to it though because we will likely be cycling hens as they slow laying as well.

 

[Rockergirl]

I’m new to this but I can tell you what we will be doing. We have 6 chicks that we’re supposed to be pullets. 1 is definitely a rooster (very obvious at 6 weeks for this one) and 2 others now I’m starting to question.

We’ll be waiting for them to fully confirm their roosterness (crowing,sickle feathers) and eating them. It’s definitely not my favorite idea but it makes the most sense. I hunt, fish, and eat plenty of meat, but this is difficult for me. I need to get myself used to it though because we will likely be cycling hens as they slow laying as well.

How old do they need to be before they are edible? I've never culled a chicken and not really sure I can do it....I'm pretty new to this too....I just have chickens for the eggs

 

[ForFlocksSake]

How old do they need to be before they are edible? I've never culled a chicken and not really sure I can do it....I'm pretty new to this too....I just have chickens for the eggs

I think they’ll be old enough when they start behaving like roosters. Not sure what that age is, but that’s when they’ll have to go. We can’t have roosters here either.

 

[Rockergirl]

Many people try and re-home by putting up ads and stuff.
There are sometimes rescues and people who save rooster, but they are few and far between. Or you can eat them, home grown chicken tastes a lot better then store b

Many people try and re-home by putting up ads and stuff.
There are sometimes rescues and people who save rooster, but they are few and far between. Or you can eat them, home grown chicken tastes a lot better then store bought.

re-homing is my preference as I'm not sure I can actually cull a chicken.....I know it's how the world goes round but I tend to get close to them. If we can't re-home and had to go the route of eating, do roosters cause a ruckus at young age, before the age they are old enough to cull/eat? Not sure how long you would have to wait for the right age to eat.

 

[jpalmatier83]

How old do they need to be before they are edible? I've never culled a chicken and not really sure I can do it....I'm pretty new to this too....I just have chickens for the eggs

Go by weight, not by age. No point in/it’s senseless to kill a bird if there isn’t enough meat on it to make a meal.

A lot of people say when the hormones kick in, (crowing, comb development, etc) since they start to toughen up and get a bit gamey. but I find the birds are a little small at that point and I usually can’t tell much difference in the meat if you wait a couple more weeks.