What do you do with unwanted Cockerels ?

[Enchanted1s]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, or even how to ask. We are just getting started with chickens. A hen adopted us, and then a rooster - then two young pullets just show up - NOW, we have ordered some babies!! SO, as I contemplate how our flock might progress - we consider the excitement of having a hen go broody and having baby chicks. But then, I wonder - what would we do with another Rooster? We have one, and for the most part he is a dutiful companion to his hen and tolerates the pullets. He does sometimes try to keep the young ones from eating and letting them roost in the nest box - but I digress. WHAT would we do if we did get a hen that was willing and she hatched a bunch of baby Roo's!?!?

We have no desire or intentions to cull any of our chickens. If you are unwilling to kill them - what do most people end up doing with unwanted Cockerels or Roosters? Just putting the cart before the horse - again.

 

[Alleybird21]

so I would give them to a roos homing place I have a sanctuary for roosters and would love another where do you live

 

[Alleybird21]

you could also make another run and coop and keep them there together or just free range them, they love it!

 

[Alleybird21]

just let them go after u can tell their gender

 

[Alleybird21]

what kind of area do you live in?

 

[Zoomie]

I applaud you on trying to figure this out BEFORE the problem occurs. Good for you!

You can check on Craigslist... or the Facebook page for chickens in NM... and you will find a ton of cockerels and roosters up for grabs. A TON. Everybody has this problem. What people want are hens to lay eggs; they do not want a bunch of hormonal roosters, who crow, and some places don't allow roosters because of the crowing. (But usually the same places allow barking dogs... )

In the end I concluded it was far better for the cockerel to die a very swift and painless death right here on my farm, without the fear of being transported to some place new. If you give or sell a bird, you do not really know what will happen. You do know for sure the bird will go through some stress being moved, and then who knows? My own feeling is that it's better for them to have one really bad second out of a good and pleasant life, than to risk what might happen to them once they are out of my control. So, that means I put my spare cockerels in the freezer. I usually offer them for sale first in case someone is starting in the breeds I raise, but if I get no buyers, I put them in the freezer. One of the reasons I raise chickens is to provide food for my family. Right in front of me is a cockerel that was raised with kindness and good food and care, no hormones or antibiotics, so I am thankful for that and use them.

Good luck to you in working this out.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

My chickens are pets, so I never have "unwanted" cockerels. Instead of having separate coops for all of my roosters, I keep them all together in a rooster flock. My rooster flock is so successful that I actually adopt roosters that need a home and add them to it. If you want to learn more about rooster flocks, you should read this article I made: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/rooster-flocks.72998/

 

[BantyChooks]

If you're not willing to butcher, I'd try Craigslist or maybe hang an ad up at the general store. Word of mouth is how I've sold several.

If you don't want them to be eaten period by anyone that purchases them, I'd suggest not letting your hens hatch. They can be persuaded fairly easily to quit being broody.

 

[rebrascora]

It is a very important and responsible thing to consider and something that most people give no thought to until they are overrun with cockerels and it happens rather too quickly. The fact of life is that there are no happy ever after homes for the vast majority of cockerels that hatch. You have to consider that, if you don't want to keep them, then why would anyone else? Of course, there are people that will take them and butcher them but very few that want one to keep for breeding or as a pet..... and many places have laws preventing them from keeping a cockerel, so that limits it further.
The sensible and responsible thing (particularly if you eat chicken) is to butcher them yourself, which is what I do, although I find it incredibly hard and very emotional. Another option is to advertise them for sale or for free, no questions asked. You can try to find forever homes for them but don't hold your breath and build a bachelor pad for them in the meantime, so that they don't harass the life out of your pullets and hens. After a while you end up with a coop full of cockerels that are eating you out of house and home and basically you become a slave to them..... feeding and watering and mucking out, scrubbing waterers, roost bars, treating for lice and mites, perhaps worming and treating injuries and ailments until eventually you realise that you are a mug and it is time to get tough or stop hatching chicks.
I'm sorry there is no easy answer. This is where real life kicks in and it is a good lesson to learn, especially if you eat chicken.... those cockerels have had a much better life than the supermarket chicken you buy and it is in your hands to give them a quick, respectful death, after which they serve a useful purpose.

 

[Allie Grace Sanders]

You could also post them in the BST area of Backyard Chickens.