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

[Ruthster55]

Breeds like the Sumartra, and many game breeds.

That’s another discussion altogether that isn’t appropriate here...and has nothing to do with suburbanites who want five egg-laying hens and get an accidental Orpington cockerel that needs to be rehomed.

In cases such as that, it’s great to hook up with people raising that same breed. Many will just cull (slaughter for chicken soup) a hatchery bird, but you never know. If it’s really good, they will take it in.

Breeders are quite picky and selective about their birds. What might sound sketchy is the prospect that a hatchery bird is likely to be culled by a breeder looking for certain characteristics like heavy weight etc.

 

[Newtopoulrty]

I currently have 3 roosters, one is a tiny sebright and we are gonna keep him because he is adorable. We have a large and I mean large barred rock rooster and an isa red rooster as well. I still have a few young that haven't matured that I'm on the fence about being roosters too. We have not had any fighting as of yet and the rock is matured fully. I'm lucky that they lady I purchased my jersey giants and fibromelanistic birds from will gladly take back any cockerel that we bought from her. So that is basically our plan if any of the younger ones are male.

 

[Ruthster55]

I currently have 3 roosters, one is a tiny sebright and we are gonna keep him because he is adorable. We have a large and I mean large barred rock rooster and an isa red rooster as well. I still have a few young that haven't matured that I'm on the fence about being roosters too. We have not had any fighting as of yet and the rock is matured fully. I'm lucky that they lady I purchased my jersey giants and fibromelanistic birds from will gladly take back any cockerel that we bought from her. So that is basically our plan if any of the younger ones are male.

That lady who raises Jersey Giants and fibro birds is very generous in taking those accidental cockerels as returns.

She is probably a breeder and is willing to select or cull (eat) any birds returned or “accidents.”

 

[Newtopoulrty]

She is a breeder and raises wonderful birds. I've 9 of my chicks from her and they are amazing. Also she isn't a sissy like me and will cull the birds when necessary

 

[Ruthster55]

She is a breeder and raises wonderful birds. I've 9 of my chicks from her and they are amazing. Also she isn't a sissy like me and will cull the birds when necessary

To preserve the wonderful old breeds like Jersey Giants, Barred Rocks, and all the rest...they need to be selected and those that don’t make the cut, eaten. Sounds like reality TV, but rather true.

Breeders are trying to restore breeds of chickens that declined since 1950. It’s a lot of work.

 

[Twinflower Poultry]

When it comes to the decision of what to do with roosters, I think it really depends on the individual roo. I haven't had to give away or sell any roosters yet (just starting out with my flock), but I have butchered a few in the past. But the basic principles I go by are...


I keep my favorites in the flock (the ones that protect the hens, don't cause trouble, are great for breeding purposes or are particularly beautiful). Any roosters that attack people, hens or chicks I usually end up butchering for the table, but sometimes I can train them out of it.

Whenever we need more meat, I'll butcher more birds instead of selling or giving away. And if I have too many roosters and we don't need the meat, I give some away or sell. If no one wants them I'll choose to either keep or eat. I think the roos are as useful as the hens who give you eggs, even though a lot of people think that roos are too much of a hassle. I like having them around.

Roosters not giving eggs is one of the main reasons people get rid of them, but they do help out in different ways such as protecting the flock. I have had to butcher hens before (I couldn't get them to stop eating their own eggs after a raccoon stopped by their nests), but for the future I'm guessing we won't be eating hens nearly as often as roosters.

 

[Twinflower Poultry]

My 9 boys are all rescues came from different places and as I have introduced them big bird the biggest silkie walks over stands tall and nothing i have not seen on fight idk if its the way i introduced them or what and i have 8roos in my main coop and they have gotten into a couple pissing matches but there's girls involved i have more trouble out of my drakes arguing than my roos

What methods did you use to introduce them?

 

[feather13]

Our city doesn't allow roosters (although several neighbors have them... I'm listening to one crow as a I type). I've had three through the years since the chicks I get aren't usually sexed. Although our immediate neighbors were ok with the roosters (I asked because they are so noisy), two of them (a Silkie and a HUGE Delaware) were extremely noisy all day and night. They were juveniles, so I don't know if they would have been aggressive or not. I found someone on Craigslist who said he wanted to raise Delawares and he also took the Silkie.

We also had a black Frizzle rooster with a droopy comb my daughters named Justin Bieber. He was super aggressive with everyone (mostly throwing himself against our legs--he wasn't able to fly very high). He died of Mareks before I could figure out what to do with him.

Currently we have 12 chicks and are waiting to see if any are roosters. I never really know what to do with them, but they are so beautiful. I was raised in a rural area on a farm, but no longer feel comfortable killing animals and just remember poultry being very labor intensive to process. Our chickens free range during the day and we do have backyard predators that kill them (opossums and raccoons in the late afternoon and stray dogs) and it would be nice to have a rooster to guard them.

 

[Flockincrazy]

I meant my roosters. I don't keep many. Everyone has a job or purpose or they can't stay.

I am to i rescue roo's

 

[Flockincrazy]

What methods did you use to introduce them?

They are separated by a fence for a week then roll it back a little at a time