SIX ROOS?! Why did I pay for hens then?

[Kimblee]

I bought twelve chicks back during spring.

Three died, and of the nine left, I've got six roos! I paid for hens, this is annoying?

Does this mean that feed stores lie? Should I have saved some cash and just bought straight run? And what's a transplanted city girl going to do with six roos? Already they fight like demons! There's two that I;d love to keep (the rest I could part with) so.... Can two roosters live together without bloodshed?

 

[DuckLady]

The feed store likely just bought straight run at a lower price and sold them as pullets. Ot they got the wrong order from the hatchery.

Try Craigslist to find them another place to live, but be aware, they may end up as dinner.

 

[Kimblee]

Quote:
This may sound heartless, but if I could get up the nerve to kill then, thwey'd be our dinner.

I love our chickens, but I won't watch them kill each other.... it just seems cruel.

 

[silkiechicken]

Yeah, many things could have went wrong there. Feed store mistake with marking bins, hatchery wrong order, just plain bad luck.

I hand picked 8 straight run chicks and got 7 boys once...

Good luck.

 

[arlee453]

My guess is that the feedstore either mis-labeled the chick bins, or people (customers) were picking them up out of bins and putting back into the wrong bin.

It's not unusual for there to be the odd roo that sneaks into the pullet-only order from the hatchery (their own admitted margin of error is 10% for most) but 1/2 roos is more than just hatchery error, in my opinion - something went wrong at the feedstore.

Hatcheries guarantee that no more than 10% of your birds will be the wrong gender if you buy them sexed. They will give you a credit for the ones that are 'wrong'. If I were you, I'd order from a hatchery directly next time - your odds would be a lot better that you get what you are paying for and WANT.

That doesn't help you with your current roo situation though...

You have way too many roos. As you already know... They will fight - viciously, often - if the roo ratio is not around one roo for every 5-10 hens or so. Of course there are mellow guys that are more laid back and get along better, but generally speaking, the older your roos get the worse it is going to be.

Keeping 2 and parting with the rest sounds like a plan, but even 2 roosters may be 1 too many for the size flock you have.

Your options for the extras...

You can eat them.
or
You can post them on craigs list or here at BYC to try to find them homes. Extra roos are very hard to place unless you are willing for them to go to someone who is going to eat them...
or you can euthanize them without eating them.

Good luck!!

 

[mdbucks]

Quote:
You shouldn't have picked just the purtee ones.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

I hand picked 8 RIRs for my first go around with chickens...got 5 roosters...

I did re-home them just didn't ask if they would be eaten....I've never had a problem giving roosters away...Do what you think is best for yourself....

 

[Kimblee]

We're planning on getting a dozen more hens this spring, maybe I'll seprate my smaller keeper Roo from his little friends until we get some more hens for him to be with.

They already nearly killer one of the white Roos.... my dad's offered to kill the injutred one for us.... he looks pretty bad... poor baby!

 

[mdbucks]

Quote:
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If you cant do it, but are willing to eat them perhaps someone in your area will dress them for you.

 

[Kimblee]

Quote:
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If you cant do it, but are willing to eat them perhaps someone in your area will dress them for you.

Once the head and feet are off, I can pluck and gut...

Then they don;t look so much like my babies.