Age to cull?

[Lil Chickie Mama]

I have posted and reposted ads for free roos to no avail. I really wanted someone to take them but have had a whole 0 replies. Now it looks like I'll have to cull a few

of my babies. DH says I can only have a max of 15 birds at a time and I have too high of a ratio of roos to hens. Anyway, I have Lavender Ameraucanas and they will be 14 weeks on Saturday. How old should they be? They are getting bigger but still seem a bit small but what do I know? I have asked an older farmer friend of mine that has done it before to come help me and the sweet man that he is, he is going to come whenever I ask him to. I promised him some meat too. Anyway, how old should they be? I know if they are too big and old, the meat will be tough, but how do I know when they are big enough to be worth it?

 

[Judy]

14-18 weeks seems to be the ideal time for tender and tasty meat. I read varying recommendations so that's kind of an average. We did most of ours in that age range and they were very good. They were not full size, but we got a 2.5 to 3 lb chicken. We did the last of them at 22 weeks, did not weigh them but most did not look much bigger. Haven't tried any yet.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

feed them some corn for a week or two (you can spoil them with treats, and it will make them more flavorful for your friend) and then have him do the deed....I'm sorry you are having to do this though!!!

 

[Lil Chickie Mama]

Love my chickies!! thanks for your condolences. I know I'll cry because I'm a big sappy girl, but they are my babies. And what stinks the most is that when I go out to cuddle them it's the very boys I have to get rid of that are the first to come up and say "Hi mom, have any treats?"

Poor roos. Why couldn't they have just been girls or been easier to find homes for? Anyway, thanks for the replies. I think I'll go over to TSC in a few days to see if they have anything (tools) to process them with.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Have you tried your local 4h office? How all have you gone about trying to get rid of them???

 

[Lil Chickie Mama]

Posted on BYC 2x, Posted on another Chicken site 2x, Posted on Craigslist 3x, asked all my chicken friends. Local 4H, hmm I didn't think of that. Thanks! I'll see if I can get a hold of them!

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Good luck! Keep us posted!!!

 

[Lil Chickie Mama]

Well, I called local 4H but no reply yet. I went out tonight to visit with my "kids" and they are so happy which is bittersweet. I'm glad I'm giving them a good life, but I can hear the axe swinging so to speak. I know which roos will stay and which will go. Mac is the only roo I've named and it's a good thing because he's the keeper of that bunch. Mac (looks like he's wearing makeup he's so beautiful and I like MAC makeup!) has gold streaks in his back feathers and silver in his neck feathers. I doubt it's what he should look like, but I think he's pretty! The other breed I have I will hold onto even if I have to separate them eventually as I promised not to eat them to their original owner. Those ones are the ones I'm really pushing to find good homes for even more. Wouldn't it be nice if we lived in a world where the roos could lay eggs too though? Ugh, oh well. Enough dreaming. I'll write again when there's more news.

 

[Baybrio]

OK, I'm a bid sap too, so I thought:

- Try taking some pictures and posting a flyer with their photos at your feed store.

- Try the "pets" section of Craigslist, not just the for sale section. Our Craigslist has a separate pets section where people post pleas for adoptable dogs.

On the other hand remember if you do process them you gave them a great life and without their own girls and space they would grow increasingly unhappy as they get older.

I was prepared to not enjoy the first group of broilers I raised. I did not name them, I did nothing to encourage them to be friendly, and guess what...they were all, by far, the friendliest chickens. So I made the mistake of keeping several over the winter (slow broilers so they were healthy). First the hens were loosing feathers from mating, Then, at some point in the winter they started to fight with each other, I had to separate them from each other. Then one decided to attack my niece. It wasn't much of an attack but it scared her. So I learned my lesson. We softies make the hard decisions for those in our care. Until we figure out how to hatch more females than males we are always going to have the roo dilemma.