This might be a stupid question, but....

[Heffalump]

What do you do with your unwanted roosters when you hatch a batch of eggs? Is hatching a batch unrealistic for me considering I'm not prepared to kill any roosters (except for medical reasons)?

We currently have 5 ex-battery hens, but we are getting a bigger coop to house more. I'd love to raise chicks but I'm very soft-hearted, so I don't know if it's wise.....thoughts please?

 

[adrikeen]

I did a Craig's List add but I was direct with people and screened to make sure they weren't going to be used for nefarious reasons such as cock fighting. Pet/protector/breeding/food...ok.

 

[townchicks]

Don't hatch them if you don't have a plan. You will get roosters, that's a given. Then your choices are, 1) keep them all (not realistic) 2) re-home them to pet homes (possible to maybe find a few, but hard) 3) give them away no questions asked, knowing they will probably be eaten 4) harvest them yourself for food.
This is why I don't hatch. I think it would be fun, but......

 

[coach723]

Anytime you are going to raise chicks you need to have a plan for the extra cockerels. The only way to never end up with a rooster is to only buy sex linked chicks (and know enough about the breed to know what you are getting), or only add pullets that are laying, or old enough to know it's for sure a pullet. Even buying sexed chicks is not 100% that you won't end up with a roo or two. Hatching yourself guarantee's a percentage of roosters. I agree with @townchicks, those are really the only feasible options and it can be very hard to rehome roosters. I keep the nice ones that I can, based on my numbers of hens, the rest are processed for food. I don't like doing it, it's just an unfortunate fact of raising chickens.

 

[KikiLeigh02]

If you don't have the heart to process or let someone else process, I definitely wouldn't hatch any. You could try a rooster flock, but honestly that isn't for the faint of heart either. You could ask around maybe, we have a local food bank that will take them to get processed. I think it's pretty awesome. We're planning to donate a couple when we process ours. My husband always donates one of his deer (you have to donate the deer and the tag number) to them during hunting season.

 

[Heffalump]

Thanks for all the replies. I think that's egg hatching ruled out for me!