How to get the most out of roos left over from my hatch

[tommysgirl]

I have searched have come up empty but I need to know what to expect and do so here goes:

I am setting eggs in April and expect that if any hatch there will be a few roos. We are keeping one if we get him but that is it. The eggs will be a mixture of dual purpose heavy purebreds and crosses. I am going to try to CL the purebreds but imagine that I may have a few of them and the mixes left for the freezer.

Should I feed these boys separately and differently than my pullets?
At what age should I separate them if needed
At what age/wt should they be processed when as a cross I don't know what their ultimate weight would be?

Thanks!

 

[bantyprincess]

id like to know too!

 

[ocap]

I have searched have come up empty but I need to know what to expect and do so here goes:

I am setting eggs in April and expect that if any hatch there will be a few roos. We are keeping one if we get him but that is it. The eggs will be a mixture of dual purpose heavy purebreds and crosses. I am going to try to CL the purebreds but imagine that I may have a few of them and the mixes left for the freezer.

Should I feed these boys separately and differently than my pullets?
At what age should I separate them if needed
At what age/wt should they be processed when as a cross I don't know what their ultimate weight would be?

Thanks!

I am going to be faced with a similar problem and I am a novice at culling a flock.
Here are my thoughts after raising 75 partridge rock roosters last summer.
There was a remarkable difference in weight gain between birds by the 20th week, I can cull just on weight difference at that time if I want (eating the lighter birds). Personality of roosters (which one will flog me) will be a later culling problem. Which rooster would win best of show? I will have to have help from members of these forums by using photos to understand "Standard of Perfection"

So...feed them the same
first cull at 20 weeks
7 lbs or more for freezer roosters (live weight) I hope

 

[phalenbeck]

I just leave them with the flock and let them grow UNTILL overmating/fighting/crowing contests then I cook them. If they are not big enough sometimes they stay in a seperate pen. Actually they sometimes get to hang around quite awhile as chicken killing seems to have a hard time moving to the to of the schedule.

 

[Talihofarms]

Practice capinizing and grow them out.
We caponize our left over Marans Roos at 8 weeeks.

 

[tommysgirl]

Good advice everyone thank you. What is involved in caponing? Would it make a cockerel less likely to be attacked by another rooster, specifically Ray, the handsome sweet gentleman rooster you see here. Ray is a fierce protector of his girls. He beats up on the peacocks regularly and I am worried that he would kill any other roos or capons on the property. We aer keeping the one roo with the thought that we will free range them one pen at a time

 

[lizanne]

Just read up on caponizing last night. It's not something I would be comfortable doing myself, but here's the link on someone that does.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/210041/how-to-caponize-a-rooster-warning-graphic-pics