Suspected cockerels in hatch

[Aapomp831]

That's my worry, but I don't have the resources to keep them until they are old enough to be reliably sexed.

I've seen a suggestion on here about sealing the chick in an airtight Ziploc bag, and that the absence of oxygen will more or less just make him fall asleep. Could this be an option? I just can't make myself follow through with any acts of physical violence on a healthy baby chick. I would be disgusted with myself for the rest of my life.

NO DONT DO THAT. How would you like it if someone stuck you in a plastic bag and closed it?
listen, I really don’t want to be ugly to you, but why didn’t you think of this before you hatched? And if you don’t have the resources to keep these 2 alive, then you shouldn’t have them.... PERIOD.
And again, suffocating anything is never Humane! Come on now....

 

[MissE]

I may just bite the bullet and decapitate, then. I don't want them to suffer. My plan was to sell them as straight run or even rehome them for free, but I no longer feel comfortable doing so after seeing one too many horror stories about unwanted cockerels being used for sparring bait, live food for snakes or ferrets, etc. I've seen a number of posts on this forum in my research tonight about how "free to a good home" roosters are used for this as well, since they come at no cost and are easily accessible. Definitely not something I want to chance.

Obviously you need to do what you feel is best. I would suggest buying sexed chicks in the future instead of hatching.

What are you going to do with the lone female? It will need other chicks of the same age for company.

 

[OfWolvesAndHen]

Let them grow up longer-they might be females.

you are not a vent sexing trained expert, and from what I’ve learned, it is a hard task to become good at. Even hatcheries have a 10% or greater error rate.

once the possible boys are grown more, then you can sell on Craig’s list. Alternatively, sell all 3 now as straight run chicks. Your single female you currently plan to keep will be lonely, as chickens are flock animals.

The margin of error is why I'm hesitant. I may wait a little while longer; if nothing else I feel like it will be easier to cull a 6 week old than a 3 day old.

I worry about selling straight run as I've seen more than enough horror stories about what happens to unwanted cockerels. But, I will see if someone is at least willing to pay a couple dollars for them. Even if just one. Cockerels seem hard enough to sell as is, and these guys are just your typical ameraucanas; one grey, two black. Very cute but nothing astonishing.

 

[theoldchick]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/i-need-humane-ways-to-euthanize-chicks.286453/

 

[OfWolvesAndHen]

NO DONT DO THAT. How would you like it if someone stuck you in a plastic bag and closed it?
listen, I really don’t want to be ugly to you, but why didn’t you think of this before you hatched? And if you don’t have the resources to keep these 2 alive, then you shouldn’t have them.... PERIOD.
And again, suffocating anything is never Humane! Come on now....

Okay, I thought it seemed a bit... off, but lots of people seemed to approve of that particular method. Thanks for the conformation.

Before I hatched, I never considered that unwanted cockerels would risk being turned into sparring bait for gamecocks or live snake food. I fully realized that they could be difficult to sell, but I guess I just didn't want to consider that people would do those things.

I figured if they didn't sell by six weeks then I could rehome for free... same problem. I didn't think to research actual risks of cruelty because I didn't think other backyard chicken keepers could be so cruel. I only found the information I did by dumb luck. I'm sorry... this is my first hatch and I guess I just didn't think it all the way through. After all, I breed amphibians and fish which I by no means have the space to accommodate long term and have done so for years... though in hindsight I suppose this is more an issue with my practices as a whole. I feel terrible for doing this. I promise I won't hatch or breed anything again until I have the property to house them through adulthood.

 

[OfWolvesAndHen]

Obviously you need to do what you feel is best. I would suggest buying sexed chicks in the future instead of hatching.

What are you going to do with the lone female? It will need other chicks of the same age for company.

I will not be rearing chicks again until I have my own land and a full coop. I realize now how irresponsible I was in doing this. Again the eggs were offered to me as a gift by my aunt and I just did not consider the risk of cruelty towards unwanted roosters.

In the event I did have to cull the boys, I would rehome the pullet. They're easy to find homes for out here in rural Georgia.

 

[Aapomp831]

Okay, I thought it seemed a bit... off, but lots of people seemed to approve of that particular method. Thanks for the conformation.

Before I hatched, I never considered that unwanted cockerels would risk being turned into sparring bait for gamecocks or live snake food. I fully realized that they could be difficult to sell, but I guess I just didn't want to consider that people would do those things.

I figured if they didn't sell by six weeks then I could rehome for free... same problem. I didn't think to research actual risks of cruelty because I didn't think other backyard chicken keepers could be so cruel. I only found the information I did by dumb luck. I'm sorry... this is my first hatch and I guess I just didn't think it all the way through. After all, I breed amphibians and fish which I by no means have the space to accommodate long term and have done so for years... though in hindsight I suppose this is more an issue with my practices as a whole. I feel terrible for doing this. I promise I won't hatch or breed anything again until I have the property to house them through adulthood.

