Ways to find good homes for boys from hatch?

[fuzziecreatures]

why cant you have rosters? whats the difference between dogs barking and rosters crowing?

I have wondered this myself many times.

 

[fuzziecreatures]

Post them on Craigslist and specify that you want them to go to homes where they will not be eaten.

Thanks to the first few posters who gave me actual suggestions

For the rest of you who say I should just eat them, and that there is nothing wrong with it, I want you to understand that I would have an extremely difficult time killing & eating my boys that I take the time to hatch and raise, like a couple people have mentioned. Maybe it would be different if I frequently hatched sets of chicks to sell or eat, like many people here on BYC do, but I only have a small flock of 8 girls who I love, even though I didn't hatch them, I did raise all of them, and I became attatched so easily! I couldn't imagine raising a chick, becoming attached, then eating them! And I'm sure it is even easier to become attached when you have hatched them yourself haha! Now, this is just my opinion, so please don't take any offense

Also, SherrieT - I think I do have somewhat of right, even responsibility, to find the boys I have raised a good home. I may or may not be successsful, but I think I should at least try

 

[tec27]

why cant you have rosters? whats the difference between dogs barking and rosters crowing?

Dogs don't usually bark for 2 hours at 4am.

 

[Dingo]

Quote:

why cant you have rosters? whats the difference between dogs barking and rosters crowing?

Where I live dogs barking generally means theres a bear or coyote or other large wildlife is around, a rooster crowing would not be welcome or tolerated out here.

 

[SIMZ]

I completely understand what you're saying as I used to think the same way. It's very difficult to even give roosters away unless they're a special breed - been there, done that. Sometimes even "good" homes don't turn out that well. That's when I came to the conclusion that I'd rather butcher my boys and know they were treated well to the end, then just leave it to chance somewhere, because I also feel I'm responsible for those birds. It sounds like you have some good ideas on giving them away and hopefully that works out. Craigslist, freecycle, and even Facebook are great places to get word out. We also have a local Facebook farm swap page that is great for things like that. Best of luck!

 

[[email protected]]

Our neighbors dogs do and our rooster only crows when there's light.

Quote:


Where I live dogs barking generally means theres a bear or coyote or other large wildlife is around, a rooster crowing would not be welcome or tolerated out here.

 

[ncmtngal]

When I first started hatching my own chicks, I had "Pollyanna" syndrome. I had never had more than one or two roosters at one time and that was tolerable. When I started to having excess fellers, I listed them for free on Craigslist. To my suprise

no one responded. Last summer I had to PAY people to come get my free roosters.

Now I understand. If you can't stand the thought of you or someone else eating them, you really shouldn't be hatching them. As with many other farm animals...the boys get eaten.

 

[twentynine]

Pollyana syndrome, head in sand, whatever!

Hatching chickens is just like all the other fun things you do in life. To have the fun, you have to do the work

In this case the fun is actually hatching the eggs, the work is doing something with all the roosters.

I know if the OP sold me a rooster and then began to tell me what I could and could not do with MY rooster, I'd have a problem.

What in the world does the OP think happens to all the extra roosters hatched in the world?

Head in sand! If you can't use them yourself, and you can't sell/give them away to be used as they have always been used, you have no business hatching.

 

[keesmom]

Thanks to the first few posters who gave me actual suggestions

For the rest of you who say I should just eat them, and that there is nothing wrong with it, I want you to understand that I would have an extremely difficult time killing & eating my boys that I take the time to hatch and raise, like a couple people have mentioned. Maybe it would be different if I frequently hatched sets of chicks to sell or eat, like many people here on BYC do, but I only have a small flock of 8 girls who I love, even though I didn't hatch them, I did raise all of them, and I became attatched so easily! I couldn't imagine raising a chick, becoming attached, then eating them! And I'm sure it is even easier to become attached when you have hatched them yourself haha! Now, this is just my opinion, so please don't take any offense

Also, SherrieT - I think I do have somewhat of right, even responsibility, to find the boys I have raised a good home. I may or may not be successsful, but I think I should at least try

Sure you can try. Just as long as you know that it is extremely difficult to find pet homes for every rooster you hatch and it could take some time. Since you're in a location that doesn't allow roos, you may want to have a back up plan to sell them to someone who will eat them. At some point those baby boys will find their voices and use them a LOT!

 

[seminolewind]

IMHO if you want control of the birds you hatch then you have to keep them. Can't keep them? Then you have no right to say what happens to them when they leave your house

You have every right to your convictions about roosters. Unfortunately, it will prove virtually impossible in reality. It is a Pollyanna world view that runs head long into the harsh realities, imo. Given that fact, hatching chicks without a firm plan is propagation and is a questionable practice. Hatching isn't for everyone. With hatching comes responsibilities. Just sayin'.

I wish you the very best. Like you said yourself, "this is my opinion, so please do not take any offense".

You have every right to say you are selling them as pets, or for a flock. Whatever happens after that, well, what I do is take the interested party at their word, and hope.

Yes I suffer from Pollyanna syndrome too. The guy I give them to says they will be for hobby and breeding, and I take him at his word and don't ask anymore questions. I can only hope that they are, or at least have some free range time with some girls before they become dinner. That's more than most roosters get.

Yes, we all need a firm plan prior to hatching eggs. Mine is believing what I'm told. However, my next hatch in the bator I have planned on keeping the roos.