To Cull or Not to Cull

[sarahs31]

Ok, here's the scoop. I ordered 5 Welsummer Pullets and 5 St Run Welsummers. I got 8 cockerals and 2 pullets. Yeah, long story. So now I have too many cockerals in my flock. I have 30-15 wk old chickens in a 12x10 coop and I need to make some decisions.

My first immediate one is I have a roo that's down. He's on the floor, alert but hobbles and drags his wing. I'm thinking he may have a broken wing, it's floppy and there were a LOT of black wings on the floor. Could they be fighting seriously already? Any ideas?

Now the rest of the boys. I'd like to keep two so that I can perhaps hatch some Welsummers. What do I look for in a roo and what would you do with the rest. I can't think that Wellies could be that meaty....Would anyone pay a couple of bucks for them? Ideas?

 

[chicksahoy]

as far as getting rid of the other roosters, no one can really ship birds w/out there being shock and trauma. so unless you can find someone in your area who will take them, eat 'em up. what to look for in a breeding rooster:
1. perkiness
2. clear eyes and shiny feathers
3. no split wing, (gap in the wing feathers when they are spread out)or squirrel tail p.s. this is only a partial, to start off with list of what to lookfor as i am, by all standards, a novice
best of luck,
colton

 

[Sunny Side Up]

You'll only need 1 roo with just 2 hens, the usual ratio is 1:10-12. And yeah, with that many young roos together with just 2 still immature pullets, there's going to be fighting for sure!

I'd put the hurt guy in a separate cage, and then separate the other roos from the pullets. Put them 2 or 3 to a cage, if you can. They can fatten up for the next 3-5 weeks and be ready to process. They won't be as meaty as some breeds, but certainly worth the effort to process. Around here folks pay $5-$10 for unwanted roos for meat.

Once you separate your pullets from the cockerels, you can experiment with putting 1 guy at a time back in with them, to see which one you like the best.