Hi, I am trying to figure out when is the best time to cull the chicks for breeding stock. Does anyone have a method? It is hard to tell who is male and female for quite awhile and by the time I figure it out, then they are about 6 weeks old. I am also wondering if anyone lets the dual purpose birds that they are going to cull, grow and then butcher them or if it is more cost efficient to just cull. About what age do you process the dual purpose culls? Any info is greatly appreciated, thank you.
Boy, I haven`t raised dual purpose birds in years, so I`ll leave that question to someone else. As to culling for breeding stock, I find that aroud 4-5 months is good in most breeds. By that time you can see what the bird should look and act like as an adult and pick up on most desirable and undesirable traits. Dominant individuals are easy to spot and you can get a good feel for what you are trying to accomplish when breeding them. A word of wisdom, don`t give in to the urge to cheap out on feed. Feed a good quality feed for the purpose you intend for your birds. Feeding cracked corn for anything other than a treat is foolish. Good luck......Pop
It depends a lot on what breeds you have and how fast or slow maturing they are. My wyandottes and orpington roos are slow maturing so with them ideally I'd like to keep them at least a year. Some have obvious faults that send them to the poultry auction much sooner. The hens I usually cull down sooner.....by 9 or 10 months. My Marans are faster maturing, so with them it's easier to cull down sooner.
Wow, that is alot later than I thought. Thank you. I will not skimp on feed, Pop thank you. And I only give them a little scratch to get them out of the way to collect the eggs! They do love that. Other than that they get good feed everyday. Self choice, with oyster shell and grit. Boy they sure do eat alot!
