A good time to get a rooster? And other breeding questions!

We have the acreage and my husband plans on building a shop so the smaller one he uses now, which is right next to the coop we have, can be converted into another coop for separation purposes. I do not mind the reds.

Does anyone have trouble getting rid of chicks if they have too many? I know it sounds like a silly question, but if we hatch 20 and find it is just too much, would it be hard to sell or give them away?!
 
We have the acreage and my husband plans on building a shop so the smaller one he uses now, which is right next to the coop we have, can be converted into another coop for separation purposes. I do not mind the reds.
Does anyone have trouble getting rid of chicks if they have too many? I know it sounds like a silly question, but if we hatch 20 and find it is just too much, would it be hard to sell or give them away?!


That is a tough question as gender is 50/50 but you could still end up with five hens and fifteen roosters. Unless your cockerels are "special" then yes they are often given away to the crockpot. I wouldn't bother with sex linked breeding at your scale unless you want to cull the male chicks ASAP. It really depends on your breeding goals....
 
We have the acreage and my husband plans on building a shop so the smaller one he uses now, which is right next to the coop we have, can be converted into another coop for separation purposes. I do not mind the reds.
Does anyone have trouble getting rid of chicks if they have too many? I know it sounds like a silly question, but if we hatch 20 and find it is just too much, would it be hard to sell or give them away?!
Depends on your area. Are you up to eating your excess birds? That will be the ideal way to deal with them.
You can check your local craigslist or feed store to get an idea of how birds sell in your area. Keep in mind, though, this is probably the slowest time of year.
Being able to guarantee sexed pullets will make your birds easier to sell if you want. Or, keep your hatchings small until you know this is really for you. It's easy to get carried away with the miracle of life and the cute baby chicks, but then you have 30 young roosters all starting to crow and no time to process them, or room in the freezer!
 
Ok, you ignored pipers wisdom and advice and listened to the adult instead! Typical adult.

Ummmm...who is Piper? And what advice and wisdom are you referring to?

We are not averse to using the roosters as meat birds, if need be. Not preferable, but my dear husband would like to start some meat birds as well. I think I will remain in charge of the laying ladies. ;)



I just saw there were replies, so
img_5214.jpg
I apologize for not getting back sooner!
 
The really big picture above is what my Reds look like, for the most part. Not my red, but one a lot like them! Sorry the image is so large.
 

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