Luck of the draw

[adoptthem]

We picked up our chucks at the local tractor supply and low and behold out of the six birds I got three roosters! We live in the city and roosters are not permited! They have not made any early morning performances yet but not sure what I should do! Plump them up and butcher them? Any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[dretd]

First of all

!

If you really like these guys, try placing an ad on Craigslist to see if there are any takers. If they are purebred, there may be some folks that will want them for roosters. Put up photos and put a nominal charge on them. If you give them away they will likely be eaten, which is ok if you are ok with it.

You can take them to your local Humane Society and see if they can re-home them. Also call local animal sanctuaries.

If you really, really like one or more, you could caponize them (neuter them) so they are not roosters, but capons. They would be pets, but be in compliance with the roosters ban.

As for eating them, read your city ordinances carefully. Unless you are exempt, my city forbids slaughter of any chickens in the city limits as they are defined as pets.

Ask around word of mouth and see if there are any chicken folks willing to take them (or either contact 4H leaders or the County Extension Agent)

Good luck!

 

[buzymom13]

I've processed excess roos and it's great to have the meat. I've also rehomed roos because a couple my kids have been attached to. If the roos are not "dual purpose" breeds you won't have a very big finished product. If they are then you could process them after about 15 wks or so. There are a lot of good threads if you go to search on here. Hope it helps! Good Luck!

 

[donrae]

Don't take this the wrong way, but are you 100% sure they are roosters? There have been posts very similar, where a relative or neighbor thought the birds were roos, but from pics they are pullets. If you want, post a pic for verification. Plus, some breed get more comb earlier--like leghorns-- and pullets can be mistaken for cockerals.

That said, if you're of a mind to butcher, by all means do so! Depending on the breed, you'll probably want to wait until they start crowing to butcher. Check out the meat bird section for more info and support

 

[bantamsrmyfav]

Give them away on Craigslist, someone will take them even if it might take a few days.