First time having (heritage breed) meat chickens - how to handle them?

[six_chooks_for_now]

Hello! It's our first time having meat chickens (I got 18 mixed heritage breed all male chicks 3 weeks ago from McMurray - I think they are Sussex, Brahma, New Hampshire, Barred Rock, and Columbian Wyondottes) and I'm not really sure how to handle them vs how we handled our egg layers. I don't want to be their friend, but they are also, um, feral and there are so many of them! I'm not sure if it is because they are all male, or the number of them. I'm concerned that when they are older they will be extremely difficult to catch/check on if needed. Some of them are also already pretty aggressive - we can eat those first, but they have a while to go until that happens. We will probably order one more batch of all male (or unsexed) this year, and are hoping to keep the best rooster of the bunch and have him make us meat babies for next year. We originally wanted a Sussex rooster, but I have been liking the Brahmas even though they are slow maturers.

So how do you manage your meat flocks as far as hands on handling? Should I get a straight run next time? What should I look out for? I probably should have asked this 3 weeks ago, but here we are!

Any suggestions or hints would be wildly appreciated!

 

[six_chooks_for_now]

Anyone? Am I just being dramatic?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Not sure I can answer you. I hatch mine so about half are pullets. I raise them with my regular flock, nothing special. I don't isolate the cockerels or feed them anything special. Some people do.

I don't know how you are planning on housing or managing them. Not sure what you mean by feral at three weeks either.

As far as sexed or straight run, I suggest you order what you want. I once ordered 6 straight run Buff Orps and got 7 pullets. Even the packing peanut was a pullet, that is really unusual. If I had been wanting a rooster out of these I would have been in trouble.

 

[six_chooks_for_now]

Haha thanks! We have only had our other chickens for just over a year, so we are still new to them in general. We are building them a separate coop/enclosed run, away from our free ranging hens. I'm just worried when they are nearing maturity they will be a giant pain, or will start attacking us based on their present behaviors (running up to challenge our hands if we are reaching in the brooder for example). I'm just not sure how to handle a bunch of boys, I think is the problem? Maybe that fear is unfounded and they will turn out normal!

 

[Ridgerunner]

What you are doing is keeping them in a bachelors pad. I don't give guarantees with living animal's behaviors but most people that keep a bachelor's pads don't have much more trouble (if any) with them than if they kept an all-hen flock. They'll set a pecking order just like an all-hen flock will but without girls to fight over it's usually not too bad.

If they do start to give you trouble (don't really think they will) wear long pants so they can't hurt your legs and you'll know which to eat first. Since you are going to eat them I would not name them, play with them, or treat them like pets. Some people have problems if they do that.

If you are going to get another group to get a flock rooster and you settle on a specific breed, get a bunch. I've done that, wanted a Buff Rock rooster. So I ordered 20 of them. I started eating the ones that I decided I did not want to be my breeding rooster. It was pretty easy to get down to the three finalists, there wasn't a lot of difference in those three. The point of this is that the more you get the better your chance of getting a good one.

Or just keep the best one out of this bunch.

 

[Molpet]

I keep a bachelor pad. If I have several hatches, I keep the best one and add the newer. The oldest tends to teach the younger.
I don't name or handle them so I don't get emotional involved with them. Also they don't think I am a chicken competitor.

 

[six_chooks_for_now]

Thank you for the suggestions! I kind of wish they hadn't sent us any Brahma chicks because I find them to be awfully cute. But the others I don't have any particular attachment to, and I'm pretty sure there's already a few on my list to eat first.

@Molpet - When you say you have multiple hatches and add the new ones - do you only keep one bird from the previous hatch, or a couple?

@Ridgerunner - Good idea, originally we wanted a Sussex (our Sussex hen is really docile) and we ordered a couple of cockerel chicks, and ended up with 5 total with the mixed batch from McMurray. But since we aren't looking for purebred, maybe should just take the best roo out of the first batch and the best roo out of the second batch based on what breeds we end up liking.

 

[Molpet]

Thank you for the suggestions! I kind of wish they hadn't sent us any Brahma chicks because I find them to be awfully cute. But the others I don't have any particular attachment to, and I'm pretty sure there's already a few on my list to eat first.

@Molpet - When you say you have multiple hatches and add the new ones - do you only keep one bird from the previous hatch, or a couple?

@Ridgerunner - Good idea, originally we wanted a Sussex (our Sussex hen is really docile) and we ordered a couple of cockerel chicks, and ended up with 5 total with the mixed batch from McMurray. But since we aren't looking for purebred, maybe should just take the best roo out of the first batch and the best roo out of the second batch based on what breeds we end up liking.

Depends on how they get along and who looks good as to how many cockerels I keep. Going into winter I have less problems with pecking order fighting and will keep the ones too young to process.

 

[FortCluck]

I can give you a few tips...

1) Do not name them

2) Do not get attached (it is hard)

3) Keep in the back of your mind that these are for the table

4) Feed them a high protein chicken grower feed

5) Minimize handling time (don't neglect them but don't coddle them, there's a fine line)

I hatch my own chicks. I have been hatching for 6 months straight right now and I usually keep at least 1 or 2 out of each hatch to grow out. Sometimes they end up being cockerels so I do not get to keep any.

I have 3 roosters right now and they all get along and do not overbreed my girls. I have 7 hens right now because I sold all of my pullets due to the world's situation right now. Everyone wanted pullets so I decided I could always hatch more.

 

[Punkybrewster]

Yea. I have a light brahma cockerel. Hes my 16 week old GIANT! Long time to mature into a meal though so we named him Saul. The gentle giant. Hes in with the hens now. Haha