I bought 20 chicks that hatched on Christmas day, when they were 4 days old. I can tell there is about 6-8 little roosters in the bunch, if not more. I try to keep a low profile here and not attract attention to my chickens. I live several blocks from city hall/police station in my small town. Although I hear a rooster or roosters crowing in the neighborhood, I just don't want the attention or complaints it might generate. I plan on sending the roos to freezer camp, but I do want a little meat on them! They are mixed breed, the lady I bought them from uses 3 RIR roosters over a mixed flock, some RIR hens in the bunch. So how old will they be when they start crowing? Will they make it to butcher size or do I just process "miniature chickens"? Thanks for your help.
There is a wide range -- anytime between a week and a year. But, the majority seem to start crowing in the 3-5 month timeframe. You might want to ask on the meat board because there are surely plenty of folks who can speak from experience about the optimal age for processing to balance size/quality/feed efficiency.
