What Do You All Do With Your Roos?

[Laurajean]

I'm never in this section of the site, so forgive me if this has been asked. But I am curious what all of you who hatch eggs do with your roos? Do you just keep them all and continue to breed? Are there any of you who do not want roos, and when you get them, what do you do with them?

I don't hatch my own eggs, but I've been tempted to let my broody hens go ahead and hatch some, but then I remember I don't want roosters. I already have one that I tolerate because I could never find him a home.

Obviously, I suppose some of you eat them, but what else?

 

[Judy]

There aren't a lot of choices. I wouldn't hatch eggs, myself, if we didn't eat the roos, and certainly not if I had a problem with their being eaten. I have 7 chicks hatched by a broody currently around 2 months old, and it looks like 6 are roos....

Sell them to people who feed them to other pets, sell or give them away on Craigslist or at a local auction (to people who will likely eat them,) -- not a lot of choices. Sometimes you can find a "good home" for one or two, but not often enough to deal with 50% being males. It's just part of chicken keeping, half will be males but a common flock ratio is one to 10 females, and lots of people don't want or aren't allowed roos.

Yes, there are threads on here about this, a fair number of them. Probably mostly in Managing your Flock. I'm sure there are some more ideas on some of them.

 

[Katy]

I keep them until I decide who makes the cut to join the breeding flocks and then the rest of them I take to the local poultry auction.

 

[featherz]

I don't eat them, I put them on craigslist or I may take them to the local auction ( haven't tried that yet). If they are purebred, sometimes 4-H will take them. Also, they are easier to rehome if you let them go in pairs or trios.

 

[sgtmom52]

Craig's List.

I don't eat mine ~ but have no problem with others eating them. The purebreds and some of the mixes I have been able to sell, but some I just give away. I rehomed 15 last summer.

 

[Laurajean]

Sounds like I should keep bringing in those eggs then! I don't want more roos, don't eat meat, couldn't bring myself to bring them into this world knowing certain death was in their future..... so sounds like a bad idea all around, for ME, I mean. Too bad. It would be so sweet to watch little chicks out there with a momma, but not worth the risk.... 50% males: wow.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

If I have one I think is SQ from a certain pen I send it off to someone that does show. Some use my roosters for their breeding projects. Some around here just need good roosters for their flock and I do have a farmer who takes extras for his freezer.

 

[Katy]

You'll be lucky if it's just 50% roos.....last fall I had a hatch of 37/38 chicks out of 41 eggs....all but I think it was 6 of them were cockerals. So much for the old wives tale that fall hatches produce more pullets.

 

[Laurajean]

Quote:
All BUT 6 were cockerals???

Holy smokes. I would have a heart attack. The quaint idea of "cute little chicks in the yard" just got a lot less appealing....

I guess I was lucky. When I ordered mine, I ordered "all females", knowing there would be a likelihood of roos due to sexing not being guaranteed. I ordered 8 bantams, and only one turned out to be a rooster. Guess I'll quit while I'm ahead. They were also supposed to be "mixed feather footed bantam breeds" and 6 out of 8 were Silkies.

Would have liked more variety, but I guess I'm thankful that there weren't more roos!

 

[emvickrey]

I take the ones I don't plan to keep to the auction. I'll be going to a swap meet to sell the ones I have now including about a dozen chicks. The roos are usually somebody's dinner. I don't have a problem eating them, I just don't like killing them.