Considering my first attempts at culling roosters

[Airyaman]

Is there anyone in your area who will process them for you, including the kill? I’ve read posts here by people who use this.

Not sure how I would go about finding that out...

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'd call your county extension office and chat with them. Might call your local health department and see if anyone is licensed. See if you can put a notice on the bulletin board at your feed store, some will let you do that. Put an ad on Craigslist or whatever media you have available. Find your State thread in the "Where am I? Where are you!" section of this forum and chat with your neighbors.

 

[Airyaman]

I'd call your county extension office and chat with them. Might call your local health department and see if anyone is licensed. See if you can put a notice on the bulletin board at your feed store, some will let you do that. Put an ad on Craigslist or whatever media you have available. Find your State thread in the "Where am I? Where are you!" section of this forum and chat with your neighbors.

I have put ads on Craigslist and multiple FB groups to rehome them. Was successful about a month ago for two of the original 7, but no takers since then.

I suppose you are talking about processing though. Will try that.

 

[AshVau22]

Do you have a local poultry or small animal auction near you? I take my unwanted roos to auction. I also live in an area with a lot of Amish so we have butcher shops everywhere for processing. I've processed my own birds but I'm not a fan of it. So if I can avoid it I do.

 

[SnackMeat]

You'll find over time it helps to network in your area. You'll find out who is breeding what, who is looking for what, who might have supplies for sale, and in a pinch you can buy some emergency avian medicine off someone or get good suggestions.

For cockerels it also helps because you'll find out those, including BYM types who don't care about purebreds but like a certain type (in your case white and I assume yellow legs.) I have one poultry contacts love the crap out of the pictures I sent of two Cockerel bullies and took them even though out of everyone I was actually *really* looking forward to making them dinner, they were such jerks. But, they also took my sweetest roo, sadly a victim of their bullying (sorry, Schmaltz. Hope you grow up to kick their asses eventually.)


I have gotten people's roosters/cockerels to humanely dispatch for us to eat. I have also been asked to dispatch poultry and because of the work involved, I said I would do the first time as a favor but after that I would want a one duck for you, one such for me as payment type deal.

It does suck when you have a particularly rare breed, or excellent specimen, or just simply the best personality rooster/Cockerel. The interesting thing to keep in mind is there are chicken people tucked *everywhere* so the more people you talk to, the more you can grow your network to find that random person who just lost their rooster and is looking for another.

And, sometimes, I have heard of trading Cockerel for Cockerel so that you don't have to dispatch/eat your own.


Lots of videos online about culling and processing. I prefer the broomstick method, and while I don't like cutting their veins to bleed them, processing them after the fact when they haven't pumped any out is worse so I think I have overcome that.


Depending on land and resources, there's always a bachelor colony. Or, if you're in city limits, a crow collar or letting them out later than the chickens so his crows are muffled.

 

[Carontheroad]

Has anyone here used crow collars? I’m looking on Amazon and they have poor reviews but the only ones they sell are the skinny velcro ones. I read that someone used a neoprene wrist band that worked well and is quite a bit wider.

Our 9 cockerels have stepped it up a notch in the crowing dept. and I need to try something. I think once we finish the bachelor coop for 6 of them then things should quieten down (hopefully). So far the neighbors haven’t come over to complain but…. We live in a rural area but share a 10 acre property with 2 other families.

We were going to put a few small windows in the new coop to give them a view but I’ve read that a windowless coop will stop the dawn crowing. Will they want to even go in a windowless coop? Our main coop has a very large window right by their roost so it would be quite different to have no window. Maybe I should put some sort of curtain over the window in the main coop. Would this minimize the early morning crowing?

 

[Mrs. K]

Our 9 cockerels have stepped it up a notch in the crowing dept. and I need to try something.

I would not count on the bachelor pad doing much about crowing.
Crowing contests are real, and I don't think that you can do anything about them that will work enough for the neighbors not to complain.
Even insulated, totally dark coops don't work that great for a single rooster, as they begin to resist going into them. Getting 6 of them in there will be tough. What are you going to do with the other 3?

The thing is, if you get it soundproof, you really have to have it pretty air tight, and that leaves your bird in damp, dark, and unhealthy air. If you let in air, well generally you let in light, and you have crowing.
The romantic possibility of keeping all the roosters, is about to get ugly with reality.

Years ago, I bought 25 straight run, and wound up with 8 roosters. I have a second coop, and as they got to be a bit much for the flock, I put them there. It was already to go, and there, we didn't wait to build it. It was out of sight of the hens. Having a dominant rooster did nothing.

The crowing was a nightmare, and even a 100 yards from my house, there was a din, and my brother could hear them (not quite as irritating) 1 mile away.

Personally, I got up one morning about 5:00, butchered them, made stock and canned up chicken soup for the long dark days of winter. It was considerably nicer having those boys on the pantry shelf, and they were quiet there.

