Need to Butcher My Roosters

[MomAtHome08]

Hi,
I am new to this, as we have only had chickens for a year and at the end of April we inherited some chicks from a school nearby who thought it would be cool to hatch 36 eggs and then have no where to go with them! We ended up with 5 roosters, and they are filling out nicely, with large red combs. I am thinking they are California White as they look identical to the 2 chickens we had previously. Anyway, they are getting very aggressive and we feel it is time to say goodbye to them. We are going to take them to ' a guy' who will butcher them. However, are they old enough? They are roughly 8 weeks. If they are not old enough yet, when will they be and what can we do in the meantime?
Thanks so much!
Brenda

 

[sred98]

I have heard about the same time the girls start laying eggs...so, about 20-26 weeks. Right now they are probably too little to have much meat on them. I've got a few I'm ready to butcher, but they are just now about 20 weeks, and still too scrawny. I'm working on fattening them up.

Oh! And...

Shelly

 

[Firework]

We butchered our Rock croses at around 10 LBS at ether 4 or 5 monthes old.

 

[Grampa with chickens]

First off

Now down to business........

I'm not sure what a California White is, but if it is a dual purpose bird, 16 to 20 weeks is the point to shoot for processing. If it is a fast growing meat bird, 8 to 10 weeks is the norm. Longer than 10 week and they will start having health problems and start to die on you.
Dual purpose birds are meat/egg layers like your barred rocks, Rhode lsland reds, chickens like that.

Hope this helps! and again

 

[MomAtHome08]

Thanks for your answers. I thought the same thing, that they might be too small. But no what do I do with them? Should I separate them? Or let them all just 'peck it out?'
Thanks!

 

[Grampa with chickens]

Quote:
I had some Barred rock roosters that grew up together for 20 weeks. They would squabble at times, but no real damage. They found their own order.

 

[MomAtHome08]

Grampa With Chickens-
Well, we bought two at a feed store last year, and they were labeled as California White. Although I have had a hard time looking up that breed. They also resemble Longhorns. The ones we just got recently resemble them both as well. So I have a bunch of white chickens with red combs!

Thanks for your reply!

 

[Grampa with chickens]

Quote:
WOW!, Do you have to trim the horns or do you just cap them...

I'm just teasing......Leghorns are great egg layers and the roosters are a little skinny. They say they are good eating though, just not a lot of meat.

 

[MomAtHome08]

LOL Grampa.
Well, whatever they are, as long as they lay, I am happy!

 

[Bossroo]

With egg laying breeds and some dual purpose breeds the cockerels are disposed of as they are hatched ( the hatcheries hire chick sexers for this) because if they are kept, they become the most expensive morcels of chicken that one will eat.