Official BYC Poll: What do you do with your roosters?

[ariri30]

Good luck.

Thanks

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I try not to be judgemental, I really do. But this is the first I've heard of dispatching them as chicks.. I don't even know how you could bring yourself to do that. To each their own I suppose, I guess it makes sense, going through way less feed for a rooster you're just going to butcher.

Some people I know that do sexlink use the male's as snake food. Not the best, but I don't think they're very cruel.

 

[Folly's place]

Many hatcheries kill sexed male chicks soon after hatching, because there's no market for them. When you order 'pullets only' remember that fact.
Mary

 

[cmom]

I agree with @Folly's place, but when you order hatchery chicks especially in the colder months they often put some male chicks in as packing peanuts for the warmth. I don't know if they do it now like they have in the past.

 

[Folly's place]

Many hatcheries do try to send as many as possible out the door, but still it's hard. The popularity of sex-links tells the tale! And raising leghorn type cockerels for meat is not so economical either.
For everyone who's grown up buying products at the grocery store, and having no direct experience with where that food comes from; it didn't grow in those containers at the store! Raising livestock, including poultry, in a humane manner, and then eating that meat, is a good thing. Raising veggies and grains is good too, and also has direct impacts on animal life out there.
And I'm thankful that we can make these choices!
Mary

 

[cmom]

I haven't bought any hatchery chicks in many years. I hatch out my own. I have processed some in the past but I can get more money from selling them than processing them to eat. It helps with the feed costs. We have a butcher down the road so if I want chicken I get them from him. I realize I don't know how they were cared for but we don't actually eat that much chicken. I do eat eggs every day.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I agree with @Folly's place, but when you order hatchery chicks especially in the colder months they often put some male chicks in as packing peanuts for the warmth. I don't know if they do it now like they have in the past.

I've asked like 6 hatcheries this year (I love getting peanut males but just like to know whether or not I should expect them) and they all said they do everything possible NOT to send any

 

[cmom]

I think that is true for the most part but when they ship in the colder months some often times will include a few. Do a survey to see how many people who use hatcheries have gotten some and from what hatcheries they came from.

 

[3KillerBs]

and they all said they do everything possible NOT to send any

That makes me sad.

When I got my in-town flock my packing peanuts, "The Red Boys", were entertaining and, ultimately, delicious as the honored guests in a couple pots of arroz con pollo.

I appreciated having the insurance for shipping my small order and the "free" chicken dinners (yes, I know it wasn't economical meat, but I thought it was worthwhile).

 

[FluffyBottomBantams]

I try not to be judgemental, I really do. But this is the first I've heard of dispatching them as chicks.. I don't even know how you could bring yourself to do that. To each their own I suppose, I guess it makes sense, going through way less feed for a rooster you're just going to butcher.

I see what your getting at there, and I didn’t find what you were saying to be judgmental at allThe rule of thumb around here is that we only hatch if we have room for roosters( so clearly we don’t hatch as much as we’d like to lol) Our roosters are all gentleman so we haven’t had to dispatch or sell any older males, but our birds are from show quality stock, so if we were to sell any they’d be getting sold at a Show. I think we could butcher if we had to, but the bird would have to be extremely miserable and aggressive and a super last ditch option. in which case we wouldn’t be too attached to him anyway, and it would be taken care of as humanly as possible.