Just curious - What do you do with your male chicks?

[CorgiHouse]

So, for you folks that eat them, as the OP asked.....what age do you usually butcher them to make the cost vs the return (meat) worth it?

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

I eat them, if I give them away someone else will end up eating them anyways.

 

[remuda1]

Awesome link!! Thank you so much!

 

[Sissy]

Give them to my neighbor with a few children
they appreciate a good meal.

 

[Mtn Margie]

Quote:
So here is the deal. You are not going to get your money out of them..., you are just not letting them go to waste. That is why the egg industry will trash the boys when they sex them. By the time we can tell the sex, we have already invested time, money and love into them so in my book, I might as well feed them till they reach weight 20-24 wks give or take depending on the bird/ breed , sometimes longer and just process them myself because I know how the bird was raised and what it was fed. That is why I have dual purpose layers. You can eat the smaller breeds as well, I think I would just turn them into nuggets!

 

[JodyJo]

Quote:
you have an EE/Delaware cross? I have one, also has a bit of Polish or something in it, here is a pic, does yours look like mine?

I have been trying to figure out what he was mixed with, he is 10 weeks old now.

 

[speckledhen]

Quote:
you have an EE/Delaware cross? I have one, also has a bit of Polish or something in it, here is a pic, does yours look like mine?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/68634_dsc_0124.jpg

I have been trying to figure out what he was mixed with, he is 10 weeks old now.

No, mine doesn't look much like yours. He's just 5 weeks old now, has the barred hackles of a Delaware rooster.

 

[mrsfarmchick1]

So here is the deal. You are not going to get your money out of them..., you are just not letting them go to waste. That is why the egg industry will trash the boys when they sex them. By the time we can tell the sex, we have already invested time, money and love into them so in my book, I might as well feed them till they reach weight 20-24 wks give or take depending on the bird/ breed , sometimes longer and just process them myself because I know how the bird was raised and what it was fed. That is why I have dual purpose layers. You can eat the smaller breeds as well, I think I would just turn them into nuggets!

That answers my question nicely, thanks!​

 

[afj6710]

We plan to eat ours as well. Well, hopefully, we'll end up with one or two really sweet flock protectors and then eat the rest. It took a long time for me to feel ok with doing that but we've already told the kids that we'll be "harvesting" them for food. Atleast I know that they are being cared for much better than what I can get at the grocery store! (and, we plan to "harvest" at around 4-5 months)

 

[leos-mama]

this has been really useful as I am just getting ready to give my silkie her first eggs - my children are only small but before I agreed to let her have eggs the boys have had to be told every day that girls are for laying and boys eating, they have finally taken this in!

Just out of curiosity if I feed them for the pot do I need to give them anything special and can the deed be done as soon as they start crowing?
Lisa