What Do You All Do With Your Roos?

[andalusn]

My broody hen hatched 16 peeps/sexlinks just before thanks giving. 6 were roos rest were pullets. Guess I was lucky

Nice roos I take to my local feedstore, they put them in cages by the front door and sell them. The price tag is double meat so most buyers want them for their flock of hens not dinner. They keep the money but they are gone quickly and I am no longer feeding them. Some roosters I will keep and sell myself but that's a nice purebred for $20 or more a bird. Again usually not a meat sale. Sexlink roosters don't have much to offer except for dinner so those are going and I have an add on Craigs List.

Just a word the wise if your buying feed store chicks to assure yourself of only getting hens... not true.... They try their best but those cute chicks that say pullets can be roosters so you still run the risk and have to deal with the result. I bought two Welsummer peeps last year... both were roosters. Sexlink peeps are the only way to know what your getting. As an aside what is your plan for when your hens stop laying? Those have to be dealt with too and its usually a stew pot.

 

[Laurajean]

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Not sure I follow. Since mine are bantams, I don't really keep them for egg production. They're more pets with the bonus of eggs. So when they stop laying I would just continue to keep them for pets as I currently do. I hardly even eat their eggs actually, I usually just scramble them and feed them back to them!

 

[dretd]

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Laurajean, I really sympathize with you. I was a vegetarian for quite some time and my 10 yr od daughter decided she wanted to be vegetarian about a year ago and she's held firm even though its really hard when none of your friends are. I can tell you are a really kind person and want to do the right thing by your animals.

Here's the thing, I have come to the realization that certain death is in everyone's future and that everyone/thing dies eventually. I decided that I would rather let an animal live and have a life (even if it is short) than not be allowed to live at all. I think its more imortant to treat the animals well while they are alive. I know my chickens are very happy, certainly happier than battery chickens. I couldn't eat my own roosters either.

I have wrestled with your exact dilemma, too. My daughter and I have decided to try to hatch eggs this spring. Our strategy is to get really high-quality breeder eggs that can be shown so that the cocks have intrinsic value and are thus less likely to be eaten. You may want to contact a 4-H leader and see what breed/breeds are most desirable in your area.

Take care! Elissa

 

[Harlequin]

the only roos ive absolutely had to get rid of were two french black copper marans that we paid $12 a piece for straight run chicks. they were too much money to eat and soooo pretty. just gave them to a woman we bought ameracauna chickies from a few days ago. shes gonna keep them for her FBCM hens. even got a few week old silver laced polish chicks for a trade

i am so horrible with chicken math this year

 

[hannakat]

I have pure breed chickens and still could not get rid of them.... tried Craigslist and here. Hubby finally sent them to freezer camp when they were about 4 months old. They were happy free range chickens so I feel I gave them all that I could. We don't eat them but I make my own dog food so nothing goes to waste. We try to be good stewards.

As far as buying females from a hatchery...I know 2 people who order all hens and have never gotten a roo.

 

[Laurajean]

Quote:
Laurajean, I really sympathize with you. I was a vegetarian for quite some time and my 10 yr od daughter decided she wanted to be vegetarian about a year ago and she's held firm even though its really hard when none of your friends are. I can tell you are a really kind person and want to do the right thing by your animals.

Here's the thing, I have come to the realization that certain death is in everyone's future and that everyone/thing dies eventually. I decided that I would rather let an animal live and have a life (even if it is short) than not be allowed to live at all. I think its more imortant to treat the animals well while they are alive. I know my chickens are very happy, certainly happier than battery chickens. I couldn't eat my own roosters either.

I have wrestled with your exact dilemma, too. My daughter and I have decided to try to hatch eggs this spring. Our strategy is to get really high-quality breeder eggs that can be shown so that the cocks have intrinsic value and are thus less likely to be eaten. You may want to contact a 4-H leader and see what breed/breeds are most desirable in your area.

