Isolation, Brood, Overflow CagePlex

[Ted Brown]

I have a large coop & covered run plus a 8' x 5' x 3' cage I use for overflow, currently holding bachelors. I hatch at least once a year to refresh laying hens and to expand/refocus what breeds I have in the flock. My plan is keep cockerels for at least six months then process for eating.

I have a project underway to build a 14' by 16' pole shed to house cages for bachelors, breeding, brooding and isolation. I found and bought a "cageplex" (4 cages on two levels; each cage is 2' x 2' x 5') for $200, see below, I pickup this Saturday.

In the immediate term I will move 4 cockerels out of the coop, one each to a cage. Once i finish the pole shed I will move the cages without the roof along one wall and will build an 8' by 8' cage normally used for bachelors but that can be separated in two for use as breeding cages.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Great find and plan!

 

[Ted Brown]

I spent yesterday picking up the cages (~200km round trip) and setting it up once I got home (very keen to get 6 & 9 month cockerels away from the ladies).

The location is temporary...

 

[Ted Brown]

As of an hour ago I have 10 cockerels in cages outside the main coop/run. Two Chantecler males left, one very subservient; I may move the dominant one to join two others in the larger of the new cages...

I did not realize how many males I had but then they became teenaged; I previously moved 5 to a large single cage but that left 5 to eventually disrupt. I now have a few pullets with bare patches on back or neck plus some that are also withdrawing to hidey spots.

I am getting my head into processing excess males but first want to select a best few for breeding. I plan to hatch once each June so processing will be annual.

I have started to build a 14' by 16' pole shed. Once done I will build a 8' by 8' by 6'(H) secure cage; normally a large bachelor pad but able to be divided for breeding purposes each year. This cage, along with the new cageplex (above) and food storage bins will be the first populants of the pole shed. At that point I will use the new cageplex for brooding and isolation/recovery.

 

[NatJ]

My plan is keep cockerels for at least six months then process for eating.

I am getting my head into processing excess males but first want to select a best few for breeding. I plan to hatch once each June so processing will be annual.

If you identify any males at any early age that you know you do not want to use for breeding, you can process them sooner. That leaves more space for the rest, and reduces how many you need to process all at once later. They grow fastest in the first two or three months, so you might get something like 2/3 of the meat with 1/2 of the growing time (or some such ratio.)

Depending on what traits you are selecting for, some of them might be obvious from a very early age (ones that hatched extremely late or needed assistance, ones with physical deformities like crossed beak or crooked toes, ones that grow or mature much slower than the rest, ones that show aggression to you or to the hens, wrong comb type or wrong color/pattern if you care about those things, etc.)

 

[Penpal]

You are much more ambitions than I am. Not saying that is a bad thing. Remember to measure twice and cut once.

 

[Ted Brown]

If you identify any males at any early age that you know you do not want to use for breeding, you can process them sooner. That leaves more space for the rest, and reduces how many you need to process all at once later. They grow fastest in the first two or three months, so you might get something like 2/3 of the meat with 1/2 of the growing time (or some such ratio.)

Depending on what traits you are selecting for, some of them might be obvious from a very early age (ones that hatched extremely late or needed assistance, ones with physical deformities like crossed beak or crooked toes, ones that grow or mature much slower than the rest, ones that show aggression to you or to the hens, wrong comb type or wrong color/pattern if you care about those things, etc.)

Thank you, good advice.

The two elevated levels are very easy to service & to inspect the birds. I have like breeds together so comparison is much easier. Now starting to look closely at my six Chantecler cockerels/roos to chose which I will use for my June hatch.

I had thought grow out would be a 3-6 month process, getting my coop/run/cages sorted is my priority but feeding non useful birds is an unnescessary expense.