Arizona Chickens

[BlueBaby]

Bielefelder eggs would be a GREAT start of a flock for someone who wants to hatch - You can tell male from female right after hatch!

And you know that is the reason why I'm going with just this breed now. I thought that I would give the AZ. people a chance to get some of these for that New Year's hatch-a-long in case they wanted to join but they didn't have any fertile egg's to do so. I'll be washing them and putting them in my fridge Saturday night if nobody want's them. I already have 6 dozen of those egg's in the fridge, so I'll have to cook some more up again to mix into the wet feed for the chicken's. That helps to give them extra protein for the colder weather.

I love the idea of telling the sex of the chick's at hatch. You are able to separate the males from the female's to put them in separate brooder's if you wanted to. Or on the case of people that can't have any rooster, they would be able to know and part with the boy's right away before they got attached to them.

 

[KToddy]

Great advice- thank you for taking the time to reply. She isn’t as mopey yesterday and today. Even hanging out with the flock some. She comes right up to me for some cuddles when I go into the yard- like we’re besties now. her peck

 

[igorsMistress]

Bielefelder eggs would be a GREAT start of a flock for someone who wants to hatch - You can tell male from female right after hatch!

I’m curious about what you find advantageous in that? Unless a person is going to cull day old chicks? How would you even do that? Break their little necks? Or toss them in a bucket of water?

 

[cavemanrich]

I’m curious about what you find advantageous in that?

In my case, I can only keep hens, and NO ROOSTERS in my area. This way I can purchase day old chicks, and not worry about a SURPRISE ROOSTER. . Rehoming the roosters can be a challenge for many chicken keepers.
There are other individuals that do not mind keeping/raising roosters for table consumption.
If I would live out in the country, with 5 acres of land, I most certainly would hatch chickens and eat the roosters.

 

[igorsMistress]

In my case, I can only keep hens, and NO ROOSTERS in my area. This way I can purchase day old chicks, and not worry about a SURPRISE ROOSTER. . Rehoming the roosters can be a challenge for many chicken keepers.
There are other individuals that do not mind keeping/raising roosters for table consumption.
If I would live out in the country, with 5 acres of land, I most certainly would hatch chickens and eat the roosters.

I understand that, my question is really around what people do with a newly hatched cockerel if they’re in your situation and hatch one.

 

[springvalley123]

I understand that, my question is really around what people do with a newly hatched cockerel if they’re in your situation and hatch one.

I guessed that hopefully they'd pen them separately for grow-out until they reached a good size for processing. I don't know about many of the autosexing breeds, but I do know that as the young birds go through their molts, they're not always autosexing, so if that applies to bielefelders, separate pens would be an advantage--they could sell the extra females without accidentally selling a cockerel as a pullet.

 

[BlueBaby]

I guessed that hopefully they'd pen them separately for grow-out until they reached a good size for processing. I don't know about many of the autosexing breeds, but I do know that as the young birds go through their molts, they're not always autosexing, so if that applies to bielefelders, separate pens would be an advantage--they could sell the extra females without accidentally selling a cockerel as a pullet.

No, as they go through those molt's, you can still see the difference between the males and females. The reason why I said that you can separate the sexes right after hatch may have different purposes for different people.

What I have noticed in the different breed's of chick's that I have had is that the boy's hog the food more and sometime's the girl's are the one's pushed away from food. That is why I said that they could be easily separted at hatch. It would give the girl's less competition over the food. Also, if you are going to keep the boy's as food, you already have them separtated before they even grow out to be big enough to eat. If you want to be able to give them a chance to be rehomed for another flock, then you already have all the boy's in one spot so that you can grab them with less upset to the girl's because you are not messing with them.

The Bielefelder rooster's are not human agressive. Mine never has tried to come at me.

 

[CaroleW]

I’m curious about what you find advantageous in that? Unless a person is going to cull day old chicks? How would you even do that? Break their little necks? Or toss them in a bucket of water?

I realize not everybody has the same goals or circumstances but I can have cockerals where I am.

I can sell females for more sooner to those who can't have roosters. I let my roosters do work tilling, composting and fertilizing until I pick the best for breeding and the rest can go in my or neighbor's freezer. It's an advantage to me to be able to reassure my customers that they are not getting a roo even if they buy a day old chick.

NOTE: I currently have 9 roosters, I have pens for about 7 as breeders. My cockerals/roosters have a very good life either as breeders or tillers and a single bad day. More than I can say for most cockerals who don't live past day one at a hatchery.

 

[BlueBaby]

I realize not everybody has the same goals or circumstances but I can have cockerals where I am.

I can sell females for more sooner to those who can't have roosters. I let my roosters do work tilling, composting and fertilizing until I pick the best for breeding and the rest can go in my or neighbor's freezer. It's an advantage to me to be able to reassure my customers that they are not getting a roo even if they buy a day old chick.

NOTE: I currently have 9 roosters, I have pens for about 7 as breeders. My cockerals/roosters have a very good life either as breeders or tillers and a single bad day. More than I can say for most cockerals who don't live past day one at a hatchery.

I agree, and with the coming food shortages that they said was coming at least we can invite the cockerel's to dinner if we need to. I'm not selling any of the girl's that I have right now. I do have 2 cockerel's that are grow-out's. For the time being, I'll only be selling the hatching egg's if someone want's to hatch thier own. I might do a hatch from my flock of these in the spring depending on the situation on the food supply.

 

[CaroleW]

I agree, and with the coming food shortages that they said was coming at least we can invite the cockerel's to dinner if we need to. I'm not selling any of the girl's that I have right now. I do have 2 cockerel's that are grow-out's. For the time being, I'll only be selling the hatching egg's if someone want's to hatch thier own. I might do a hatch from my flock of these in the spring depending on the situation on the food supply.

Food and fertilizer shortages could drive a lot of things in the future. Cockerals are part of a solution on both issues and have a job here to fulfill as long as I can feed them (feed does not have to all be commercial feed, alternatives exist- 1 is in the compost itself). They actually live/love to till and turn compost as a natural expression of being a chicken!