Talk to me about your dual purpose coop schedule

[Hedgeland Farms]

When you hatch chicks, about half will be males and about half will be females.

So from any specific hatch, you have the option of butchering them all, or keeping some of the females to become replacement layers.

Here is a system I've done in the past and liked:
There are two coops. One is suitable for year-round use, the other is only suitable for summer use (has wire-mesh sides, which are not enough shelter for a cold & windy winter).

The main flock of hens and rooster spend their winter in the year-round coop.
When the weather gets warm in the spring, eggs go in the incubator, and the main flock moves into the summer-only coop.
When the eggs hatch, the chicks are brooded in the year-round coop.
Sometime during the summer, most of the young males get butchered, along with any pullets that have obvious problems (runt, crooked beak, etc.)
In the fall, the pullets start laying around the time the older hens start molting and the weather starts getting cold. So it's time to butcher the old rooster and the old hens, along with any extra cockerels & pullets. That leaves one cockerel and a bunch of newly-laying pullets to spend the winter in the year-round coop, and the cycle is back where it started.

Of course there are many variations you can do.
You can sell the old flock instead of butchering them & making soup.
You can replace the old flock every other year instead of every year (but then you have a time when they are molting and not laying eggs.)
You can replace half the hens each year instead of all of them (colored legbands make it easy to tell what hens are how old: just use a different color each year.)
You can hatch more than one batch of chicks each year. Either do a second batch after butchering the first batch, or divide the coop and raise them in separate sections.
You can keep the hens & rooster in the year-round coop, and raise the chicks in the summer coop (although I think the more sheltered year-round coop is better for brooding chicks.)
You can have as many extra coops as you like, if you want to raise large numbers of chicks for meat.
And of course you can eat pullets too. You don't have to save ALL of the nice ones for egg layers. But if you save the best ones for breeding, your flock will tend to get a bit better each year.

Thank you for this!!!!
I appreciate reading it

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

You can keep the hens & rooster in the year-round coop, and raise the chicks in the summer coop (although I think the more sheltered year-round coop is better for brooding chicks.)

We are planning on making a section of the new run/coop enclosed with a separate coop inside the blocked portion.

I was gonna just brood the nugget hatch in there from hatch till butcher.

of course you can eat pullets too. You don't have to save ALL of the nice ones for egg layers. But if you save the best ones for breeding, your flock will tend to get a bit better each year.

I would like to improve the overall look of the flock, just for fun for me really...not for any specific reason.

Obviously I'd like a meaty carcass first, but I'd also like to keep the traits that make them sexable at hatch.

I am not sure how much more of a "project" I can commit to currently...

But I do, want to head in the direction of improvement.

 

[NatJ]

We are planning on making a section of the new run/coop enclosed with a separate coop inside the blocked portion.

I was gonna just brood the nugget hatch in there from hatch till butcher.

That sounds like it will work well

I would like to improve the overall look of the flock, just for fun for me really...not for any specific reason.

Obviously I'd like a meaty carcass first, but I'd also like to keep the traits that make them sexable at hatch.

I am not sure how much more of a "project" I can commit to currently...

But I do, want to head in the direction of improvement.

Improving the flock can pair very well with raising chickens for meat. The more chicks you hatch, the better your chance of finding really good ones to be your next breeding stock. The ones you do not pick for breeding are the ones that get eaten

For sexing: you can mark the obvious females with one color legband (or a band on one leg), and the obvious males with a different color legband (or a band on the other leg.) Butcher any that did not get marked, because they were not easy to sex. Butcher any that seemed easy to sex but turned out the wrong gender.

Then from the ones that were easy to sex, choose the ones with the best meat qualities to be your breeding stock, and eat the less-good ones. That way you don't lose the easy sexing, but you keep focusing on the meat qualities too.

If you find a time of year when only a few hens are laying (maybe in mid-winter), you could hatch chicks from those eggs, or mark those hens and hatch their eggs later, to select for ones that lay when others might quit. Likewise if some hens go broody and quit laying, you can hatch eggs from the ones that are still laying, and that selects for ones that keep laying instead of going broody.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

That sound like it will work well


Improving the flock can pair very well with raising chickens for meat. The more chicks you hatch, the better your chance of finding really good ones to be your next breeding stock. The ones you do not pick for breeding are the ones that get eaten

For sexing: you can mark the obvious females with one color legband (or a band on one leg), and the obvious males with a different color legband (or a band on the other leg.) Butcher any that did not get marked, because they were not easy to sex. Butcher any that seemed easy to sex but turned out the wrong gender.

Then from the ones that were easy to sex, choose the ones with the best meat qualities to be your breeding stock, and eat the less-good ones. That way you don't lose the easy sexing, but you keep focusing on the meat qualities too.

