Is there Chicken Stud Service?

[cabincrazyone]

Is this a great forum or what?

Thanks for all the help.

I didn't know I could stick chicks under a broody hen. That helps.

If... I mean when I get roos in a batch of fertile eggs or a batch of chicks, I thought I'd process 'em and eat 'em .... is 12 weeks too early? ...also, will they be crowing by then?

I re-read my city's code last night and found that "No person shall slaughter a chicken within the city..." so that means I'll be paying someone to do my processing ... which means the processing for a young bird will probably cost the same as a big fat old bird ... so I won't get as much BBQ for the buck.

I guess I'm wandering off the thread subject, sorry.

 

[Hound]

Processing age depends a lot on the breed. 12 weeks is late to process a Cornish cross (which I doubt you'd be raising anyway), but a 12 week old laying breed rooster will be pretty scrawny.

 

[cabincrazyone]

Thanks, that's what I thought.

 

[BayouPoules]

I guess I'm wandering off the thread subject, sorry.

that's not wandering off the thread subject,.. it's thinking it through,...

 

[DMSrabbit]

#1 This forum is fantastic. It is a wealth of information to those who need it. As far as your rooster is concerned i was faced with the same dilemma. I am NOT allowed to have roosters within the city limits and still have one, but cmon folks, these laws are truly in place to protect peoples individual space, so if you don't annoy or anger your neighbors, you could still get away with it. I mean what is the problem with a rooster anyway? calling, that is it, plain and simple. Its not the appearance of the rooster, or his effect on the community that deters people, but his VOICE. Usually its not even his voice, its the times in which he decides to use that voice. Roosters call at inopportune times for you neighborhood, but with any small amount of research one can see that it is possible to accomplish having a rooster in a neighborhood. Heres how i do it, First, build your boy an isolation chamber. I have a 4 ft x 4ft x 4ft Soundproof cube i built for my BLRW rooster and his "top lady." He is inside a open air 3ft x 3ft x 3ft cube inside the 4ft soundproof cube, and he is on wheels so in the morning i can wheel him out and he can spend the morning inside his chamber, outside the soundproof box, but still INSIDE my garage. Then everyday at 12:30pm Ed (the roo) and Helen (his favorite hen) get to join all the other members of the flock free-ranging in the yard. Then at dusk, they come back inside and the process continues. My rooster calls all morning, night, whenever, but when i put him outside, he calls very irregularly. I mean my neighbors would really have to be searching to complain about him calling a few times an hour, when #1 most people are at work from 9-5 when hes outside, #2 we live 3 blocks from a freeway, #3- there is seemingly always construction nearby, and #4-the local dog/crow population have to make more noise (on aggregate) than my rooster..

But, you can NEVER miss a date.. The first time your rooster calls unadulterated at 3am and wakes up your whole neighborhood, then you are not only busted, but will probably have the animal control board over at your house by the end of the day.. So, simply put, DONT FORGET, EVEN ONE TIME..

Last, as far as processing goes, i choose my words carefully.. SCREW THE CITY!! Part of being able to process our own foods is knowing the manner in which it was butchered.. Set up a small booth in your garage (have you seen Dexter before?), follow the thread on the Meat birds forum on processing your chicken, and then dispose of the waste in your garbage.. It will cost you $4 a bird to have them processed by people that use chlorine baths, and have very different ideas on what is "sanitary" than i do. I do it myself, why rely on others for ANYTHING you can do yourself. Plus it teaches you a skill you may eventually need.

 

[RL]

Putting chicks under a broody hen. Yes it can be done.
I have put and also tried to put chicks under broody hens a few times, it does not always work. I have found it is going to depend on the hen, the day and time you try to place the chicks and the age of the chicks. I had three hens go broody at the same time last summer. My roo had died so I did not have fertile eggs and it was 107 which was way too hot for the eggs anyway. I waited 23 days with the hens sitting on fake eggs, I bought 12 chicks that were maybe 2~3 days old at the most. At 4am I placed 4 chicks under each hen. Two of the hens went about kicking the chicks out of the nest and one of that two almost killed the chicks. The only one I could put some chicks under was my banty Cochin and it took her a long time to accept the chicks - she did not kick them out of the nest just acted like they were not there, but she came around and raised the 4 chicks. I had to raise the rest.

If you are going to try this I would get the chicks as young as you can, not more then 3 days old, but I think 3 day is really pushing the age limit. As I said it is going to depend on the hen. I would put them under the hen some time early in the morning while it is still dark out. You'll want to do this so you can be out there to watch, rescue any chicks and not miss sleep. Try and not use a light when doing it, maybe use a dimm red light if you need to. You want to cup the chicks in your hand and slide them under the hen keeping the back of your hand up towards the hen so when she starts to peck she wont hit the chicks. Once you place a chick under the hen she is going to start to move around and wonder what is going on under her. This is when she will either start beating up the chicks or she will accept them somewhat, at least for the rest of the night. There will be some fussing, some light pecking, some chicks screaming, try not to intervin unless it starts to get bad. That is why you will want to be out there. The best way I think is to put eggs under them. Good luck if you try this.

 

[Zanna]

If I had hens come to my farm to be "serviced" by one of my roos, I would want to quarantine them for a month before putting them in with my roo, and as someone mentioned already, you would want to quarantine them again for a month when you brought them home, no problem if they are your only hens. There of course, is also risk that the roo would injure the hen and predators are definitely an issue in some areas.......... So, not the best option but I think an interesting and fun thread! Hatching eggs or day old chicks under the broody would be a much safer bet.
New years day we butchered 10 roos, they were 16 weeks old, a New Hampshire roo x white leghorn hens that I bred to replace my RIR layers. They dressed out very nicely and we got much more meat than I had expected. 12 weeks would have been too young for this cross. By 14 weeks they were all crowing and driving my hens crazy!!! We butchered 25 cornish x early spring at 7 weeks old, no crowing or rooish behavior by then. Most dual purpose birds need to be 16 - 20 weeks to be worthwhile butchering and will most likely be actively crowing by then.

 

[moonlyghtegirl]

I have not wanted to incubate, and still don't really want to. I have had no luck with my rooster and broodies either. I have often wondered if I could buy rooster ejaculate for inseminating my hens. Does anyone have any idea if this service is available?

 

[GwenDellAnno]

So what would you be trying to accomplish by inseminating your hens?? Keep in mind that they stay "pregnant?" (sorry, I can't come up with the right word right now, but this is not it), for about 10-14 days, so you would have to re-inseminate them about every 14 days if you want continually fertile eggs.

 

[journey11]

I would just buy fertilized eggs from a reputable breeder. Then you will have better control over the quality of your chicks (and specific breed). Roosters are usually in surplus, so I'm sure if you really wanted to, you could easily borrow one...LOL I got rid of my flogging roo a couple months ago, but I've had two visiting roos that have come over from my neighbor's house to flirt with my girls. But that is unusual, even in the country!