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I'm a seller too but also a buyer and I totally understand wanting only females from both sides. Males are a dime a dozen. I occasionally will be looking for a replacement breeding roo but really, how many roos does one person need? Certainly not in the same numbers as the females. Males are surplus. I either give them away to people who process or auction. It's their fate. We can always hope they'll be worth something to somebody but the chances are slim. It's only what the market will bear which ain't much. Ha, can't imagine processing a Bantam. It does hardly seem worth it.
Oh, I know,.. but then I have to price to pay for the food etc for all the males until they are sexable (which in silkies can be significant amount of time). It does effect the price. For instance, I was selling some sexed 5-7 week old welsummer chicks that were extras and had them priced as pairs. Had someone wanting only girls, so I said I would knock a couple dollars off the pair price, but that's all I can do. The reason? If they took two females I would have two males that I would either have to cull at a size when they couldn't be processed, or put more feed into until they could be processed. I **HATE** to cull a bird that I can't eat because it feels like such a waste- a waste of a life. I can cull if I am going to eat it, it makes me feel like the life had some meaning.
I know, twisted logic, but still- I could never be one of the breeders that breaks necks of healthy birds and throws the birds in the garbage or the burn pile. Sick birds, well, that's another matter entirely.
OMG, I have never heard of that but suppose there are people who might do that. Dunno, but sad, lots of people out there to take them and put them to use for food. I always find people who want them for processing. I give the young cockerels away. Mature roos I have a guy who will give me $10. Yes, it cost me money to feed the cockerels but once the chicks are sexable the price for the pullets goes up and in some cases doubles so I don't mind giving the cockerels away. It all evens out in the end. Roos, another story. I hold out for a little money on them but have never offed a bird and buried it because I didn't want it any more. Thats not right. You gave the animal life. You are responsible for finding purpose for it. If my cockerels go to processers I don't have feel like I need to try and make people take a pair when all they want is a pullet.
I'm sure it'll turn out fine. Though I know it's scary when you don't "know". There were some "abnormalities" on my ultrasound at first too, and I had to go to another hospital to have ultrasounds every 2 weeks to monitor things and after three or four ultrasounds everything was fine. It was a growth rate thing on the fluid-y part of DS's brain. But like anyone that saw him running around the Monroe show like a goon knows, he's just fine!!