If you find a time of year when only a few hens are laying (maybe in mid-winter), you could hatch chicks from those eggs, or mark those hens and hatch their eggs later, to select for ones that lay when others might quit. Likewise if some hens go broody and quit laying, you can hatch eggs from the ones that are still laying, and that selects for ones that keep laying instead of going broody.

Gosh!!! Thank you so much for putting that all down! My brain just sighed with relief

I know I am over thinking it, but I've never done any kind of breeding for any purposes so trying to figure that out with how to keep eggs coming with when to butcher the chickens, etc....I was stumped

 

[Morrigan]

I usually butcher non-keeper roosters at between 14 to 16 weeks. There's some wiggle room, but we like to grill and fry, and so I'm somewhat mindful of letting them get too toothsome. Also, that's when they start crowing, tussling and chasing the hens and I'm ready to have them out of the coop.

As far as butchering the pullets, my general philosophy is to wait until they are 6 to 8 months old so I can evaluate their eggs laying and have a better sense of their appearance and personality. Because they don't have the testosterone of the cockerels, they stay tender and mild flavored for longer. I've found that that I can still slow roast hens of that age and get a tender bird with crisp skin.

I also do a clear-out in late fall, to make sure that there is room for my keeper layers to overwinter comfortably. I generally take that as an opportunity to give every chicken a hard look and remove any that seem to be past their best laying, laying sub-optimal eggs, or just not fitting in very well. Those hens usually range from 1 to 4 years in age. I pressure can the meat from this birds, make stock with the bones and schmaltz with the fat. I find that canned chicken from those older hens to be incredibly flavorful and I love having those cans for soup, tacos, casseroles etc.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

I usually butcher non-keeper roosters at between 14 to 16 weeks. There's some wiggle room, but we like to grill and fry, and so I'm somewhat mindful of letting them get too toothsome. Also, that's when they start crowing, tussling and chasing the hens and I'm ready to have them out of the coop.

As far as butchering the pullets, my general philosophy is to wait until they are 6 to 8 months old so I can evaluate their eggs laying and have a better sense of their appearance and personality. Because they don't have the testosterone of the cockerels, they stay tender and mild flavored for longer. I've found that that I can still slow roast hens of that age and get a tender bird with crisp skin.

I also do a clear-out in late fall, to make sure that there is room for my keeper layers to overwinter comfortably. I generally take that as an opportunity to give every chicken a hard look and remove any that seem to be past their best laying, laying sub-optimal eggs, or just not fitting in very well. Those hens usually range from 1 to 4 years in age. I pressure can the meat from this birds, make stock with the bones and schmaltz with the fat. I find that canned chicken from those older hens to be incredibly flavorful and I love having those cans for soup, tacos, casseroles etc.

Very helpful thank you!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

You've had some excellent responses from sown very good people. You can see that we all do things differently for our own reasons. You will have to find your own way. I find trial and error to be a good teacher.

Hatch out chicks from said coop for the freezer 1 or 2xs a yr.

How many chicks will you hatch each year? Will you eat boys and girls or just the boys? Some people sell the girls to help pay for feed but that means you have to hatch twice as many and have the facilities to handle that. We eat both boys and girls but there are only two of us. I can get two meals out of a small pullet so the extra size of a cockerel isn't that important. Size is to some.

How much freezer space do you have? For me, freezer space is at a premium during the summer gardening, berry, and fruit seasons. I know, buy another freezer but I don't want to. So instead of two big hatches a year I have a fairly big one in February and then rely on several smaller hatches over the summer, mainly using broody hens. That lets me spread butchering out and helps me manage freezer space. Mine forage for a fair amount of their food so feed costs aren't that bad.

The point of this is to look at your facilities, both to hatch and raise them and to store the meat.

Rotate the complete flock out after 2 yrs....

As NatJ said, many different ways to do this. One of my goals is to play with genetics just for fun. That means I typically keep a new cockerel to replace the rooster every year. And I replace half of my hens every year. That suits my "play with genetics" goals. Also it is fairly common for some pullets to lay throughout the first winter and all the way until the molt the following fall. Not all pullets do that, some people tend to read that and think that means all pullets always lay through their first winter. Not all do that but enough of mine do that I usually have some fresh eggs during winter. Some years not many and one year none but you do the best you can.

I usually butcher my cockerels between 16 and 23 weeks of age. That suits how I cook them (bake them) and how I raise them. I tend to butcher most pullets around 8 months of age. As someone mentioned, that gives me a chance to evaluate them for laying eggs.

This is my goal, but life often gets in the way. Sometimes a chicken dies for whatever reason, predator, accident, etc. If a chicken is disturbing the peace and tranquility of the flock (or aggravates me enough) I may eat it. I just do the best I can.

The point of this is that your other goals and preferences plus your management methods will influence this. And you need to be flexible.

I don't want to harvest older chickens if I can help it, so it's likely that the entire flock will go to auction come time to replace.

