New Excited & Learning as I Go

[kamiren]

We are new and enthusiastic but admittedly ignorant at raising chickens. We started with 6 RIR from the feed store and lost one (we expected it was smaller than the day olds and falling over; died before we made it home but son insisted on him). Then we got 3 more a week later. Chicks are doing well and now feathered out. Now at 7 weeks I've got my original three have bright red combs and wobbles while my other three just a week younger haven't even began to grow larger combs. I'm thinking the original three were all roosters and now hoping to get information on butchering. Though they are free range (in a private fence) we cannot have rooster and would want to butcher them. When should we butcher? We believe it best to be safe than sorry and would rather kill a hen than risk having rooster crowing.

 

[drumstick diva]

The two with the big, red combs are most likely your cockerels. The ones with a paler comb are very well pullets. No need to sacrifice pullets - if you see a bird crowing there is your next meal. I don't think very young birds make more than a small snack. The breeds you have are not what is considered to be meat birds. You can put "processing," in the search box, and articles on butchering should come up.

Surely your neighbors / animal control would realize you can't tell which are roosters until they DO crow, and assure them you will promptly alleviate the situation.

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC - great advice from DD. Cockerels do not normally begin to crow until around 5 months, as a rule of thumb, so you can wait that long, or, as DD says put it in the crockpot the first day you hear it crow.

all the best
CT

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[kamiren]

Will the quality of meat be reduced if we wait until these questionable chickens are older than 14 weeks?