Culling the Roos

[Jenniedot777]

Of my 12 chicks, I looks like 8 are Boys. Obviously, that’s not gonna work out long term (they are between 9-12 weeks). When do you Cull then? It’s already starting to get feisty out there.

 

[Harmony Fowl]

We’ve started doing the biggest ones at 12ish weeks. Any that are smaller get a few extra weeks to make it more worth the effort.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Yeah, you can do it any time but I usually wait till I can't stand it any more. But if you are going to be breeding pure breeds and want to improve your flock/s, it is better to wait till they exhibit their adult characteristics. Early on, you can spot obvious flaws so can start identifying those you definitely don't want to breed and butcher those first. That way you thin the herd but still have 3 or 4 nice specimens you can wait to choose from.

 

[Jenniedot777]

Yeah, you can do it any time but I usually wait till I can't stand it any more. But if you are going to be breeding pure breeds and want to improve your flock/s, it is better to wait till they exhibit their adult characteristics. Early on, you can spot obvious flaws so can start identifying those you definitely don't want to breed and butcher those first. That way you thin the herd but still have 3 or 4 nice specimens you can wait to choose from.

Thanks! I’m not really planning on breeding any pure .. I might keep my Maran or EE ( which is in the roo fence) for fun colors... otherwise they got to go

 

[ChickenCanoe]

OK then you have much less to concern yourself with.
If there are marans or EEs among you pullets, consider that crossing those two (if in fact your marans came from dark eggs) you'll likely get an olive egger.

 

[Jenniedot777]

OK then you have much less to concern yourself with.
If there are marans or EEs among you pullets, consider that crossing those two (if in fact your marans came from dark eggs) you'll likely get an olive egger.

I had read that and that’s exactly what my thought was... unfortunately I’ll have to see. This batch only had one EE and 1 Maran but I have chicks in the house and at least 5 EEs and 4 Marans.. is here’s hoping 2-3 are pullets!!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Do you plan to eat them? "Cull" can mean many different things. Have you butchered chickens before?

You can eat any chicken of any age, size, or sex, but there won't be much meat on yours until they are at least 16 weeks. I actually prefer closer to 23 weeks. But the older they get the more you have to watch how you cook them. Some people are happy to fry or grill cockerels as late as 16 weeks but for many that are used to store chicken 12 weeks might be the cut-off. Once cockerels hit puberty and the hormones start flowing the meat can take on a stronger flavor too. Some of us like that, some don't. There are a lot of variables here, but no matter what you decide on age, rest assured plenty of other people do what you are doing.

It can get pretty rowdy down there when the cockerels hit puberty. Yours probably aren't there yet but it won't be long. What I suggest is that you make a bachelor pad. House all the cockerels together with no females to fight over. They will still sort out the pecking order/dominance issues but with no girls it's usually not much worse than a bunch of pullets going through puberty/sorting the pecking order.

You will find that they grow and mature at different rates. It's not purely just about age. Butcher them when you want, maybe experimenting a bit with age and maturity. By trial and error find what works best for you as far as when to butcher and how to cook them.

Another advantage of the bachelor pad is that by the time you select your final male to keep, the pullets and that cockerel will have gone through some of the maturing process. It may still be exciting down there as he takes over his flock but you will probably skip a lot of the drama if they are a little older.

Good luck and welcome to the forum.

 

[gimmie birdies]

When I have culled before, I have a hatchet (head feet removal)' a sharp knife (good for taking off the coat,feathers and all, I don't pluck, careful not to cut your fingers) heavy duty wire clippers (I use that to clip the collar bones to remove the breast from the body) And I just keep the breast meat and the legs.

I have been lucky enough to find homes for roosters the last few years so it is not a worry, plus hubby doesn't approve of my culling anyone.

 

[Jenniedot777]

Do you plan to eat them? "Cull" can mean many different things. Have you butchered chickens before?

You can eat any chicken of any age, size, or sex, but there won't be much meat on yours until they are at least 16 weeks. I actually prefer closer to 23 weeks. But the older they get the more you have to watch how you cook them. Some people are happy to fry or grill cockerels as late as 16 weeks but for many that are used to store chicken 12 weeks might be the cut-off. Once cockerels hit puberty and the hormones start flowing the meat can take on a stronger flavor too. Some of us like that, some don't. There are a lot of variables here, but no matter what you decide on age, rest assured plenty of other people do what you are doing.

It can get pretty rowdy down there when the cockerels hit puberty. Yours probably aren't there yet but it won't be long. What I suggest is that you make a bachelor pad. House all the cockerels together with no females to fight over. They will still sort out the pecking order/dominance issues but with no girls it's usually not much worse than a bunch of pullets going through puberty/sorting the pecking order.

You will find that they grow and mature at different rates. It's not purely just about age. Butcher them when you want, maybe experimenting a bit with age and maturity. By trial and error find what works best for you as far as when to butcher and how to cook them.

Another advantage of the bachelor pad is that by the time you select your final male to keep, the pullets and that cockerel will have gone through some of the maturing process. It may still be exciting down there as he takes over his flock but you will probably skip a lot of the drama if they are a little older.

Good luck and welcome to the forum.

Yes ... we will eat them. Probably just stew them up for soups and making bone broth.

 

[h2oratt]

The instant pot is fabulous for cooking young and old birds.