Perfectly logical. Your preferences should play a big part in how you manage them. I tend to wait until the new pullets are laying before I remove the older hens. And I skin mine so I don't have to mess with pin feathers when I butcher them. They are typically molting when they stop laying.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

How many chicks will you hatch each year? Will you eat boys and girls or just the boys?

Thinking abt 7 -10 each round. Incubator holds up to 30.

I plan to eat both

I don't have time to go to auctions. I can try on Craigslist to sell pullets, but if that plan fails. I will replace who needs to be replaced in the coop and eat whos either replaced or who didn't make the cut.

One of my goals is to play with genetics just for fun. That means I typically keep a new cockerel to replace the rooster every year. And I replace half of my hens every year.

This is a good idea. As I said I'd like to play with genetics but I don't wanna commit a whole ton of time and energy to it. I'll just be bettering my flock for my family and own fun.

Not all pullets do that, some people tend to read that and think that means all pullets always lay through their first winter. Not all do that but enough of mine do that I usually have some fresh eggs during winter. Some years not many and one year none but you do the best you can.

I am waterglassing eggs currently. Some for us, and some for a friend who will buy them BC they are preserved.

How much freezer space do you have?

We have 1 deep freezer currently holding 245lbs from our pig, but are buying another for freezing chickens. I also plan to can chicken meat.

I usually butcher my cockerels between 16 and 23 weeks of age. That suits how I cook them (bake them) and how I raise them. I tend to butcher most pullets around 8 months of age. As someone mentioned, that gives me a chance to evaluate them for laying eggs.

I think this is more what I am leaning towards. I know the boys will go somewhere between 14-18wks. I have an 18wk cockerel and he's HUGE!!! He is bought from someone else, my pullets are all hatchery.

These chicks will be my first harvest from this coop, as I hatched with the intention of adding more boys BUT they have dark leg wash and I don't want that in my hatches

I want to have the sexable traits that the breed is intended to have. Even if they are more stocky then the actual heritage breed. Which in doing research... is a spectacular looking breed...and I'd love to end up there one day..but for now...these will do
I am loving the Barred rocks.

I thank you for your time!! And the info you've left for me!!

you need to be flexible

I am will aim to do my best

I remove the older hens. And I skin mine so I don't have to mess with pin feathers when I butcher them. They are typically molting when they stop laying.

Skinning would be perfect for canning!!! , and likely a good choice for older birds (Just gotta get up the nerve and realize I likely won't kill my fambam!)

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

I also do a clear-out in late fall, to make sure that there is room for my keeper layers to overwinter comfortably.

This is a solid idea!!

 

[Acre4Me]

We tried having dual purpose: white Plymouth Rock of a line that were good sized, meant for laying or for eating. Size was great, definitely attained a nice size by the 14-16 week mark. We kept 3 females for the flock and they are 16 months old and a very good size, and good layers. However, once they hit about 10-12 weeks, it was a bit tortuous to hear them crowing all the time, and bullying some away from feed (so extra management with that). Some got aggressive with us too.

Overall, we were not sold on the dual purpose for meat. We typically get Cornish X in the fall, to butcher at 7-8 weeks. We occasionally butcher other males now and again. We tried a spring batch of Cornish X, but the flies! Everywhere! The heat! The smell! We prefer butchering in cooler temps of the fall and we then vacuum seal and freeze. Oh, and if you have to put the organs, feathers in the trash …. Make sure to butcher the day or two BEFORE trash gets picked up, not the day after..

But, using dual purpose birds, I’d focus on some breeds known for good meat. In our experience, the Black jersey Giant makes a good carcass. Since they are slower growing, they don’t mature to crowing so soon. You have a bit longer window -even their testicles are pretty small as compared to other, same age, breeds when butchered bc they take longer to reach maturity, but have a good size carcass. Our BJG were from an exhibition line, so big indeed and at a younger age/not yet fully grown, had tender meat. Another bird we enjoyed was the Dorking. Known for meat and have more dark meat. We really enjoyed this one too and it’s a very old breed, I think from Roman times. The Dorking breed has a few recognized colors, however the females lay a medium egg, rather than a large egg. The white Plymouth Rocks were good, carcasses and nice, but…not as much of a standout as the other two, although of these three breeds mentioned, the females are the better layers for frequency and size. I know there are a few other breeds common to use as dual purpose, so they may be options.

Another thing to consider are Capons. A capon is a castrated rooster that is castrated at around 6-9 weeks old. I’ve done this to a few birds, but was learning and did not successfully get both testicles out of any of the birds. But I have zero background in anything medical, which may have made things easier. On the positive side all the partial caponized males survived the quick procedure, no infections at all, and typical chicken behavior afterwards. It is a way to keep males that are not aggressive and they develop more tender meat. Plus, you still get the beautiful male feathering, but not the male behavior.

Good luck with your endeavors.