Unsure on what to do with male chicks in the future

[saving grace]

Earlier this year I got 20 straight run chicks. My plan for any extra cockerels was to wait till they're about 15 weeks old, then butcher them for food. This plan did NOT work, as the cockerels got extremely aggressive at only 9-10 weeks old, so we had to butcher them early and they had barely any meat on them. I really want to avoid this happening again in the future. The chicks I got this year were EEs, and I plan to hatch some of my own in the near future.

From my research on what to do with unwanted male chicks, most people either raise for meat or sell them. I did try selling my EE cockerels this year, to see if anyone was interested, but absolutely no one was. There are so many unwanted roosters around here, and I really doubt anyone will be interested in any of mine, especially if they aren't a pure breed.

I know some people cull cockerels as soon as they can tell they are males. A lot of people frown on that as a waste of a chicken's life, but I feel like that may be my only option. I also don't love the idea of spending so much on feed, if I most likely won't be getting anything from the cockerel.

I know this is a controversial topic. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[LaFleche]

You could separate the cockerels in a bachelor pad, so they will not be able to harass the pullets and can grow out nicely until they have gained enough weight to serve as dinner.

And maybe choose a breed that is calmer and willhave more meat on them than EEs.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I have rabbit stackers for this reason. Not a lot of people like it because they're not a lot of room (2x2, so about 4 sq feet for a bird or two depending on other things), but it keeps them from causing problems and also keeps the particularly nasty ones from going after people. Also useful when you're like me and have a big mixed flock, to stage males out. When I process my 2 or 3 (we take a while cause we're still new to processing and so it take a good couple hours to do just 2 or 3), I go out and grab the next ones out of the flock and put them in the standby cages

 

[LaFleche]

I know some people cull cockerels as soon as they can tell they are males. A lot of people frown on that as a waste of a chicken's life, but I feel like that may be my only option.

If you have dogs (or cats) and would like for them to have a nice and healthy treat, you could feed them the previously culled male chicks, so they will still serve a purpose and would not be wasted.

 

[saving grace]

You could separate the cockerels in a bachelor pad, so they will not be able to harass the pullets and can grow out nicely until they have gained enough weight to serve as dinner.

And maybe choose a breed that is calmer and willhave more meat on them than EEs.

With my previous batch, we separated the pullets from the cockerels to see if they would calm down afterwards. It didn't help at all, and they kept fighting aggressively with each other.
It probably is because they are EE cockerels, but I definitely do want more EEs in the future.

If you have dogs (or cats) and would like for them to have a nice and healthy treat, you could feed them the previously culled male chicks, so they will still serve a purpose and would not be wasted.

I do have 4 cats, and that sounds like a really good idea. If it comes down to culling them, that will make it seem less wasteful.

I have rabbit stackers for this reason. Not a lot of people like it because they're not a lot of room (2x2, so about 4 sq feet for a bird or two depending on other things), but it keeps them from causing problems and also keeps the particularly nasty ones from going after people. Also useful when you're like me and have a big mixed flock, to stage males out. When I process my 2 or 3 (we take a while cause we're still new to processing and so it take a good couple hours to do just 2 or 3), I go out and grab the next ones out of the flock and put them in the standby cages

While I do like that idea, it seems like a hassle, and we don't have the space for it.

 

[LaFleche]

With my previous batch, we separated the pullets from the cockerels to see if they would calm down afterwards. It didn't help at all, and they kept fighting aggressively with each other.
It probably is because they are EE cockerels, but I definitely do want more EEs in the future.

The bachelor pad should be set up out of sight of the females, so the cockerels will not get agitated by seeing them all the time.

 

[Jory]

I give mine to the reptile rescue here.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

That's the nice thing about stackers. I can stack mine 3 high, so if I absolutely must, I can fit up to 6 smaller birds in 4 sq feet of floor space. And I figure moving males out asap is better than dealing with the 2m1f ratio I apparently got with my younglings this year. Of course, bow that the undesirables are gone, it's harder to pick who goes n3xt since I'm stuck mainly with amazing males left

With my previous batch, we separated the pullets from the cockerels to see if they would calm down afterwards. It didn't help at all, and they kept fighting aggressively with each other.
It probably is because they are EE cockerels, but I definitely do want more EEs in the future.


I do have 4 cats, and that sounds like a really good idea. If it comes down to culling them, that will make it seem less wasteful.


While I do like that idea, it seems like a hassle, and we don't have the space for it.

 

[aart]

Was lack of space part of the problem?
Crowding can definitely cause aggression issues.

For one of my sexlinked hatches I euthanized and froze 1wo chicks for a raptor rescue.

 

[Brooks_]

Was lack of space part of the problem?
Crowding can definitely cause aggression issues.

For one of my sexlinked hatches I euthanized and froze 1wo chicks for a raptor rescue.

How do they rescue after freezer camp?