How to rehome roos...???

[Crumbling Beauty]

I don't think the person that started this thread is rearing large numbers of chickens, so much of the discussion here about culling doesn't really apply. Rehoming one rooseter is not impossible, and the energy is takes to find a home for a single rooster is energy many small-scale chicken farmers are willing to invest. On the other hand, for people that choose to have large flocks, processing probably becomes something they have to accept. I think asking a family that keeps three to ten chickens in their backyard to butcher, or knowingly send off to be butchered, the family pet is pretty awful. All that is just to say don't lose hope should you end up with a roo (especially if you're in Oregon, or someplace similar

).

Fingers crossed!

 

[Sunny Side Up]

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I agree, it is not impossible to find a "job placement" for most roosters. And for some folks it's worth the time & effort. But I advise all chicken keepers, no matter where they obtain their chicks, straight run, hatchery sexed, or home-hatched, to have a good Plan B in place for all their unwanted roosters. And to refrain from naming their chicks or getting closely attatched to them until they know for certain that they will be the hens they can keep. We practice saying "Well, IF that's a hen we will keep then we'll name her..." It's really only a matter of several weeks until you know which ones will be your pets.

While it's not impossible to find a placement for a rooster where won't be eaten or abused, it may be really really difficult. And if it's a rooster that acts aggressive, there's really only one solution for him. It's not worth it to try to find a "forever home" for him while other gentle mannerly roosters are going to the chop. The numbers are overwhelmingly against unwanted roosters, and it's really not a bad end for them to live a brief but well-cared life before being humanely dispatched and providing nourishment for a grateful family.

It's not something that I "have to accept" but a pretty good deal in my opinion. Now when my broody hens hatch out chicks I need not be concerned when the little cockerels make themselves known with their growing red combs. We know that some of these chicks will grow up to give us breakfast, others will be our dinners.

 

[Crumbling Beauty]

Sunny_Side_Up: I admire you for raising and butching your own food. It's not something I could do (lifelong vegetarian), but if more omnivores were responsible for producing their own meat, the world would surely be a better place for everyone in the food chain

.

 

[newchknmama]

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This is a great attitude. I feel we all have a right to our own opinion and choose our own lifestyles and in my experience vegans get a bad rap and are often grouped as a bunch of fanatics and this is a perfect example that we shouldnt categorize people under the same umbrella..

I think the OP is also wanting to know how to deal with a random rooster or if a pullet ends up being a cockerel or if their straight run chicks are makes. I bought sexed chickens because in a subdivision I cannot have a roo.. BUT if I was the lucky 10% that was mistakenly sexed wrong.. He would be dinner. If I had to pay and raise him.. then by golly, im gonna be the one to eat him. If I had more space to raise my own food.. all of it, I would certainly do so.

 

[mother o' chicks72]

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I completely agree, I am also a vegetarian who probably couldn't kill a chicken if my life depended on it. but if you have a roo and can't find somewhere that wont kill it and have the stomach to do it yourself at least it will have lived a short but happy life.

 

[schellie69]

I am glad to see that both sides can understand where the other is coming from. I had people give me hard time when I got a rooster and eating the eggs, now that I said I will eat any extra roosters I am a horrible bad person. My family likes meat and I would rather they ate the birds that I raised and I know how they where treated and taken care of then some chicken in a store.

 

[mother o' chicks72]

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especially because it got to live with other chickens and not get it's feet stapled to a board. if you eat your own then it means less they need to kill for the stores

 

[sawmane1]

Wait what kind is it?

 

[NoSleepTillBrooklyn]

I am glad to see that both sides can understand where the other is coming from. I had people give me hard time when I got a rooster and eating the eggs, now that I said I will eat any extra roosters I am a horrible bad person. My family likes meat and I would rather they ate the birds that I raised and I know how they where treated and taken care of then some chicken in a store.

I can't imagine giving someone a hard time for responsible raising clean healthy food to give their family. My hat is off to you!! My family only pastured meat at home (I give in a little at restaurants) I haven't graduated to using my own birds, but I'll tell you what any meat eater that tells you it's not "civilized" shouldn't be eating meat. It's a fact of life for the omnivore. I think it's admirable what you do for your family. Keep it up! I hope to be bad-a$$ enough to follow you one day.

 

[schellie69]

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I can't imagine giving someone a hard time for responsible raising clean healthy food to give their family. My hat is off to you!! My family only pastured meat at home (I give in a little at restaurants) I haven't graduated to using my own birds, but I'll tell you what any meat eater that tells you it's not "civilized" shouldn't be eating meat. It's a fact of life for the omnivore. I think it's admirable what you do for your family. Keep it up! I hope to be bad-a$$ enough to follow you one day.

I got a hard time with the rooster being added as I was killing baby chicks and their argument was that eating eggs from a chickens butt is unhealthy (where do store bought eggs come from). Hatching and eating the extra rooster is cruel why because get this they just appear in the store some how. Yea right I live in town right now and only raise a few birds so not doing any meat birds yet but when we get our farm we will be raising as much of our own food as I can. I feel if I am going to eat meat then I need to know where it is coming from and all my animals will live like they should until its time to become dinner.