Take care! Elissa

Hi Elissa; I've been a vegetarian for 25 years now, so it comes pretty easy, lol. But I know it is hard for people just starting out. Even after all these years, there are still frustrations. I rarely go to family's houses for dinner because they freak out and don't know what to feed me. My father has spaghetti and marinara sauce down, ha ha, so that's ALL he ever feeds me.

It's A LOT easier these days than it was when I first started out years ago, there weren't all the vegetarian meat alternatives readily available like there are today. Now I can find at least one vegetarian option in most restaurants. It is tough with my friends though, they STILL harass me, even after all these years. I get all kinds of questions like "So what do you eat, just salad?"

Ironically, when I meet new people who hear I'm vegetarian, *some* get very defensive and rolls their eyes as if to say "here we go, she's going to lecture us, she's a PETA fanatic". What's ironic is that I never lecture anyone, it's their choice to eat meat and doesn't affect me at all, but they will actually harass me for not eating it. It's like reverse discrimination!

As far as the chickens go, yes, I am very sensitive to it. The reason I still have my roo is because the only ones willing to take him would eat him. You have a very valid point about them living a good life until they die and death being inevitable. But maybe it's just my personal beliefs. Being Buddhist, I believe in "doing no harm". So it gets fuzzy as to whether or not that applies to giving away a rooster knowing that it will be killed. Is that first hand harm, or second hand or not at all? As long as the line is fuzzy to me, I just wouldn't want to deliberately bring a rooster into the world knowing it will be put to death. Dying on it's own due to nature is different to me I guess.

But that's just my personal view on it, I don't judge others at all as to whether they eat meat, slaughter their roosters, etc. I believe in "to each his own", it's just not something I could do, personally. And I totally agree that for those who choose to eat meat, raising their own is a wonderful alternative to battery chickens for sure! Those poor creatures live a wretched life.

Good idea by the way about raising "show type" chickens that are less likely to be eaten.

Take care to you too!

 

[schellie69]

I respect people who stand by their beliefs and don't judge mine. I can understand you not wanting to hatch eggs when you are uncertain might happen to the roosters. I do feel bad that most roosters in hatcheries are killed at birth. I know when I get my farm I will raise my own birds and the extra rooster will feed my family but until then they will have a very full life with freedom. good food and sunshine. Now I have read some people that are carponing(sp) (neutering) the rooster so that they don' t crow and can be kept as pets might be another option for you. just a thought.

 

[Laurajean]

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I don't mind the crowing really, and I'm in a remote area with no close neighbors, but I was interesting in the neutering concept. It was a while back now, so I don't remember why I abandoned the idea. Maybe I read that it's risky and they can die? I'm really not sure now. But I would seriously do that if I knew it was safe.

And like you said, I respect others' beliefs too, and there's nothing wrong with feeding your family and raising chickens with good food and sunshine!

 

[schellie69]

Quote:
I don't mind the crowing really, and I'm in a remote area with no close neighbors, but I was interesting in the neutering concept. It was a while back now, so I don't remember why I abandoned the idea. Maybe I read that it's risky and they can die? I'm really not sure now. But I would seriously do that if I knew it was safe.

And like you said, I respect others' beliefs too, and there's nothing wrong with feeding your family and raising chickens with good food and sunshine!

I just saw a thread that had pictures that the person did this procedure he did lose a couple but found that he learned a lot and it was easier then he thought. I just thought this might be an idea for people who want to hatch chicks and don't believe in using the roosters for food. I would do a search you might find out more. Thank you for respecting others beliefs. I know its hard I try and respect everyone's beliefs but sometimes I get judged because of the beliefs I follow. I will see if I can find those threads I read. now some use this to also make the roosters bigger. let me see what I can find.

 

[Judy]

Here you go:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=472475

It's called caponizing, and the chicken is then a capon. I'm sure there is more info on her about it, perhaps in the meat section.