How long until they CROW??

[Baymule]

I bought 20 chicks that hatched out Christmas day. I have 8-9 little roosters in the bunch. I live a few blocks from city hall and the police station in our little town and have a small lot with close neighbors. Even though I hear a couple of roosters crowing in the neighborhood, I just don't want to draw attention to my flock.

The lady I bought the chicks from has a mixed flock and uses 3 RIR roosters. So they are at least half RIR. How old are they when they start to crow and will I have time to let them grow out and "fatten" up before I butcher them? They already challenge and spar with each other. They think they are so bad!

Thanks for the help.

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

My half RIR didn't start crowing until he was about 4 months. I rehomed him before then but I keep in touch with the girl I gave him too. He wasn't the most dominant though. My hens didn't let him be manly at all and I think they took offense to attempts to crow. So without grumpy grown up hens to intimidate young Roos to silence, I would guess you will get an ear full when they are about 12-16 weeks.

 

[Baymule]

So....about mid-March to mid-April they will be boasting how roosterish they are.

I imagine they will still be kinda small and not very meaty. Has anybody butchered their roos at that age?

 

[Elke Beck]

I processed 1 RIR and 2 RIR cross cockerels that hatched 8/19 the Sunday before Christmas, and they were meaty and tasted great. Your may not be huge, but they will probably have enough meat on them to make it worthwhile.

My boys did not crow until I put them in the pen in the garage the day I was butchering. I have two evil SLW's, and I think they punished the boys for any show of machismo. The secret to delaying crowing seems to be crabby older hens. I am getting 10 Red Rangers in February, and when then boys start getting macho, I plan to put the SLW's in with them to keep them from crowing as long as possible.