When to butcher?

[dusica731]

We have never caponized a rooster, and the meat quality is just fine. It would certainly be cost-prohibitive if you take them to a vet, and I would not hand my chickens over to anyone else to cut into them to do it. Watch a video on caponizing sometime. We just feed our roosters what everyone else gets. The last bunch we had were kept separated from the flock, but that's because there were so many of them, they were terrorizing the pullets.

I will be putting my hens on layer feed which I've read isn't health for the Roos due to the xtra calcium... Should the Roos be put on a high protein diet? Or grower feed for all and just give my hens their calcium on the side?

 

[blucoondawg]

The calcium in the layer feed likely won't hurt the roosters especially in the short time you are keeping them, many people feed layer to their whole flock and keep their roosters for years without issue. However layer is a lower protein feed so they probably won't put on weight as fast that way. I fed mine an All Flock feed which is medium protein when I had all the roosters, now I only have the layers and a couple roosters so I feed layer. The high protein stuff will likely put weight on them and confining them may keep them from running off the weight they do put on but I don't know how well they would take confinement as far as fighting and stuff would go.

 

[bobbi-j]

Our last batch of roosters were sort of confined in a coop/run and didn't have any issues with fighting. And yes, they were within sight and earshot of all the hens... The roosters free ranged until they got hormonal and harassed the poor pullets too badly.

 

[dusica731]

I

...

Our last batch of roosters were sort of confined in a coop/run and didn't have any issues with fighting. And yes, they were within sight and earshot of all the hens... The roosters free ranged until they got hormonal and harassed the poor pullets too badly.[/quote

I think I'm goin to do the same. Allow my "meat" Roos to run through the fenced pen and coop while the hens and my "main man" free range during the day. thank u for ur help

 

[bobbi-j]

You're very welcome! This whole chicken-keeping thing is an ongoing learning process. Has anyone out there found "THE WAY" that works best for them? We're still working at it. Every time we think we have it figured out, we think of something else we could do differently.