Thank you thank you thank you for being reasonable.... it’s not the norm and I appreciate that you researched some.
I think a lot of people on here have some great ideas; I am currently in the same dilemma with a number of cockerels in my hatch. I’m going to take it day by day and see what happens.... you never know the people you will meet with different needs, you may get lucky and find them great homes! Some people keep yard roosters as pets / “guards” (lol). But, if you run out of options and have to give them away as meat, you can still control the situation. Everyone who has ever taken a cockerel / roo from us, we knew their plan. We got to know them through texts / phone calls / stalking their FB page. Some have been used for meat some used for pets / but at least we were in control.
But anywho... def get sexed pullets in the future. They cost a little more but at least you won’t face this dilemma again. I fully believe that what we create intentionally, we are responsible for or else we are no better than the cruel factories in which most chickens around the world live out their miserable live (through no fault of their own)! Good luck to you!

 

[OfWolvesAndHen]

NO DONT DO THAT. How would you like it if someone stuck you in a plastic bag and closed it?
listen, I really don’t want to be ugly to you, but why didn’t you think of this before you hatched? And if you don’t have the resources to keep these 2 alive, then you shouldn’t have them.... PERIOD.
And again, suffocating anything is never Humane! Come on now....

Now this is just a hypothetical, but I feel like it will be valuable to know going forward: if/when I do have my own coop, and if I ever hatch again, what do I do if I hatch cockerels but already have a rooster in my flock? Surely I couldn't keep them all together with my hens at once? Do I need to build multiple coops just in case? Or would it be okay for a short time until I could get the juveniles sold?

I only ask because I want to be 100% prepared if this ever happens again. It's the same exact issue of lack of sufficient resources that I'm facing now---no space to keep them long-term---just a slightly different scenario.

 

[OfWolvesAndHen]

Thank you thank you thank you for being reasonable.... it’s not the norm and I appreciate that you researched some.
I think a lot of people on here have some great ideas; I am currently in the same dilemma with a number of cockerels in my hatch. I’m going to take it day by day and see what happens.... you never know the people you will meet with different needs, you may get lucky and find them great homes! Some people keep yard roosters as pets / “guards” (lol). But, if you run out of options and have to give them away as meat, you can still control the situation. Everyone who has ever taken a cockerel / roo from us, we knew their plan. We got to know them through texts / phone calls / stalking their FB page. Some have been used for meat some used for pets / but at least we were in control.
But anywho... def get sexed pullets in the future. They cost a little more but at least you won’t face this dilemma again. I fully believe that what we create intentionally, we are responsible for or else we are no better than the cruel factories in which most chickens around the world live out their miserable live (through no fault of their own)! Good luck to you!

Yeah I would rather they not be used for meat, but I wouldn't be entirely against it if the person taking the chicken was at least upfront about it. Unfortunately, from what I've seen, lying to the original owner about your plans for a free cockerel is par for the course. I'm not in the slightest bit worried about losing money because that's not what I started this for; I'm worried about the welfare of my animals.

I'm not sure if I will rear chickens again, especially since there's still a risk of ending up with a cockerel in a bunch of sexed pullets. Previously my only concern was having them sold by 6 weeks, since I have more than enough space for a nice big brooder and all the materials I need to sustain the 3 chicks for that time. I figured the resources for those 6 weeks were all I would need, as I could rehome for free if they got too big. After all that's how the 4-H programs in schools down here work, so surely if the city-slicker grade schoolers can do it, then a university student out in the boondocks can too. Plus I figured if I can sell 20+ exotic salamanders or 50+ betta fish in 3 weeks or less then I should have no problems here... after all those salamanders and fish would take several thousand gallons worth of tank space, which I have never even considered needing until now. However I realize now that this was an issue of my own irresponsibility and lack of preparation.

Now though my concern is that my chickens may be forced to suffer at someone else's hand if I were to rehome them for free, which was my backup plan since before I even put the eggs in the incubator. But knowing what I know now, that isn't a chance I want to take. If I could sell them for even a small fee then I wouldn't be worried, but I know that can take far longer than 6 weeks to accomplish.

 

[MissE]

Yeah I would rather they not be used for meat, but I wouldn't be entirely against it if the person taking the chicken was at least upfront about it. Unfortunately, from what I've seen, lying to the original owner about your plans for a free cockerel is par for the course. I'm not in the slightest bit worried about losing money because that's not what I started this for; I'm worried about the welfare of my animals.

I'm not sure if I will rear chickens again, especially since there's still a risk of ending up with a cockerel in a bunch of sexed pullets. Previously my only concern was having them sold by 6 weeks, since I have more than enough space for a nice big brooder and all the materials I need to sustain the 3 chicks for that time. I figured the resources for those 6 weeks were all I would need, as I could rehome for free if they got too big. After all that's how the 4-H programs in schools down here work, so surely if the city-slicker grade schoolers can do it, then a university student out in the boondocks can too. Plus I figured if I can sell 20+ exotic salamanders or 50+ betta fish in 3 weeks or less then I should have no problems here... after all those salamanders and fish would take several thousand gallons worth of tank space, which I have never even considered needing until now. However I realize now that this was an issue of my own irresponsibility and lack of preparation.

Now though my concern is that my chickens may be forced to suffer at someone else's hand if I were to rehome them for free, which was my backup plan since before I even put the eggs in the incubator. But knowing what I know now, that isn't a chance I want to take. If I could sell them for even a small fee then I wouldn't be worried, but I know that can take far longer than 6 weeks to accomplish.

What's the difference between culling them now, or letting someone raise them for several months and then turn them into dinner? Either way, the end result is the same, but at least as dinner, they weren't wasted.

I will permanently cull for injury/illness, meat, or agression. I won't permanently cull just because they are cockerels.