I'm hoping some breeders could help me out. I'm trying to make a culling decision and learn a bit in the process. I have one cock that is about a year and a half old. I'll include photos for reference. I have him with two hatchery quality hens, and so I bought five chicks from a local lady for replacement hens, and in addition to keep an extra cockerel. I ended up with two pullets and three cockerels, and they are now two months old and growing beautifully. I would like to cull one of the cockerels now, and have a few questions since I know this is extremely early.
Cock, with hen for reference
One of the pullets for reference
My first and main question: Is it acceptable to cull for size at this point? While none of the three are scrawny, two of them have larger frames than the third. Can this be something to base my decision off of, or is size something that can change? I am considering this a good idea because I think that a smaller bird will not become larger than a bigger bodied bird, but I would like to know for sure.
Size difference notable here
Possible cull in the middle
Cull ^
^ The larger of the two in the picture below
^ Cull
Only wing shot I got of the three
Second question: This is in regards to lacing. The largest bodied cockerel has much heavier black lacing than the others, but is the largest in body frame. I am not considering this a culling factor, but would like to see if anyone has prior experience with a bird with this type of lacing. His hackles are also completely black, while the other two seem more of a hen line, if I had to put a name to it.
And a third, slightly unrelated question: At what age have your cocks become unviable? I really like the cock I have, though I am waiting to see how the cockerels mature, and would like to know how many breeding seasons I can get from him with the new stock.
I apologize for the long post, and appreciate any help I can get. Thank you!