What do you do with them?

[aceschix]

So I have an incubator on my Christmas list. Can not wait to get in the game of hatching!

I am picking a couple breeds that I really like and will breed pure breed babies. For my interest and for eggs. Hoping to breed for quality and temperment!

Could you all give me some insight on what you do with all the fluffy little guys? Can not possibly KEEP them ALL???!!

 

[Mahonri]

I sell some, I give many away... folks have started raising chickens and have now found BYC because I started incubating.

 

[17roses]

This may seem cruel to some people but we eat the extras.

 

[rapunzil]

Quote:
My boyfriend and I planned on eating the "extras" but now I'm starting to get attached to my baby girls! UGH!

 

[aceschix]

Also wondering what you all do once you hatch those cute little quail? Do you sell to hunters? What else are they used for?

 

[RhodeRunner]

I sold most of mine, or gave them away (never got over 1 dollar a bird), and I was always making sure to toss in an extra if they wanted it. The rest I raised till they were older, and offered them for sale again (asked for 5 dollars a bird). The rest turned into dinner. I suppose it is mean, but home-raised chicken tastes a lot better then the store bought.

Good luck hatching, and hope you find a solution. I know some people just kill the extra males after they hatch, but I can't bring myself to doing that. At least when they are old enough to be eaten, I feel there is more of a purpose to their death.

 

[denasfarm]

We keep one or two every time and sell the others for $5 - $10 each. If they dont like the price they can go elsewhere. However Ive never had trouble selling chicks or teenage birds.
We also sell eggs and rabbits. No we dont make a profit but they are able to pay for their own and all the other animals feed this way.

 

[farrier!]

Quote:
We just had our first home grown quail dinner. I real accomplishment for us. It seems we can manage to eat our quail I do not think we can do the same for our extra chickens.
Soon we will be hauling extras to a sale.

 

[walkswithdog]

Sell them and give some away or eat them or feed them to the dogs. As long as they don't go to waste it's all good.

 

[MandyH]

I hatch and sell about 3000 chicks each Spring then don't hatch anymore unless they are for me. Just hatched out 5 mottled javas yesterday, then promptly unplugged the bator LOL. The chicks that are left over go into a coop that is just for miscellaneous birds, and they get sold when they start laying. All my breeds I sell hatching eggs off of, have their own coops and then we have the miscellaneous pen that has God knows what in it at any given time.