Help! What do you do with the cockerels?

Guess you have a few options with roos. Grow them and eat 'em, sell 'em for meat or try to sell to other breeders.

CT

 

I am dealing with this as we have bantams and they are not sexed. Plus I incubate from our flock. The 7 I have incubated were ALL roosters. The 17 I got mailed to me- 10 were roosters. And then the current 6 I had mailed 4 were roosters we pulled a prank and put 9 roosters in my sister in laws bamckyard one night. Which was epic. And the others my husband kills them and I've never watched bc I've raised them from chicks. But organic free range chickens are not cheap! So it makes sense to cook them. We make chicken broth and bone broth from the bones and can it. And eat the meat too which is really good

 

I eat them, add them to my free range bachelor coop (in which case they may still get eaten) or sell them off with excess pullets in pairs and trios. Occasionally I have someone looking for just a cockerel, but not often. Pullets here aren't sold without a cockerel unless I manage to get rid of all the boys and still have extra girls left over (doesn't happen very often).

 

I know a lot of people really hate the idea of eating the roos, but around here it's really the most humane option. Other area poultry people usually have all the roos they need. We raise them and eat them.


Edited by Staff

 

I was nervous about processing myself. The first one is always the hardest. It certainly isn't a pleasant aspect of hatching or buying straight run, but it's reality. You can't keep them all. And sometimes, you can't even give them away.

 

That's so true. I do a mini processing on my extra boys and I know they had a good life and a clean, quick death. Then I partially skin and take the breast/rib meat and the legs. Since I only do 1 or 2 a a time, it gives me the most meat for the least amount of fuss.

 

There is a fellow named Herrick Kimball who has online tutorials on processing chickens and turkeys. He does it in a tent on the lawn, and has a cooler full of ice and water to hold the plucked birds, and a pot of water at 150 degrees for scalding them so their feathers come out easily.
I guess it is better to do it outside the house, as kids and pets and spouses may well get very upset about butchery.