Can you donate birds?

[A.T. Hagan]

4-H is an extension program so if you want to find local 4-H groups call your local county extension office and ask to speak with the 4-H program head. They in turn should be able to put you in contact with your local club leaders.

Now as to whether anyone will want the birds that depends on whether any of the kids want to do poultry projects and whether they already have their birds. In my club there are two kids doing poultry. Other clubs have more, some have none.

Are your excess roosters from a hatchery or a breeder?

.....Alan.

 

[silkiechicken]

Quote:
Depends on where you are. In some cultures, the dark meat is a delicacy! They cost about 8-10 a lb at the store frozen.

 

[redrocketrooster]

A.T. Hagan :

4-H is an extension program so if you want to find local 4-H groups call your local county extension office and ask to speak with the 4-H program head. They in turn should be able to put you in contact with your local club leaders.

Now as to whether anyone will want the birds that depends on whether any of the kids want to do poultry projects and whether they already have their birds. In my club there are two kids doing poultry. Other clubs have more, some have none.

Are your excess roosters from a hatchery or a breeder?

.....Alan.

I don't plan on any hatcheries, show birds from great breeders only.

It's still in the future but I plan on buying hatching eggs so there will be some I won't be able to keep anyway.
I say in the future because I am getting an incubator as a gift and I need to save some more up for those oh so wonderful eggs.​

 

[nifftiness]

I had read that with silkies, often when the girls and boys are raised together that you can have more then one boy without the usual fighting. Mabe you could peacefully keep everyone?

 

[abanjaf]

Last year out of 18 chicks, I wound up with 5 roos (some chick breeds were straight-run). One bantam cochin was particularly nasty towards one of my Polish girls. He is currently living a life of contentment at one of the local feed stores where he gets to run with other chickens, pheasant, and peacocks. We see him everytime we go there. Of the 5 Silkie chicks, I wound up with 3 roos. One of them continually picked on another. The two in question went to a local free range chicken farm where the owner assured me he would find good homes for them. I can only hope for the best for them. I kept two roos, a Blue Laced Red Wyandotte and a Splash Silkie. They get along great and I have no problems with either one of them. The guys have 13 hens, but the BLRW has 5 girls he prefers and the Silkie sticks to the two Silkie hens. I don't know if they get along so well because they are not in competition with each other or what. You may just have to play it by ear and see how they behave. If you had enough hens to go around to keep the guys happy, then it might work. I wish you the best of luck!

 

[flower]

The 4-H programs are a co-operative effort between the state university programs and the local groups that form them. They ARE an extension of the universities and the funding for education originate in the state and federal goverment.They are all about education in agriculture and anything needed in a community to foster co-operative learning involving children and adults. They have a huge web network.

When my kids were growing up we belonged to a group and I was a group leader/volunteer. Because most of AZ is rural I am assuming that you could find a local group where you could get information. BTY 4-H is found in many other places including an extensive program in Formosa/Taiwan.

 

[Shannon33]

Thanks everyone some very good points. I think I will play it by ear and see just how many roosters I get and how they all get along. Maybe I will defy all odds and only get one or none! (yeah right, lol) If I have too many or problems, I will call the county extension office like Alan suggested and see if I can find a club leader to talk to. The birds are from a hatchery, so I doubt any will be SQ. Too early to tell what they will look like though they all have correct toes and such so far. We are in a very small rural area though, and I have heard the standards aren't usually as high if the kids wanted to show around here. I could also try to find them homes through here I suppose.

 

[noitulover]

if you list them on craigslist, you might mention that their breed (silkie), isn't known to be particularly aggressive... unless of course the ones you have are...

that might discourage cock-fighters.

 

[briteday]

I have had great success with 4H kids adopting my silkie roosters. Every one of them has found a home. I contacted the 4H office in my area, got the name of the poultry group leader, and let her know that I would GIVE AWAY, for free, my silkie roosters. The kids came in droves and I am keeping a list for the future.

As far as other breeds of male chicks, I can tell with my hatches since some are sexlinked and others are obviously boys by their physical characteristics, those chicks go to people in my area who raise reptiles. We also have a small zoo in our area that would love to have any extra live birds to feed to their animals of prey.

Everything has to eat and chickens are just one small part of the food chain.

 

[newduckie]

Quote:
I have 3 silkie roosters. Also one other rooser that is black and gray. very pretty, but not a silkie. My red silkie is soooo mean. He is continually fighting with the other roos...