- Thread starter
- #11
Thanks to all, and...drat. With the description of the cockerel comb speckedhen gave, I looked at them all again, and there's definitely three rows on all chicks except #2. Not to say she --ahem, I mean--it mightn't yet turn out to be a boy, but at this stage, there's no side rows on #2's comb, and she/it is furthest ahead with feathers.
So, it looks like 3 for the freezer, and one in the coop. That'll be a crowded freezer and a comfortably roomy coop (there are 4 hens in there already, and it's 8x4'), which is, I suppose, better than the other way around. And even with just 4 layers, we have a surplus of eggs. My friend is hatching ducks for me too, so really, I needed a 6th hen like I needed a kick in the rear, but it just always feels sad to know that a lovely little chick won't be a long-term resident.
What's the usual age for butchering spare cockerels?
--CT
PS--Thanks to all who work on BYC to make this a wonderfully easy place to exchange information. I really made the whole picture posting process very hard for myself, compared to what actually needed to be done.
So, it looks like 3 for the freezer, and one in the coop. That'll be a crowded freezer and a comfortably roomy coop (there are 4 hens in there already, and it's 8x4'), which is, I suppose, better than the other way around. And even with just 4 layers, we have a surplus of eggs. My friend is hatching ducks for me too, so really, I needed a 6th hen like I needed a kick in the rear, but it just always feels sad to know that a lovely little chick won't be a long-term resident.
What's the usual age for butchering spare cockerels?
--CT
PS--Thanks to all who work on BYC to make this a wonderfully easy place to exchange information. I really made the whole picture posting process very hard for myself, compared to what actually needed to be done.
