how to decide who to eat?

[Blue]

Maybe you could find someone who would trade you already butchered roosters for some of your extra hens. It's generally much easier to find takers for hens than it is for roosters.

 

[TwoCrows]

I agree on keeping as many hens as you can. I have one hen that is a superb layer, laying nearly everyday, never missing a beat. However....she is mean. She is aggressive with the others and bites me all the time. However I still keep her because she lays so well.

 

[chickmashnoon]

Blue, I like that idea. I will ask around here for a trade. Roosters are heavier anyway so I'll get more meat and they will get eggs

And if they are pre-butchered, less work for me! plus, I won't have to pick which of my darlings go in the stew pot

 

[202roosterlane]

Before I killed them I would offer them for free to anyone who would come pick them up. Seriously everyone loves a free hen. Where are you from?

Quote:

 

[chickmashnoon]

Central Illinois. But I'd want to trade 4 or 5 roosters for the same # of hens. I don't have a place to quarentine 5 seperate trades, so if someone near me has a bunch o'roos llemme know! I'd prefer not to drive more than 1/2 hr. I'm near Urbana

 

[Beekissed]

I'd just sell the ones you do not like as well as the others and be done with it. Around here a laying age hen goes for $10-$12 each.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Seriously. If you can not keep that many hens, go ahead and put some into the freezer.

I don't see the advantage of trading good hens for mystery roosters where you don't really know how old, or what they've been fed, or anything about them.

You know your hens have been well raised and well fed and they are the right age to butcher them. I'd keep the ones with the best temperaments and I'd keep any that tickled my fancy enough to be the favorite. Maybe let everybody in the family choose their favorite to be a keeper.