What do you do if you end up having roosters and aren’t allowed to have them?

[Sammy Sam]

I raised 5 chicks since they were two weeks old and they are now 12 weeks old. A few of them might be roosters and I’m wondering what people, who are not allowed to have roosters do? The place I bought them from said they’ll take them back for a 5.00 fee and exchange for ones similar to size, but can’t guarantee same breed. i was raising them for eggs and pets and I would hate for them to be processed for their meat. They are such sweet friendly chicks, but I have no choice, seeing I live in the city. They were supposed to be hens, but they couldn’t guarantee it, is why they said they can be exchanged. It’s just so sad! I’ll never raise babies again, they’ll have to hens so this doesn’t happen again. I’m just heart broken! My little Suzette has a crooked peak too, but she can eat and drink just fine. She’s one of them, that is looking more and more like a rooster.

 

[nuthatched]

They likely won't be sweet in a few months. Exchange for pullets.
If you don't want this to happen again, buy only auto sexing or sexlink chickens.

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

I raised 5 chicks since they were two weeks old and they are now 12 weeks old. A few of them might be roosters and I’m wondering what people, who are not allowed to have roosters do? The place I bought them from said they’ll take them back for a 5.00 fee and exchange for ones similar to size, but can’t guarantee same breed. i was raising them for eggs and pets and I would hate for them to be processed for their meat. They are such sweet friendly chicks, but I have no choice, seeing I live in the city. They were supposed to be hens, but they couldn’t guarantee it, is why they said they can be exchanged. It’s just so sad! I’ll never raise babies again, they’ll have to hens so this doesn’t happen again. I’m just heart broken! My little Suzette has a crooked peak too, but she can eat and drink just fine. She’s one of them, that is looking more and more like a rooster.

you could send them to a farm in a more rural area, or just eat them.

 

[Acre4Me]

Breed? Pics?

You should probably give them back to the place you got them-easiest.

Or you can sell at auction (google “livestock auction near me”).

Next time, buy an auto sexing breed- one that has a clear difference at hatch between males and females.

Or find a place/farm/hatchery that will raise chicks to POL (point of lay) and sell. They will likely cost $20-30 each at that point, but they housed and fed them, and you clearly get females at 14-16 weeks old. If not sure where to look, the county ag extension office (or county 4-H office) may be able to point you to a local place/source.

 

[JedJackson]

First, make sure which are really cockerels and which are hens. If you post good photos in here we should be able to help.

I am not sure what becomes of cockerels taken back to places like feed stores. But at least that way you are getting pullets for a low price. If you advertise them on places like Craigslist you won't get that. I know it's hard, but there really aren't many options in this type of situation.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Try to find a chicken Facebook group in your area for re-homing. They will possibly still be someone's dinner, but could at least have a good quality of life before then.

Also, I agree that you need to make 100% sure they're not hens. Everyone was so sure that the pullet in my photo was a rooster... nope! She was my fastest developer, but the last to lay. Don't give up prematurely.

 

[Sammy Sam]

Try to find a chicken Facebook group in your area for re-homing. They will possibly still be someone's dinner, but could at least have a good quality of life before then.

Also, I agree that you need to make 100% sure they're not hens. Everyone was so sure that the pullet in my photo was a rooster... nope! She was my fastest developer, but the last to lay. Don't give up prematurely.

Yes, thank you. I won’t give up on them, I’ll wait to make sure they’re actually roosters and not hens. I love them, especially the one with the crooked beak.

 

[Sammy Sam]

Breed? Pics?

You should probably give them back to the place you got them-easiest.

Or you can sell at auction (google “livestock auction near me”).

Next time, buy an auto sexing breed- one that has a clear difference at hatch between males and females.

Or find a place/farm/hatchery that will raise chicks to POL (point of lay) and sell. They will likely cost $20-30 each at that point, but they housed and fed them, and you clearly get females at 14-16 weeks old. If not sure where to look, the county ag extension office (or county 4-H office) may be able to point you to a local place/source.

The two that I’m really thinking are looking more like roosters are my two Speakled Sussex. At around 9-10 weeks old they got spotted red dotted lines on their legs and yesterday at 12 weeks old their tails are looking a bit ruffled, not like a hens tail. Not sure I can get a picture, but will try later. This picture was pulled from online, I think somewhere on this group, but that’s what their legs look like.

 

[Sammy Sam]

First, make sure which are really cockerels and which are hens. If you post good photos in here we should be able to help.

I am not sure what becomes of cockerels taken back to places like feed stores. But at least that way you are getting pullets for a low price. If you advertise them on places like Craigslist you won't get that. I know it's hard, but there really aren't many options in this type of situation.

Thank you, I’ll have my son help me take picture's later.

 

[SilverBirds]

The two that I’m really thinking are looking more like roosters are my two Speakled Sussex. At around 9-10 weeks old they got spotted red dotted lines on their legs and yesterday at 12 weeks old their tails are looking a bit ruffled, not like a hens tail. Not sure I can get a picture, but will try later. This picture was pulled from online, I think somewhere on this group, but that’s what their legs look like.

Can you get pictures of their full bodies? At their age you're looking for wattle and comb sizes, and male feathering coming in. Male Speckled Sussex also look different from the females, so they should be easy to tell.