Processing Day Support Group ~ HELP us through the Emotions PLEASE!

[Amina]

I've got 4 cockerels that are currently 13 weeks old, and they are in a pen with a 9 month old rooster, a hen, and a 13 week old pullet. Right now, everybody gets along with no drama, but at what age would you worry about them challenging my older rooster for mating rights? I could process them next weekend (14 weeks), but after that I will be gone for almost 2 weeks, and someone else will be watching my chooks. I don't want any drama to happen while I am gone. Should I process them all at 14 weeks, or do you think I can wait til I get back (16 weeks)? Or maybe I should just do the two that are already crowing, and wait on the other two?

 

[ronott1]

I've got 4 cockerels that are currently 13 weeks old, and they are in a pen with a 9 month old rooster, a hen, and a 13 week old pullet. Right now, everybody gets along with no drama, but at what age would you worry about them challenging my older rooster for mating rights? I could process them next weekend (14 weeks), but after that I will be gone for almost 2 weeks, and someone else will be watching my chooks. I don't want any drama to happen while I am gone. Should I process them all at 14 weeks, or do you think I can wait til I get back (16 weeks)? Or maybe I should just do the two that are already crowing, and wait on the other two?

It depends on the breed. Some would be pestering the pullet already.

It would be a good idea to get the pullet and older rooster out soon though.

 

[Amina]

I have 3 that will be headed to freezer camp very soon and Im quite sad about it. I have too many so I know they need to go But it doesn't make it any easier. They get 6 more weeks and then they go.

What is your crock pot cock being cooked with?

Aww I'm sorry. I know how you feel. The last time I processed, I cried for a few days after.

 

[Amina]

These are EE/Marans cross. Only two have been crowing so far, if that helps...

Unfortunately, I don't have a good way of separating them. I mean, I could... but it would be labor-intensive and thus not something I'd want to ask my chicken-sitter to do while I'm gone. It would involve rigging something up in my garage, or rigging up a pen within the main pen. So if it's too risky to keep them like this til 16 weeks, then I'd rather just go ahead and process all of them.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I have 3 that will be headed to freezer camp very soon and Im quite sad about it. I have too many so I know they need to go But it doesn't make it any easier. They get 6 more weeks and then they go.

What is your crock pot cock being cooked with?

While it's by no means fun, they had to go. I have FAR too many and my poor hens are getting abused by so many of them trying to mate. I wasn't so sad to see the bugger that bit me go. He broke the skin and was biting my coat (and trying to bite DH) all the way up to his end. So tonight, I can move 4 more out and ready to go for the next round.

My male in the crock pot, I put poultry seasoning and pepper on him. He's slow cooking now. We'll be having bread and a veggie with it.

I've got 4 cockerels that are currently 13 weeks old, and they are in a pen with a 9 month old rooster, a hen, and a 13 week old pullet. Right now, everybody gets along with no drama, but at what age would you worry about them challenging my older rooster for mating rights? I could process them next weekend (14 weeks), but after that I will be gone for almost 2 weeks, and someone else will be watching my chooks. I don't want any drama to happen while I am gone. Should I process them all at 14 weeks, or do you think I can wait til I get back (16 weeks)? Or maybe I should just do the two that are already crowing, and wait on the other two?

Can you move the hen and pullet out? There isn't much drama in a coop/run without any females. But 5 males and 2 females will be too much for those females to take.

 

[Amina]

Can you move the hen and pullet out? There isn't much drama in a coop/run without any females. But 5 males and 2 females will be too much for those females to take.

I could move them out, but not in a way that would be particularly convenient for another person to feed and water everybody.

 

[Amina]

I have a couple of these that I could attach together and put on top of a tarp, with some glass panels for a roof:
http://www.amazon.com/Midwest-Exerc...F8&qid=1418597793&sr=8-2&keywords=playpen+dog

It would have to go in my screened-in porch for predator protection. That's what I do for chicks. But I think it would need the bedding to be changed a few times while I'm gone. I hate to ask anyone else to do that. So I think I'd better process these guys sooner rather than later.

 

[Kassaundra]

@LindaB220 good for you, glad you did what needed to be done, all of us have had issues w/ our first one but it gets better.

 

[jajeanpierre]

I've got 4 cockerels that are currently 13 weeks old, and they are in a pen with a 9 month old rooster, a hen, and a 13 week old pullet. Right now, everybody gets along with no drama, but at what age would you worry about them challenging my older rooster for mating rights? I could process them next weekend (14 weeks), but after that I will be gone for almost 2 weeks, and someone else will be watching my chooks. I don't want any drama to happen while I am gone. Should I process them all at 14 weeks, or do you think I can wait til I get back (16 weeks)? Or maybe I should just do the two that are already crowing, and wait on the other two?

It depends a lot on the breed. I've never had a problem with fighting amongst the cocks and cockerels. Even when the older large fowl cock gets in my back yard with two bantam cocks, I don't have any problems.

Age of maturity is different with each breed too. I have some June cockerels who in the past two weeks have started showing sexual behavior. I don't even know if they are all crowing yet.

Where I do have a problem is too many cockerels being jerks with the hens and pullets. I think it is worse if you have an older cock bird because he will stop the young birds mating so they do a lot of sneak attacks on the hens.

 

[TaraBellaBirds]

I never added a the pic of my CX hen I processed a few weeks back! I never got a weight on her, but as you can see she was BIG. The pan it is in is a large cake pan!