I have 5-5month old silkies 3 roos 2 pullets, 2 MF, 2 RLRW, 2 BR (not sure on sex yet) and 9 RR roos sent as packing peanuts all are 8+ weeks old and 10 mix breeds hatched 4 weeks ago. My coop is 8' long 3 wide and 4 high. I have 3 perches at different heights and 6 nest boxes in the coop which is in a 12x12 covered dog kennel. They all go out of the pen during the day when I'm home. I think I have too many and want to cull the 9RR and perhaps the 2 silkie roos. I feel bad about the RR's, are they too young to eat? Now cold weather is coming. Should I just keep them all until they get bigger to provide heat in the coop for the others? They all seem to get along with the occasional pecking order episodes. Any ideas?
I would say they are still pretty small to cull...at least for eating. If they aren't causing any harm, I say grow them out some more.
I think on balance it would be far better to dispatch early and let the others feel more comfortable. 8 weeks is young for sure, but that's 8 more weeks than they would have had if they were hatched at a layer farm and not sold to a caring owner. They will be small, but tender and quite good to eat. I don't make a habit of this as I prefer the roosters to reach maturity, but there are times when it's better to sacrifice the roosters early and thus keep a happy flock. I'd do it, and be thankful to each bird for its meat. In the early days of layer farms this was the norm: rear cockerels to 8 weeks, then dispatch and sell as 'petit poussins'. cheers Erica
You could try selling them on Craigslist, maybe recoup a little of the money you've put into them. I usually try to get $5 for my roos, and if they take more than 1 I'll cut them a deal. You could eat them now, and they'd be delicious. But they'd also be small. IMO- its harder to process smaller birds. Good luck.
