I had purchased 8 chicks at the beginning of the summer. Out of those, 6 turned out to be roosters. I did everything I could to try and socialize the roosters so that they would be people friendly. I had to separate them from the two hens as they were starting to fight with each other more and were beginning to hurt the hens. They are now in a portable coop that is already quite small for them. I had intended for them to free range during the day but they refuse to return to the coop on their own and cannot be picked up. Whenever we try to pick them up, they screech and try to bite and scratch. Several times before, they have flown up in my face when I walk near them. They can't be allowed out of the small coop, they're pooping all in their food and It smells even though I clean it once a week. Also, their nails are getting long and I really can't clip them. They are about 13 week old rirs and the largest two weigh about 4 pounds each. The others are considerably smaller. We have resigned ourselves to the fact that they really need to be slaughtered because we can't keep these mean chickens around. So I guess my question is, when is the earliest that we can slaughter them and still get meat from them. Also what is the safest way for both the human and the chicken when slaughtering. Thanks!
