Time to process my extra males

[Sill]

I've got 11 extra male jumbo browns that I need to process. Some are not so jumbo so are not breeding materiel. A couple are just mean to the girls

so they've been replaced. They are wasting food and crowing at 2 and 3am so they need to go to freezer camp. I've watched videos (thanks DC your vids are super informative) and think I've got the process down so I can do it with out causing the birds to suffer. But I've never had to process birds let alone birds I've raised so I'm just trying to get the courage up to just do it.

OK, just going to go do it...

 

[rhoffart]

Yea, after your first set it's not bad. The first is always the worst feeling. I just breast them out now, I found all the extra work for the little meat isn't worth it. Kinda like this dove video:

 

[dc3085]

I've got 11 extra male jumbo browns that I need to process. Some are not so jumbo so are not breeding materiel. A couple are just mean to the girls

so they've been replaced. They are wasting food and crowing at 2 and 3am so they need to go to freezer camp. I've watched videos (thanks DC your vids are super informative) and think I've got the process down so I can do it with out causing the birds to suffer. But I've never had to process birds let alone birds I've raised so I'm just trying to get the courage up to just do it.

OK, just going to go do it...

Glad the videos helped.

I know how irritating mean roosters can get. I've never abused an animal but when i get a really aggressive rooster, I just want to punt it across the cage for his behavior...But that would bruise the meat

 

[Dragons4u]

Years ago I took care of some friends buff orp chickens. His rooster was this huge mean thing that attacked anyone that came near the coop that wasn't family.
The first day I went in to collect eggs that guy tore my legs. The next day when I went in, he charged at me and I did punt him clear across the run. That rooster hit the ground, reared up and charged again straight at me.
I was ready to give him the boot again, but he just ran up, pecked my shoe lightly twice and walked away.
From that point on every day, when I would go in, he'd run up peck my shoe and then walk away, like, hey I did my job and that all I have to do.

 

[Quail Jailer]

Glad the videos helped.

I know how irritating mean roosters can get. I've never abused an animal but when i get a really aggressive rooster, I just want to punt it across the cage for his behavior...But that would bruise the meat

I told another poster this morning, I just sold one of those "troublesome" roosters to a meat customer, I told the guy, that bird has been a A- -

from the moment he learned to crow, I said "before you kill him, how about slapping him around a bit for me"

of course I was kidding!

 

[LavLady]

I still think the cigar pecking reincarnate of a STOMP cast member quail is cool.

I am also dreading processing my first batch of quail, I have 2 ready now, but there will be 5 more in a few weeks, so I was just going to wait until they were all ready. I can see how fast these things will come to overpopulate me if I am not careful though. Right now my 3 hens make 20 eggs a week for me, I will soon go from 3 hens to 20. So, that'd be what, 140 eggs a week? I'm going to need more incubator space! (and maybe a bigger freezer...)

I want to thank QuailJailer for the detailed instructions and the pictures of his shears so I know what to get. Knowing is half the battle. (The other half is chopping their cute little heads off. ) I am hoping to practice on a rooster next weekend. He is on a game bird feed this week as a finishing diet since he is not a heavy breed chicken, I want to put a little weight on him and I have tons of game bird feed, so why not? I know to hold feed for 12-24 hours so Friday he'll get breakfast but not lunch...

 

[dc3085]

In trying to breed my italians for color pattern I accidentally created some pretty aggressive birds. A large percentage of the chicks from this one golden tuxedo roo were just evil. I ended up going through all my cages and just deleting (read as eating) that entire line of birds because even the hens were mean. It's a good thing I got rid of them because I couldn't stop thinking about tossing them in with the chukars to let them see what it's like to get bullied. That reminds me that I miss my miserable, nervous, murdering chukars, I think I'll hatch a few.

 

[Sill]

Yea, after your first set it's not bad. The first is always the worst feeling. I just breast them out now, I found all the extra work for the little meat isn't worth it. Kinda like this dove video:

Interesting video. At least quail have a little more meat on their legs since they are ground birds and walk all day. Though for the real tiny ones maybe just breasting them wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Glad the videos helped.

I know how irritating mean roosters can get. I've never abused an animal but when i get a really aggressive rooster, I just want to punt it across the cage for his behavior...But that would bruise the meat

Yes, mustn't bruise the meat.

Years ago I took care of some friends buff orp chickens. His rooster was this huge mean thing that attacked anyone that came near the coop that wasn't family.
The first day I went in to collect eggs that guy tore my legs. The next day when I went in, he charged at me and I did punt him clear across the run. That rooster hit the ground, reared up and charged again straight at me.
I was ready to give him the boot again, but he just ran up, pecked my shoe lightly twice and walked away.
From that point on every day, when I would go in, he'd run up peck my shoe and then walk away, like, hey I did my job and that all I have to do.

Funny that roo did his ritual besting of you that way. Had to put on a show for the girls? My sister's buff orp roo was super mean too. She was able to best him and he did respect her but ANYone else that came near was attacked. She replaced him as soon as she was able.

I told another poster this morning, I just sold one of those "troublesome" roosters to a meat customer, I told the guy, that bird has been a A- -

from the moment he learned to crow, I said "before you kill him, how about slapping him around a bit for me"

of course I was kidding!

They sure can make you feel that way!

I still think the cigar pecking reincarnate of a STOMP cast member quail is cool.

I am also dreading processing my first batch of quail, I have 2 ready now, but there will be 5 more in a few weeks, so I was just going to wait until they were all ready. I can see how fast these things will come to overpopulate me if I am not careful though. Right now my 3 hens make 20 eggs a week for me, I will soon go from 3 hens to 20. So, that'd be what, 140 eggs a week? I'm going to need more incubator space! (and maybe a bigger freezer...)

I want to thank QuailJailer for the detailed instructions and the pictures of his shears so I know what to get. Knowing is half the battle. (The other half is chopping their cute little heads off. ) I am hoping to practice on a rooster next weekend. He is on a game bird feed this week as a finishing diet since he is not a heavy breed chicken, I want to put a little weight on him and I have tons of game bird feed, so why not? I know to hold feed for 12-24 hours so Friday he'll get breakfast but not lunch...

I didn't know to fast them first. I learned my lesson! It was way messier than it needed to be because they had feed in their systems!

 

[Sill]

In trying to breed my italians for color pattern I accidentally created some pretty aggressive birds. A large percentage of the chicks from this one golden tuxedo roo were just evil. I ended up going through all my cages and just deleting (read as eating) that entire line of birds because even the hens were mean. It's a good thing I got rid of them because I couldn't stop thinking about tossing them in with the chukars to let them see what it's like to get bullied. That reminds me that I miss my miserable, nervous, murdering chukars, I think I'll hatch a few.

I've been lucky that the breeder I got my jumbos from bred for temperament as well as size. My remaining roos are so nice to the girls. It appears they are getting their job done too. I was worried if I got rid of some of the aggressive roos the hens would bully the less aggressive ones and not get bred but so far so good.

Chukars huh? They sound delightful. I understand they are tasty. Maybe that makes up for their lovely dispositions?

 

[LavLady]

Chukars huh? They sound delightful. I understand they are tasty. Maybe that makes up for their lovely dispositions?

There is a thread in the pheasant section with this kid (I presume) who is hand raising a chuckar. The little thing follows him on his bike and everything. I think it is titiled something like "chuckar day by day."

My reeves seem a bit evil. I think they are little demons. They constantly send one one way as a distraction and all the others go the other way to escape. If they were't so gosh darn beautiful I'd tell them to take a hike!