Need help choosing who goes for meat

[angalynn23]

I will start by saying I'm new to chickens and am beginning to realize I hadn't done enough research BEFORE I got my chickens. This website has taught me alot. I've learned that I have way too many chickens for my coop size and that not all breeds are good for meat. I need to cull about half of my flock. I'm trying to decide who to take to the processing company. I have the following breeds:

4 light brahmas (all hens, 1 laying)
5 easter eggers (1 roo, 4 hens. 2 were sold as araucanas and look different; no puffy necks or ear tufts)
4 bared Rocks (2 roos, 1 blind hen, 1 reg hen)
2 welsummers (both roos)
2 polish (1 roo, 1 hen)
2 RIR (both hens)
2 Isa brown (hens I think)
2 silkies (white, I think one is a roo because it has a 3 row, larger comb)
2 guienea fowl
2 khaki Campbell ducks
4 black star (sexlink 1 laying. All hens)

The silkies have their own coop and I'm keeping them. The ducks have their own house and dog kennel with pool. The guineas are already slated to be Thanks giving/Christmas dinner. I love them all, but I need to choose 10-12 chickens to go to meat. I'm trying to research the breads. I found that the brahmas and Rocks are good for meat. I'd like to keep 1 of each at least. So that gives me 6. Who are my next best options for meat? I really need help from those who have experience. My birds are all 16-18 weeks old. Besides the silkies and ducks, they all free range. I don't want to waste a life for meat that is too tough or not good, too small etc. I love my birds, but its the circle of life. Next spring I will better know what breed to get for meat, but this year I messed up. Please help.

 

[sourland]

If it were me, all the roosters and the blind hen would have to go. If you really want a rooster, keep the Polish for 'pretty'. The hens have a purpose - they will give you eggs.

 

[angalynn23]

I'm keeping the polish roo and my easter egger roo. They're both so pretty. The easter egger roo I named willow because I didn't know he was a boy until recently. He was my favorite and I can't part. Will the other roos be good for meat? Like the welsummer? I was reading threads on here where people were saying they butchered egg breeds and they tasted like wood or rubber. Now I'm worried. I didn't realize that would be the case.

 

[angalynn23]

Also my main, big coop is only 6*6 plus 5 nesting boxes. I've gotten away with it by faithfully letting them out at daybreak and waiting until dusk to lock them up. I now know it isn't big enough for them this winter. I hadn't planned to keep everyone through the winter, but also didn't realize I had mostly egg breeds. In the winter they will be in the coop with their 10*20 run. The coop is only big enough for 9 birds according to what I've read on here. The silkies and 1 easter egger live in a separate coop as do the ducks. I currently have 17 more birds then I'm supposed to have for my coop size. I know I screwed up, but I didn't know at the time. It seemed big enough. They all have roosting poles they fit on. Nobody fights in there. During the day they roam my 20 acres so it hasn't been an issue.

 

[sourland]

Never ate a chicken that tasted like wood or rubber, and ate many an older hen or leghorn cockerel - some have more meat than others - It's as much about the cooking as it is about the bird. Two roosters in that small coop may very well become a problem.

 

[enola]

You have a problem, but you have realized it before the problems started. Like sourland says, every chicken I have ever butchered tasted just fine, it is all in the cooking......

You will have to seperate the roosters. Fortunately it sounds like you have several coops to accomplish this.

Also, unfortunately, you will have to decide which chickens to keep. Your Rhode Island reds, isa Browns and black star are going to be your best layers. If you want variety in your egg basket the Welsummer wll lay a dark brown egg, the Easter eggers will add blue/green, the polish probably a white egg. If the silkie lays the egg will be white, however she will probably be a good broody hen if you would like to hatch chicks.

 

[dekel18042]

Also my main, big coop is only 6*6 plus 5 nesting boxes. I've gotten away with it by faithfully letting them out at daybreak and waiting until dusk to lock them up. I now know it isn't big enough for them this winter. I hadn't planned to keep everyone through the winter, but also didn't realize I had mostly egg breeds. In the winter they will be in the coop with their 10*20 run. The coop is only big enough for 9 birds according to what I've read on here. The silkies and 1 easter egger live in a separate coop as do the ducks. I currently have 17 more birds then I'm supposed to have for my coop size. I know I screwed up, but I didn't know at the time. It seemed big enough. They all have roosting poles they fit on. Nobody fights in there. During the day they roam my 20 acres so it hasn't been an issue.

If your birds free range, you can keep more than if they spent their entire life in a coop. That said, I would dispense with the roosters first. Then what are your goals? You have some breeds which should lay better than other breeds or some that are smaller and have a more efficient egg to feed ratio. You could consider that in figuring out who stays. If you were going to keep a roo, a welsumer bred to your Easter eggers could give you olive eggers.
But my thought was, your pullets are young and probably not the biggest. Some of the egg laying breeds wouldn't give you much meat.
In our area people are always trying to purchase pullets or young hens. You could offer some of the pullets you didn't want for sale as egg layers and get far more for them and make out better financially than processing them. Just a thought.

 

[angalynn23]

That is a good idea. It's so confusing reading old threads and everyone has a different opinion. I am so glad you told me my welsummer roo will make an olive egger. You just saved his life

 

[angalynn23]

Ok so I think I will take the roos in for processing, except 1 (and blind betty)then sell some hens if I need to reduce the flock from there. That sounds like a plan. Now which roo. Ugh. I love willow (EE), but olive egger chicks would be awesome

 

[angalynn23]

Never ate a chicken that tasted like wood or rubber, and ate many an older hen or leghorn cockerel - some have more meat than others - It's as much about the cooking as it is about the bird. Two roosters in that small coop may very well become a problem.

Sourland, I read it on this forum. Some were saying they culled their (egg layer breed) chickens and they weren't good. One said they tasted like rubber and another said, yeah I did that too and fried it up and it was hard as wood and subsequently discarded. My original plan was to cull them after they stop laying and eat them. From the sounds of the replies on my thread here, my plan is still good? Take the roosters in to be processed now, keeping my polish, silkie and easter egger rooster (all in different coops) and keep my pullets.

Also, recently I have a couple of stray birds who are choosing a roost outside of the coop when I go down to lock them up. At first (this last week) it was only my polish pullet. She would roost on the fencing just outside of the coop. She's fast asleep when I grab her and falls right back asleep when I put her on a roost inside the coop. Tonight, it was her and the polish rooster and 1 isa brown pullet. The rooster and the isa brown took up roost on a brush pile (5ft tall, large tree branches) and the polish pullet was on the fencing again. Is this why this is happening? Too many roosters (or birds in general) in my coop?

I really appreciate every ones help and being friendly (non-judgmental) at my admitted mistakes. I'll get everything down. Just learning the hard way I guess.