Culling chicks - how do you do it?

[JacinLarkwell]

After they're dead, I can be certain: cut them open and look inside for testicles.

I prefer to start with the one who has the biggest comb and work my way down by comb size, checking each one after killing it. Often I can be 100% correct, but I never have more than one oops (because if I find a pullet, I know not to do any more.)

I personally judge by wattles. Comb size works too, but I seem personally way more accurate judging wattles mostly if not completely and the comb only if necessary

 

[NatJ]

I personally judge by wattles. Comb size works too, but I seem personally way more accurate judging wattles mostly if not completely and the comb only if necessary

Good point. Yes, I also find the wattles very useful; I actually look at both, but was a little lazy about what I typed.

 

[SourRoses]

(because if I find a pullet, I know not to do any more.)

That would be the saddest day for me personally. What a dreadful mistake.

I think it really depends on breed. For most breeds, 3-4 weeks is way too early. Heck, I have some 3 month olds I can't be certain of. But some do mature much faster.

I prefer to raise the boys to a harvestable age because at least their life is taken for a useful purpose. But to each her own. I still can't do the deed myself, lol.

 

[NatJ]

That would be the saddest day for me personally. What a dreadful mistake.

It's only happened to me a few times. I generally leave the "maybes" for a later time.

I prefer to raise the boys to a harvestable age because at least their life is taken for a useful purpose. But to each her own. I still can't do the deed myself, lol.

I've harvested and eaten some pretty small chickens, especially if they're bantams. When I think a chicken is "too small" to butcher, I remind myself that some people eat quail-- and the chicken in question is usually larger than a quail. They all taste fine.

 

[3KillerBs]

Even better, re-home them..

I give all my cull cockerels a chance on Craigslist before I eat them, but very few people want to buy cockerels unless they're a particularly desirable breed.

If you give them away most of the people who would want them will be wanting them to eat.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I give all my cull cockerels a chance on Craigslist before I eat them, but very few people want to buy cockerels unless they're a particularly desirable breed.

If you give them away most of the people who would want them will be wanting them to eat.

This. I rehomed 10 cockerels a week ago. If by rehome you mean someone else took them to feed their family

 

[Mrs. K]

I have never had a chick that I thought once, 'is that a rooster?' That didn't turn out to be a rooster, but I have way more than once, thought I had a pullet...when in fact it turned out to be a rooster.

Mrs K

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I have never had a chick that I thought once, 'is that a rooster?' That didn't turn out to be a rooster, but I have way more than once, thought I had a pullet...when in fact it turned out to be a rooster.

Mrs K

I hate looking at my 2 week Olds and finding roosters. Granted it's worse now with my sexlinks when I know in a few days without a doubt.

 

[bobbi-j]

If they are 3 to 4 weeks old they can't possibly be crowing and likely don't have any combs yet. They probably aren't fully feathered.

When you have both pullets and cockerels, sometimes it’s easy to tell early on, just by comparison. We all have different ways of managing our flocks. I am blessed to live where I can grow cockerels out to eating size. Not everyone is able to. As long as they don’t suffer (which is why OP came here asking questions in the first place), to each their own.

 

[3KillerBs]

I have never had a chick that I thought once, 'is that a rooster?' That didn't turn out to be a rooster, but I have way more than once, thought I had a pullet...when in fact it turned out to be a rooster.

Mrs K

I have a Black Australorp girl who is just now laying her first little eggs who spent a few weeks in Camp Cockerel because she matured fast and had a big comb.

Then I realized that all the others had lovely male saddles and she didn't.

So she went back to Neuchickenstein -- with remarkably little integration stress.