Too fat? To cull or not to cull.......

[Cindiloohoo]

I gave a friend a couple roosters that I didn't plan on breeding. They sent them back today because they aren't getting along with the ducks. The main diet they had was corn and forage...obviously mostly corn because one roo is HUGE and got into it with my roo earlier and his comb turned black almost immediately so I had to cage him. I wasn't worried about seperating because they weren't around any diseased birds. I know where they have been since hatch. Anyway, he's too fat. I have him on gamebird feed at the moment. Anybody ever had to put a bird on a diet? Do ya think he might slim down or should we just eat him? He's a year old in May. Just wondering...haven't seen this come up...

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Anybody? At all?

 

[sonew123]

Id eat him

Of course Ive never fed just corn and forage so I dont know what it would taste like? Ive never eaten a roo that old -I butcher all roos by like 16 weeks if I cant give them away or sell them:-(

 

[fancbrd4me02]

I havn't put a chicken on a diet before. I think if it were me I would free range him, and let him free feed with the flock (unless he was pigging out all the time).

 

[teach1rusl]

Well, for me it would depend on two main things: Do I know how to process a rooster? Do I need or want another rooster around? I'm sure a diet would work...just being put back on regular feed would eventually do the trick I would think. Like not eating Big Macs 7 days a week any more, just regular lunch meat sandwiches for lunch. Keeping the roosters apart sounds stressful to me, so I would probably opt for culling myself (of course I don't know HOW to do that, so it's easy for me to say).

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Quote:
Oh I forgot to mention he's kinda mean too...he tried whoopin my turkey, but tomboy put him in his place. I think we'll probably just eat him unless we can rehome him. It shocked me to see how big he was...almost double my roo, who is healthy and 9 pounds! He's got to be 12 at LEAST...just umbelieveable....

 

[4-H chicken mom]

If you don't have any use for them, they would probably make good soup.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Quote:
That's kinda what I was thinking....he's just so fat...I don't know if he can survive. The comb turning black made me think his heart was gonna give out. So may be the best thing for the old boy. Just wanted to see what everyone else thought. I COULD use him to protect the layer flock, but dunno if it's worth it or if he will make it that long.

 

[MrsChickendad]

I'll bet he'll be greasy! Our fat rooster was!

 

[OccamsTazer]

I bet all that fat would make some seriously nommy chicken stock

I usually make matzo ball soup out of fat ol' birds...