Thoughts on cockerel management?

[PoppasGrill]

Hi. Perhaps it would help to understand that "to cull" is not a synonym for "to kill." To cull simply means to remove from the flock, by one means or another. It CAN mean dispatching the cockerels and sending them to "freezer camp," but it can also mean selling them or giving them away. If re-homing them, you may lose control over what happens to them. The new owner may or may not choose to eat them; you may never know. In any case, you no longer have to deal with whatever difficulties having too many cockerels or roosters has been causing you.

In our case, she is attached to every feather on every birb. I had someone who was willing to take them, but she wasn’t able to let them go. Been wearing her down though, and the girls have been working on her also to thin out the testosterone in the coop.

 

[RcoM]

In our case, she is attached to every feather on every birb. I had someone who was willing to take them, but she wasn’t able to let them go. Been wearing her down though, and the girls have been working on her also to thin out the testosterone in the coop.

Maybe re-home a couple. It makes your day when sold for breeding! I still keep in touch with new owners. Larger chooks like different ratios of hens. I find 4-5 per rooster is perfect. I could push it to a couple more but my fertility will go down as some hens "escape" attention. In my case, once I decided 2 Roos was perfect (esp when brothers) I just added the number of hens til they were happy. Or I let one go broody and hatch a couple more hens so we will be a balanced flock within 6 months. Pick out the favourite boys and go from there.