4th Annual BYC NYD Hatch-a-long

[champer]

Eat em! Your stomach will thank you (prolly your hens too

)

I would if I could actually kill them, I'm afraid I'd chop my arm off by mistake.

 

[tadpole98]

I'm not having eggy dreams, I'm having rooster nightmares! It is such a pain in the behind trying to get rid of the excess and there is always an excess of roos.

I know how that is! I have too many roosters. AND im hatching more AND im getting a free rooster from somebody in the city who loves his boy and cant eat him but has has to get rid of him. but then he asked for a hen in exchange instead of a processed chicken from in July when we had to kill off some of the boys. Not sure I can do that.. even though i cant tell half of them apart I dont want them to have to go to free range to a little backyard

 

[MarineCorpFarmr]

I would if I could actually kill them, I'm afraid I'd chop my arm off by mistake.

Its not as bad as it seems. Ive processed out 60+ this year. Heres a good starter link http://ramblingredneckmom.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-to-process-chickens-at-home.html

 

[champer]

Thanks, that was a good demonstration and sounds much safer (for me) than an axe!

 

[champer]

I know how that is! I have too many roosters. AND im hatching more AND im getting a free rooster from somebody in the city who loves his boy and cant eat him but has has to get rid of him. but then he asked for a hen in exchange instead of a processed chicken from in July when we had to kill off some of the boys. Not sure I can do that.. even though i cant tell half of them apart I dont want them to have to go to free range to a little backyard

A laying hen is not a fair trade for a rooster, the guy should be happy you are taking the roo off his hands!

 

[mstricer]

Quote: After you set them, tell him about your dream and then tell him you woke up and the hatching fairy came while you were a sleep and put a bunch of eggs in the incubator and turned it on, and now you have too hatch them, because they already started to grow LOL

I'm not having eggy dreams, I'm having rooster nightmares! It is such a pain in the behind trying to get rid of the excess and there is always an excess of roos.

Is there any auctions in your area. If nothing else put them on CL for 5$ some one will eat them up. Or you could take to a processor and eat them your self. My processor charges a little more for older birds

 

[Lacy Blues]

I would if I could actually kill them, I'm afraid I'd chop my arm off by mistake.

Here is a safe way...

Get two framing nails and drive them into a stump (or something similar) only about an inch or so, leaving 2.5 - 3" sticking up. Drive them about an inch and a half apart. Then you grab your rooster, pull his wing primaries down to his feet so that you can hold his legs and both wings at the same time. Put his neck between those two nails and straighten him out, putting tension on his neck to keep it straight and held still by the two nails. Then... make sure you have a sharp cleaver... its easier than an axe.

 

[cochins1088]

I've been pretty lucky with finding my excess roosters good homes. I always end up falling in love with anybody that I end up raising, so I could never send any of them to butcher (or to someone who will butcher). The last time I had to sell roosters, there were 6 of them. 2 went to a daycare (she told me the kids love them), 2 went to a family who had just recently lost their rooster to cyotes, 1 went to a hobby farm who simply wanted a rooster for his hens, and than that person told his friend how amazingly friendly this rooster was, so that friend called me and off the last one went. Each one ending up in a good home. Now, I sex them as chicks and aim for the hens when I pick the ones to keep. The rest I sell as stright run, though I try to make sure no one gets more than 50% roosters, naturally it seems I always hatch more hens and roos when I hatch from my own flock.

 

[Bettacreek]

Right now, we have six roosters. It's a lot, considering that we'd really only need three, however, I like the extra protection. I will get rid of one of my Ameraucana roosters eventually, but since the feed is free, and they all get along fairly well, and the roosters are all good to us and good to the hens, they haven't given me any reason to butcher them. Of course, when I start hatching off more leghorns, the new roos will have to go, along with any roosters I get from pretty much anything else I hatch. I want to get some olive eggers and something that lays a darker brown egg, but only need the hens and NO roosters from them (I just want a variety in the fridge, lol).

 

[champer]

Right now, we have six roosters. It's a lot, considering that we'd really only need three, however, I like the extra protection. I will get rid of one of my Ameraucana roosters eventually, but since the feed is free, and they all get along fairly well, and the roosters are all good to us and good to the hens, they haven't given me any reason to butcher them. Of course, when I start hatching off more leghorns, the new roos will have to go, along with any roosters I get from pretty much anything else I hatch. I want to get some olive eggers and something that lays a darker brown egg, but only need the hens and NO roosters from them (I just want a variety in the fridge, lo



I hatched 2 olive eggers in the Easter Hatch, unfortunately both were roos. I kept the pretty boy who looked sorta like a blue copper maran, sadly he is a total wuss.... I'm hoping he's just immature.