overrun with roosters!!

[Farmgal101]

(Note if the rooster is nice, I will try and find him a home. It is not a money thing,but I want to think they can have a good life. Plus I have a husband who doesn't me to do in any roosters.) As far as processing, (when hubby is out of town...)I use a hatchet, and a block, you can put 2 tall nails on one end and thread the neck through and get it in one whack. then hang him upside down so it can drain.(Once the heart stops pumping it is not bloody.) I then use same hatchet and remove feet and wings. I don't pluck, I use a sharp knife, (careful, I have gone to the doc from almost cutting off my finger) and I remove the skin like taking off a coat, it is pretty easy. I harvest the legs and breast only, leaving the meat on the bones of the breast (using clippers to take off collar bone) I don't even have to worry about the guts, I just use clippers and cut away the breast from rib cage and I am done. The roosters have a good life up until the processing. I am lucky to have found homes for my roosters for the past couple of years, and I have had a high hen ratio, out of luck as well.

When i went to someones farm thats how we did it.it is quite a disturbing process,they knew what they were doing and grew up on a farm.the only thing we did diffrent ws dipped them in boiling water to get the feathers off.If i do ever decide to do it i would probably do the upside down cone method...unless there is a more humane way..i would want the best for the chicken.

 

[gimmie birdies]

Well no none wants to do it I hope, and I try not to .

 

[Farmgal101]

I'm not sure what difference you're looking for, but chickens are better off with a higher protein diet. Cracked corn does not have protein, and I don't know about the grains you're feeding. If you're looking for optimal egg production, I'd switch to a layer feed.

I mean as in taste and health wise...I think i might switch them...its just a regular grain...it probably doesn't have any protein...Oh,I also give them mil worms as treats.
also i wanted to ask you about eggs.I have not been eating there eggs bc i dont know if there good to eat...like i dont know if there bad or not they look fine im just scared ill get sick..any way to tell if a egg is good or not.i collect them every morning.

 

[gimmie birdies]

My hens get pellet, but some times I will add dry cob to entertain, it has corn, and some wheat, the hens like to gobble up the corn first they will eat the wheat if they are bored.

 

[bobbi-j]

When i went to someones farm thats how we did it.it is quite a disturbing process,they knew what they were doing and grew up on a farm.the only thing we did diffrent ws dipped them in boiling water to get the feathers off.If i do ever decide to do it i would probably do the upside down cone method...unless there is a more humane way..i would want the best for the chicken.

In my opinion, the hatchet is the most humane because it's the quickest death for the chicken. That being said, if I were doing it on my own, I'd probably use the cone, but still decapitate. I just don't think I'm coordinated enough to try the hatchet and stump.
Depending on the chickens, we'll either scald (dip into the hot water) and pick them, or skin them. I gut them all. The old hens get skun out, kept whole, and either frozen or refrigerated to be canned. (I have an electric pressure cooker now, so I am probably more likely to just freeze them and cook them one at a time. Once I have used most of the meat - legs, breast, wings - I put the carcass back in my pressure cooker, add veggies and spices, and cook for another 1 1/2 hours to make bone broth. Once you've tried that, you'll never want to buy broth again. If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can cook them and make the broth in a crock pot. It just takes longer.

We scald and pluck the ones we plan to use for roasting or grilling.

 

[Farmgal101]

I mean as in taste and health wise...I think i might switch them...its just a regular grain...it probably doesn't have any protein...Oh,I also give them mil worms as treats.
also i wanted to ask you about eggs.I have not been eating there eggs bc i dont know if there good to eat...like i dont know if there bad or not they look fine im just scared ill get sick..any way to tell if a egg is good or not.i collect them every morning.

In my opinion, the hatchet is the most humane because it's the quickest death for the chicken. That being said, if I were doing it on my own, I'd probably use the cone, but still decapitate. I just don't think I'm coordinated enough to try the hatchet and stump.
Depending on the chickens, we'll either scald (dip into the hot water) and pick them, or skin them. I gut them all. The old hens get skun out, kept whole, and either frozen or refrigerated to be canned. (I have an electric pressure cooker now, so I am probably more likely to just freeze them and cook them one at a time. Once I have used most of the meat - legs, breast, wings - I put the carcass back in my pressure cooker, add veggies and spices, and cook for another 1 1/2 hours to make bone broth. Once you've tried that, you'll never want to buy broth again. If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can cook them and make the broth in a crock pot. It just takes longer.

We scald and pluck the ones we plan to use for roasting or grilling.

 

[AllenK RGV]

I have 15 roosters and only 8 hens..which i have separated from the roosters bc there is to many rooster for just 8 hens.They are all about 10 months old.they were all hatched by my broody hens(i have a whole separate pen with them and two rooster they are almost two years old) I was not expecting them to go broody and herd peeping in the coop and i had 20-25 chicks!!I am trying to sell some of the roosters but haven't had any luck and even when i do sell i know its probably going to just be one rooster bc alot of the time people just buy hens..any ideas to were im making a little bit of money not killing the roosters and getting them a home fast?

For roosters if you are like me and don't want to turn them into meat for the family. There remains a great option of craigslisting and asking no questions.

 

[bobbi-j]

I mean as in taste and health wise...I think i might switch them...its just a regular grain...it probably doesn't have any protein...Oh,I also give them mil worms as treats.
also i wanted to ask you about eggs.I have not been eating there eggs bc i dont know if there good to eat...like i dont know if there bad or not they look fine im just scared ill get sick..any way to tell if a egg is good or not.i collect them every morning.

If you're collecting eggs every morning, they will be fine. (What are you doing with them, if you're not eating them?) Personally, I think you're more likely to get sick from store-bought eggs than your own home grown ones. When you hear about salmonella outbreaks, it's usually from the commercial egg producers, not a backyard flock. Due to heavy predator losses, I don't have chickens at the moment, so I have not been eating my regular eggs and toast breakfast. I can't stand store eggs any more! Your eggs should have a nice, dark yolk and a lot more flavor than those you buy in the store. Once you start eating them, you won't go back.

 

[bobbi-j]

For roosters if you are like me and don't want to turn them into meat for the family. There remains a great option of craigslisting and asking no questions.

That's also an option. I just can't see giving away all that yummy meat. I hope for cockerels so I have some to put in the freezer.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I don't have to gut, since I only remove the breast and the legs. The guts are in this neat little package, with some sort of membrane over it, like a casing, I don't disturb it.