New Roos for the Stew Pot

[eggscetera]

I've got four young layer roos (hatched out in March). Do I butcher them at 8 weeks like my meat birds?

 

[spartacus_63]

Hmmmm...didn't know Roos were layers.

Send them to freezer camp when they are big enough to suite your needs. Freezer camp roos are feed burners. At 8 weeks most layer breed roos won't be very big.

 

[Oregon Blues]

At 8 weeks, they will be really small. Maybe at 12 weeks. Probably longer than that.

 

[donrae]

Most dual purpose are ready around 18-20 weeeks. It just depends on how long you want to feed them and put up with them.

 

[eggscetera]

"Hmmmm...didn't know Roos were layers."
LOL!
I think of my birds as either layers or meat birds. The roosters are from eggs hatched from my layers ( I have a layer roo- i.e. a large Production Red rooster for my layers) and a meat roo (i.e. a Ranger rooster for the meat hens). So I didn't mean the roosters would lay- I just meant they were extra roosters from my layer flock and not my meat flock. Since I am culling roosters that are NOT meat birds but from layer stock my question was: when should I butcher these guys since they don't develop as fast as meat birds?
Anyways- Thanks donrae for the answer. Really, 18 weeks is too long to feed them- I think I'll just butcher at 12 weeks and not have a lot of meat.

 

[TonySorrento]

I am interested in this as well .. I have purchased some breeds that are known to go broody and I want to let nature take its course and eat the roos ..... so I am interested in the responses of those who do this ... thanks for posting!

 

[naillikwj82]

Consider caponizing when they are 24 ounces. Delicious later.