Mrs K

 

[Carontheroad]

I would not count on the bachelor pad doing much about crowing.
Crowing contests are real, and I don't think that you can do anything about them that will work enough for the neighbors not to complain.
Even insulated, totally dark coops don't work that great for a single rooster, as they begin to resist going into them. Getting 6 of them in there will be tough. What are you going to do with the other 3?

The thing is, if you get it soundproof, you really have to have it pretty air tight, and that leaves your bird in damp, dark, and unhealthy air. If you let in air, well generally you let in light, and you have crowing.
The romantic possibility of keeping all the roosters, is about to get ugly with reality.

Years ago, I bought 25 straight run, and wound up with 8 roosters. I have a second coop, and as they got to be a bit much for the flock, I put them there. It was already to go, and there, we didn't wait to build it. It was out of sight of the hens. Having a dominant rooster did nothing.

The crowing was a nightmare, and even a 100 yards from my house, there was a din, and my brother could hear them (not quite as irritating) 1 mile away.

Personally, I got up one morning about 5:00, butchered them, made stock and canned up chicken soup for the long dark days of winter. It was considerably nicer having those boys on the pantry shelf, and they were quiet there.

Mrs K

Yes all good points. I don’t know how people successfully keep bachelor pads then. My husband is a carpenter and so the bachelor coop will be ready in a few days hopefully but I think we will add windows. It is quite tucked away with sound barriers all around it. The sound is quite muted when they are in our current walk in coop even with the ventilation. It is all wood from the hubby’s sawmill so no thin walls or plywood.

The other 3 we plan to keep with our 25 hens. It’s really just 2 plus a less than robust one that I helped hatch (bad move) who has a foot deformity. We are quite fond of him. He’s very quiet, I haven’t heard him crow. He mainly sits and watches everyone else. I want to rehome the other 6 but you know how difficult that can be. No luck so far.

My last resort is to butcher them but I’m not quite there yet as they are still enjoyable. Do you think breed makes a difference somewhat?

There is a lady up island from me that has a rooster drop off and currently she has 50! I don’t plan to burden her with mine but I thought I might phone her for advice on how she keeps things quieter. She rehomes them, or if unable she butchers them. She has all breeds and only takes healthy birds. People know about her and so she has a fair bit of success rehoming.

Question: Do they quieten down with age? Mine are currently entering there randy stage I would guess. I was out there watering my plants and when they started to crow I would squirt them which cut the crow short. It was admittedly humorous but I don’t want them to see me as the enemy. Did you ever try the collars Mrs. K?

Land topography might also be a factor for sound. We are in the woods up against a mountain so the sound may not carry as well. Time will tell. In the meantime I best get my friend ready to come and show me how to butcher if/when it comes to that. Right now, just looking for people who have had success with bachelor coops.

 

[Mrs. K]

Will you have a run attached, so that they can go outside? Because my boys did not just crow in the early morning, they crowed all day long. Personally I think it is important to give them sunshine and fresh air, but that might just the way I like to keep them.

I had mine in the bachelor pad until they were not quite 4 months. But I will admit, I never planned to keep them there forever.

If you struggle with culling, don't hatch or buy straight run. More and more roosters can just ruin the whole thing. If you get a broody hen, just put day old sex linked birds under her.

It is not fun to butcher, I hatched out two roosters this spring. But it is kind of satisfying to provide for yourself, and give them a clean, quick end.

As to the collars, no, I haven't tried one. I did try aprons once, but they hated them. I don't like putting things on them. There are several posts, where either they don't work, or the bird chokes.

Mrs K

 

[Carontheroad]

Will you have a run attached, so that they can go outside? Because my boys did not just crow in the early morning, they crowed all day long. Personally I think it is important to give them sunshine and fresh air, but that might just the way I like to keep them.

I had mine in the bachelor pad until they were not quite 4 months. But I will admit, I never planned to keep them there forever.

If you struggle with culling, don't hatch or buy straight run. More and more roosters can just ruin the whole thing. If you get a broody hen, just put day old sex linked birds under her.

It is not fun to butcher, I hatched out two roosters this spring. But it is kind of satisfying to provide for yourself, and give them a clean, quick end.

As to the collars, no, I haven't tried one. I did try aprons once, but they hated them. I don't like putting things on them. There are several posts, where either they don't work, or the bird chokes.

Mrs K

We hope to free range them like we are now but will definitely have a run attached as well.

I’m sure I can kill them when the time comes. I’m not squeamish ( retired RN). I did a mini autopsy on one that died and found a big lash egg. I just pity roosters as no one wants them and the hubby and I quite like their personalities. I’ve read if you can make it past the 6 week randy stage, they settle down quite alot.

The hubby was reading an article about how good classical music (esp. at 432 hertz) is for anxiety, dementia, seizures, etc. He had the brilliant idea to try it on the chickens so we are going to experiment. Lol. Stay tuned…