Sex link roos, what to do?

[tororider]

I am thinking about hatching some sex links and like everyone else don't need extra roos. What does everyone do with theirs if they can't find a new home for them? Are they suitable meat birds?

 

[greyfields]

Hatcheries 'mechanically mascerate' the cockrels. So, anything you decide to do with them (short of torture or feeding them to your dogs) is going to be humane by comparison.

I get rid of my extra cockrels two ways:

a) Take them to auction at about 3 months of age. I get $5 for them if I'm lucky (although note older roosters will fetch a few extra bucks).

b) Raise them as fryers to 3-3.5 lbs live weight on broiler feed, then sell or eat them as fryers.

Sex linked cockrels are hybrids and will generally grow faster than any purebreed. But still, they're not broilers. Nowhere near the growth or carcass conformation you get with a cornish X *.