When to separate out cockerels

[Ridgerunner]

I wanted to know if it’s already time to separate these young guys from the flock.

We all do these things differently. We have different goals, different experiences, and different set-ups. Where I am crowing is not a problem, I have a lot of room compared to you, and I raise them to eat. I leave mine with the flock until I'm ready to eat them. That solution is probably not the best for you.

I plan to give them away but if that doesn’t work I will need to process them. I posted photos of my boys on here and on Craigslist, plus I contacted 4-H just yesterday but so far, nobody’s interested in my boys.

In your circumstances I think the best thing you can do is to get rid of them as soon as you identify them as boys. It frees up room, you are not spending money on feed, and you don't get as attached to them. In addition to Craigslist and 4-H, you might put up a notice at the feed store. Most of them have bulletin boards you can put an ad on. If you can find the New Jersey thread in the "Where am I? Where are you!" section of this forum you can chat with your neighbors about it. I don't know if New Jersey has an active thread or not.

 

[HennyPenny44]

Depends on your management practices and flock goals. If my fridge is empty, I'll process extra cockerels as soon I can ID them and are certain they don't have traits I want in my future flock which aren't already present in my breeding rooster. If the fridge is full, I process as soon as they start trying to jump the hens - because they aren't my breeding rooster - and I'll adjust the menu to accommodate.

Its just my wife and I, so even a 10 week old dual purpose cockerel is a meal for us, and there are no shortage of ways in which it can be prepared. If its instead 18 weeks? Well, we aren't as fond of baking it at that point, but damn does it braise nice...

Seems like you have quite a bit of experience with this. I never butchered a chicken but I plan to start doing that soon. Thought about Cornish Crosses but I think doing a few dual purpose ones to start is easier, as well as more sustainable and natural. I guess I first have to find out the right time to butcher just as you’ve found yours through trial by error. And figure out how to cook it. Never cooked a cockerel before.

 

[Ridgerunner]

So you want to butcher them. That changes it a bit. In that case I'd leave them in with the rest as long as their behavior lets you. Have a crate or some place ready where you can isolate them for a while, that need may arise on a minutes notice and it is not always convenient to butcher right then. Your decision becomes whether to butcher them then or feed them separately a while so they grow.

The coop is only 4x6 with a 12x27 run.

If you are going to do this in the future or even just keep some of those pullets I suggest a larger coop or build a separate larger coop and use that 4x6 more as a grow-out coop. Section off a piece of that run so you can isolate them with that coop. I think you are going to find space is really tight.

 

[HennyPenny44]

We all do these things differently. We have different goals, different experiences, and different set-ups. Where I am crowing is not a problem, I have a lot of room compared to you, and I raise them to eat. I leave mine with the flock until I'm ready to eat them. That solution is probably not the best for you.


In your circumstances I think the best thing you can do is to get rid of them as soon as you identify them as boys. It frees up room, you are not spending money on feed, and you don't get as attached to them. In addition to Craigslist and 4-H, you might put up a notice at the feed store. Most of them have bulletin boards you can put an ad on. If you can find the New Jersey thread in the "Where am I? Where are you!" section of this forum you can chat with your neighbors about it. I don't know if New Jersey has an active thread or not.

Thanks! I didn’t know that thread existed and just put my photos and descriptions there. Will try the feed store too.

I will butcher them if nobody wants them. I haven’t named them yet and don’t handle them really so I’m not yet attached to them. The coop is 4x6 with external nesting boxes and three 4‘ roosting bars if it makes a difference. I do have a 5x10 tractor I can put the guys in which they originally were brooded in but if they get to be too much I may butcher them early.

 

[Cazook]

In your circumstances I think the best thing you can do is to get rid of them as soon as you identify them as boys. It frees up room, you are not spending money on feed, and you don't get as attached to them. In addition to Craigslist and 4-H, you might put up a notice at the feed store. Most of them have bulletin boards you can put an ad on. If you can find the New Jersey thread in the "Where am I? Where are you!" section of this forum you can chat with your neighbors about it. I don't know if New Jersey has an active thread or not.

Good advice, I would wait for them to be big enough for a proper meal though.

 

[aart]

I slaughter my cockerels at about 14-16 weeks......just after they start causing too much trouble in the flock trying to mate.

 

[HennyPenny44]

I slaughter my cockerels at about 14-16 weeks......just after they start causing too much trouble in the flock trying to mate.

Yes, they seem to grow up really fast from being those innocent little chicks. I’m surprised by it but I saw one this morning already pecking at one of my older hens to assert his place in the pecking order, in spite of his diminutive size.

 

[Parront]

Your guy is very handsome! Pretty ladies too.

LOL, I started out with 5 and swore for a while I’d be happy with that. But then one died and one I gave away because of her attitude so I got some Speckled Sussex eggs to replace the dead one plus Lavender Orpingtons just because they’re pretty. I ended up hatching 6 SS and 2 LO. The boys are Speckled Sussexes. I call them my little Irish men because they have red feathers and greenish eyes now. I’ve even considered a rooster collar so I could keep one but not sure how effective they are. I’m a crazy chicken lady, I know. Looking to move so I can have more chickens, naturally.

I posted photos of my boys on here and on Craigslist, plus I contacted 4-H just yesterday but so far, nobody’s interested in my boys.

It is really difficult to even give away the males. People are not allowed to keep them, or do not want to hear the "Rooster Serenade" at 0-dark-30 in the morning! I kept my guy to have fertile Barred Holland eggs, but he turned out to be a pretty good rooster, eats from my hand still, lets me pick him up when needed. He keeps the hens from picking on each other, too. I just like a flock with a rooster. Even my husband has gotten used to him.

 

[Harmony Fowl]

I generally separate at 12 weeks any cockerel I won't be keeping. They will become food in about a month's time. I can fatten them up and have them spend more time eating and less energy chasing everyone around. By that age, I can be pretty certain of which are boys, too. At six weeks, you might not have *all* the boys pegged yet. Single cockerels or possible breeding birds stay with the flock. At 12 weeks, there *usually* isn't too much in the way of behavior problems, but every now and then a super precocious cockerel pops out and is already causing trouble. Those I will separate and eat as early as possible. At six weeks, a little rivalry between the chicks is normal and unlikely to result in injury. Mom is still mothering them, but she's not going to treat them like babies. I'd let her handle this part and in another 6-12 weeks, depending on your goals, separate them according to what you have in mind for them. If you do choose to separate them now, they'll be fine. I've seen chicks as young as three weeks dumped by their mothers and, as part of an existing flock, they got along well.

 

[HennyPenny44]

It is really difficult to even give away the males. People are not allowed to keep them, or do not want to hear the "Rooster Serenade" at 0-dark-30 in the morning! I kept my guy to have fertile Barred Holland eggs, but he turned out to be a pretty good rooster, eats from my hand still, lets me pick him up when needed. He keeps the hens from picking on each other, too. I just like a flock with a rooster. Even my husband has gotten used to him.

I can see why nobody wants roosters. I have one who has a very loud and persistent cheep so I have a hunch he’ll be a noisy one. Maybe when I live in a more rural area I can have my rooster.