So my hens (I thought) are 11 weeks yesterday, and on Sunday monrning....I heard a cock a doodle doo coming from my hen house. Now, I am all for the procreation of the species, but I cannot deal with a billion baby chicks. I got these gals (?) for eggs. So how soon can I ring his neck and enjoy him for Sunday dinner? My mom cannot wait to ring his neck, just like she did back on the farm---my sister and I are lucky we made it to adulthood
Don't wring his neck. Enjoy his cockadoodledoo-ing, let him be a good rooster for your girls, and GATHER THE EGGS!!! They won't hatch if you gather them. ETA: I love my girls, but I ADORE my roosters! They add a wonderful dynamic to the flock, they keep order, they alert and defend (if necessary) against predators, and once they get through the weird hormonal teenager stage, can be SUPER sweet! Give this guy a chance to have a good life, and do what roosters do best!
Quote:Oh you're not just whistling Dixie there! My Rooster is the most darling thing & I truly think a calming presence in the coop when the hens are in a tizzy.
You won't have 'accidental' chicks unless you don't gather the eggs, then a hen sits on them for 21 days. I love my roosters. They protect the girls.
Five posts and not one answered your question! That's pretty funny. You can wring his neck at any point, they're edible from birth, y'know. Most threads I've looked through have people butchering their birds between 14 and 26 weeks, depending on the breed and how much meat they wanted out of it. I have bantams, which never get very big anyway, so I just butcher them as soon as I run out of room, or as soon as I feel like I'm growing too attached to one. Anyway, you have a few more weeks to decide whether you want to keep him, or whether he's just too tasty to keep out of the kitchen.
Thanks fowltemptress for the info. I am a realist and I like to eat, so I have decided to allow on group of chicks to be hatched--a friend said he would take all of them, and then have my Sunday dinner. My mom is going to be so excited! She said ringing chickens' necks was how they got all their frustrations out on the farm
I love my roosters they protect all the girls. One of my hens got attacked by a hawk and he killed the hawk in less then 10 minutes. They love their girls and i am sure your rooster would too.