What to do with my cockerel/rooster chicks?

[Joshua Grundy]

So you have one adult male, 4 young cockerels, 3 adult hens and 4 pullets?

Five males are definitely going to be way too much for only 7 hens. Even if you keep 2 of the cockerels, and all 3 of the boys get along well, that may still be too much for such a small number of hens. You can try it, but be ready to separate some or all of the males.

The sad fact is one can only have so many roosters and maintain a happy flock. Sure one can keep all of them but that is not at all fair to the hens.

If you can't rehome them to another flock, and can't stand to see them butchered, then put them in their own bachelor run to keep them from harassing the females.

I would love to but my chickens and rooster are completely free range apart from the coops they return to, to sleep in at night. Our land is around 1/2 acre plus they go further afield to forage and play. I live on an island so no worries about neighbours.
My chickens and rooster don't really have limits regarding where they can go and forage. Keeping the new male chicks when they're older separate would be cool but then they'd be locked up or something which I would want.

Probably have to put them up for sale or give away all the males to another islander here. As long as I don't have to kill them myself I'm good. When they're gone I'll think of them having a great life somewhere and being happy no matter what . Plus I gave them pet names so that makes it even harder ha ha...

Thank you very much for the replies. They've been very vaulauble and much appreciated. Yes, I do not want to cause stress for my current hens either so thanks also for that info...

 

[Redhead Rae]

The way I look at it is that if I order just pullets from a hatchery, I participate by proxy in the wholesale slaughter of day old rooster chicks that didn't even have a chance to live. Since I'm not a vegetarian and I eat chicken, I would rather give my roosters the best life I can and then ensure that they are humanely slaughtered.

I've had a total of 40 roosters in the past year and a half. I wouldn't be able to afford to feed them all. Plus, some of them have been people aggressive as well as mean to the hens. Also, they have a tendency to torment each other after they hit sexual maturity as well as the hens. If you don't have a ratio of at LEAST 4 hens per rooster, you will have some over-loved hens. You won't really know for sure how well behaved they are until they are 8+ months old. However, you will have a VERY good idea if they aren't nice roosters before that point.

 

[keesmom]

Probably have to put them up for sale or give away all the males to another islander here. As long as I don't have to kill them myself I'm good. When they're gone I'll think of them having a great life somewhere and being happy no matter what . Plus I gave them pet names so that makes it even harder ha ha...

Unfortunately this is the hard part of chicken keeping that one hears little about, but it's an essential part of managing a flock. Whether it's deciding the fate of extra cockerels, hens past their prime, bully birds, sick birds, something has to be done. Often it isn't an easy thing to do.

 

[Leftybeme]

I have 2 silkies about 5 months old and I live in the city. I can't keep them. Any suggestions?

 

[aart]

I have 2 silkies about 5 months old and I live in the city. I can't keep them. Any suggestions? View attachment 1115869

Welcome to BYC!
Sell or give them away,
ads on local Craigslist, news/ad papers, or Facebook poultry groups...
....and probably not an option for you, eat them-I have 4 going in the freezer this year.
This time of year there are a plethora of 'extra' male chickens around,
it's pretty hard to even give them away.