What happens to all the Rooster chicks?????

[annabell254]

Can individuals donate hatching eggs to the program? I have 26 laying hens, I am planning on selling the extra eggs, but if I could donate them to a worthy cause I think I would get 30 more! eat some, sell some, and donate the rest! Any reason to have more chickens! I think many of us could spare a dozen or two extra eggs from time to time for a cause as worthy as this one

O, yes and I will be purchasing strait run from now on...that way I'll get a better pick for my flock roo and the rest will have a nice life before they die or do the hatching myself! or my silkies will anyways!

 

[Red Barn Farms]

These are the types of organizations we all need to be talking to about maybe obtaining these young baby chicks that need to have a life and not be culled right after birth. There are so many out there. Here is yet another link where people are working to make a difference.

http://www.wfp.org/

If this could be started and these hatcheries can make donations instead of culling baby chicks. It's a start anyway!

 

[annabell254]

Yes, and they could do a tax write off for the chicks as well (probably they could get full roo price for the write off) That might make all the difference to these 'money hungry companies' and they could advertise that they donate the roo's and more people would likely buy from them (I know I would) upping their sales yet again...It seems like a win win to me....they probably only get a few cents per chick for the roo mash they make for dog food anyone on here affiliated with a big hatchery???? Maybe you could mention it to them??? It will take many of us working together to make a difference...but if ever there were more willing, and devoted people in a forum I have not found it yet I think that all/many/many of us here have an inner rooster just waiting to come out to defend its flock! All Hail to the Kind Roo, Ready to Kick Butt for His Girls!

 

[sumi]

My DH used to live near a chicken hatchery. Every day they'd put boxes full of day-old male chicks outside the buildings for people to collect, free of charge. DH used to go pick up a box or 2 every now and then, raise the babies, keep the hens that went into the wrong box and sell the roosters cheap in the informal settlement nearby. His chickens were very popular with the locals!
I'd love to do something like that, but there are no hatcheries in this region.
I did help the battery hens a little bit though. I started farming free range chickens, selling eggs, got the locals interested and talked another farmer into joining, helped him choose chickens, gave him 1 000 egg boxes to start him off (all recycled), got him customers... he's got 200 hens now. I'm selling locally to a few households while he's supplying a shop in the next town. His wife told me recently the more eggs they sell to the shop, the more they want! They keep expanding to meet the growing demand. Bought another batch of chicks recently.
He then got another farmer into it. That guy's got about 300 hens now and is also expanding all the time. He started supplying the local shops now. (The same shop who told me their customers don't care where their eggs come from. And complained 'cause their customers are coming to me for eggs)
I also had a long chat with a local supermarket about their lack of free range eggs and they eventually got a supplier after getting tired of being harassed. They sell out all the time, in spite of their free range eggs being nearly double the price of the battery ones.

I figured if you can't beat them, join them!

 

[annabell254]

Ok, soooooo.....I just contacted Heifer and here is what I said

I am a member of BYC back yard chickens...we have had a discussion going on about the extra roo's being culled right after birth form the hatcheries...one of the member gave out this link and we have been trying to think of things that we could do to help or fix this problem....I felt that if they donated them, got a tax write off for the full price of a roo chick and then were able to advertise that they were helping needy families all over the world that it may entice one of the hatcheries to begin to donate some of the better breeds of extra roo's for meat for your program.......besides the millions of roo's being culled every year there are also many of us who could donate hatching eggs or young chicks from our own flocks to needy families, and if you had an option where individuals could donate I believe that many, many more families would benefit...I only have a small number of chickens myself 26 laying hens...and even I could spare a dozen or two fertile eggs a week....for ever...and if this could be a possibility then it would be a great reason to get more chickens for many of us at BYC...
Just a thought....I hope you can make a reality...
sincerely
Ann Huffmaster

 

[sumi]

Keep us posted!
I bounced the idea of doing something similar here on my friend via email. Maybe on a small scale, see what happens. Or rather see how it goes. I'm waiting to see what she thinks.

 

[ButchGood]

This is why I don't mind them putting them in my small orders as "packing peanuts". I posted an article on BYC that was condemning this practice. I like the idea. They sent me 11 RIR roo's with an order of 4 turkey poults. These 11 cockerels are doing great at 7 weeks old running all over the place with the turkeys. Everyone of these birds will be used as meat birds. They will live a good life. They are treated with kindness and respect and in the end they will serve a purpose. Much better than the alternative.

 

[annabell254]

that is a good idea...there should be an option when ordering...like "safe a roo and add some to my order please" or 'add some warmth to your chicks and include some roo's ' something of the sort haha I would do it every time, I dont mind the idea of a roo living a good but short life and providing a good meal to someone...ESP for free...and who know I might even like one enough to keep it around

 

[Mattemma]

I have been reading the book *Why we love dogs,eat pigs,and wear cows* it led me to look up more books and videos.One of those(food to fridge I think) showed the chick grinder.Yes,it is over in seconds,but I could not help but feel so sad for them to have such a horrid short life.Even the larger (dead ) animals that get tossed in the huge grinders. I wonder if they really do add road kill and dead pets to the big grinders.No sense wasting the flesh I guess.

Hope you all can save a few. I have taken in 2 roos so far even though being in the city means that is a no-no. If we move I hope we can save a few more CAFO animals.

 

[sumi]

I heard about that book. Want to read it myself. And I've seen photo's of the grinder (and the results)

I can't understand how a person could do things like that. I read lots about factory farming, not just chickens, but pigs, cows and sheep get a bum deal as well in many farms. I must say it's doing a good job putting me off animal products! I was so horrified when I read about broilers and batteries I stopped eating chicken and shop bought eggs. Hasn't been easy at times, but it's been 3 years and I'm not going back. I just cannot support cruelty like that! Nowadays we're careful when we shop and look for venison instead of farmed meat.