Poll: What do you do with all of the cockerels you hatch or get?

[LizzzyJo]

When you hatch or buy straight run - what do you do with all of the boys? Do you come in with a plan or is every time different? Just curious.

 

[rjohns39]

I keep the best boys as breeders and put the rest in the freezer.

 

[FluffyBottomBantams]

So far we’ve only hatched when we can accommodate the possibility all of them being roosters. In it the future though when we can’t have any more roosters they will be sold at shows as breeders and pets.

 

[LizzzyJo]

I keep the best boys as breeders and put the rest in the freezer.

How long do you keep them before you know who’s good? How many roos have you had at once?

 

[Abriana]

I always rehome mine. I used to give them to a man who said he “free ranges them”, but I’m pretty sure he actually processed them. He was gentle with the birds so I felt they were in good hands even if they were going to die. I’ve given some away to a neighbor, I knew he was going to process them. I have one cockerel now that I’m giving away and I’m pretty worried because im not sure who to give it to, but he’s young so I have some time.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

I eat my extras after pick the one i want to use for breeding then next season they get rotated out and so on

 

[Bird_Lover_17]

I just keep my extras.

 

[cmom]

There are other threads on this. Personally I don't have any hatchery birds. I hatch out all of my own chicks. I usually hatch out a few hundred every year knowing around 50% MOL will be males. I do grow them out and at around 6 months old keep the best as my future breeders, the rest I sell which helps offsets the price of the feed. In the past I have processed some of them but I don't need a freezer full of chickens and have a butcher down the road so if I want any chicken or other meat, I go to the butcher. Good luck...

 

[SulkyBantam]

I keep them if AT ALL possible. Sadly the fox visited and of course killed ALL the then and just left me roos........

 

[cmom]

I breed potential show quality birds (heritage). In the past I have sold the males at shows but since most of the shows have been cancelled I have been selling them at a local farm swap. I have some buyers that buy them for resale and pay me a good price for them and I usually sell quite a few at a time.