Young cockerels- is it worth it to raise & butcher? Are there other options?

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

Not sure if this is the best place for this question- but it isn’t really a question about meat birds, so I hope it’s okay here.

Is there anything that can be done with young cockerels (3-8 weeks) that you do not have a need for? I don’t like the idea of culling a bird without giving it a purpose.

In my current group of youngsters, I have 2 cockerels I could easily identify as early as 2 weeks as being certain they were male. So now I know these guys are going to be wind up being processed in the future, but I don’t know if it’s truly worth the time & effort to raise them until they’re big enough for freezer camp. I also have a 7 week old that’s already proving to be a jerk.

Could they be butchered and used like tiny Cornish game hens? (How DO they clean those things out, anyways?) Or even as dog food? Or chicken food?

If there’s really no way to use them until butchering age, my next question is at what age do you separate them from the pullets? And what do you feed them that helps them bulk up and is preferably cheaper than all flock feed? They are mixes of dual purpose breeds, mostly Orpington and Wyandotte.

And just to be clear-
-Rehoming isn’t really an option because no one around me wants roosters, especially at these young ages.
-I have a good-line up currently of roosters and don’t want/need/have the hens for any more.

 

[Cinnamon Roll]

Yes, you can use them for meat at an earlier age. I usually grow mine until 12 weeks or so when their behavior starts to annoy me or the hens. I skin mine and that is pretty easy when they are young so even though I don’t get as much meat as if I waited until 20 weeks, it’s easier to do the work.

If they are very small you could see if there are any raptor centers or animal sanctuaries near you that could use the carcasses whole.

 

[igorsMistress]

Not sure if this is the best place for this question- but it isn’t really a question about meat birds, so I hope it’s okay here.

Is there anything that can be done with young cockerels (3-8 weeks) that you do not have a need for? I don’t like the idea of culling a bird without giving it a purpose.

In my current group of youngsters, I have 2 cockerels I could easily identify as early as 2 weeks as being certain they were male. So now I know these guys are going to be wind up being processed in the future, but I don’t know if it’s truly worth the time & effort to raise them until they’re big enough for freezer camp. I also have a 7 week old that’s already proving to be a jerk.

Could they be butchered and used like tiny Cornish game hens? (How DO they clean those things out, anyways?) Or even as dog food? Or chicken food?

If there’s really no way to use them until butchering age, my next question is at what age do you separate them from the pullets? And what do you feed them that helps them bulk up and is preferably cheaper than all flock feed? They are mixes of dual purpose breeds, mostly Orpington and Wyandotte.

And just to be clear-
-Rehoming isn’t really an option because no one around me wants roosters, especially at these young ages.
-I have a good-line up currently of roosters and don’t want/need/have the hens for any more.

I doubt at that age it would be worth the effort to use as a food item, there’s not much meat on em yet. You can cull now and compost if you don’t have the desire to grow them out for freezer camp. Freezer camp gets old, I hate waiting to cull the roosters too. They’re jerks, or one grows on you and you wonder if he’d be a good addition or replacement.

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

I doubt at that age it would be worth the effort to use as a food item, there’s not much meat on em yet. You can cull now and compost if you don’t have the desire to grow them out for freezer camp. Freezer camp gets old, I hate waiting to cull the roosters too. They’re jerks, or one grows on you and you wonder if he’d be a good addition or replacement.

You can compost them?

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

Yes, you can use them for meat at an earlier age. I usually grow mine until 12 weeks or so when their behavior starts to annoy me or the hens. I skin mine and that is pretty easy when they are young so even though I don’t get as much meat as if I waited until 20 weeks, it’s easier to do the work.

If they are very small you could see if there are any raptor centers or animal sanctuaries near you that could use the carcasses whole.

Do you feel that 12 weeks is the earliest you can butcher them? Have you ever had trouble cleaning them out? The last cockerel we did I could barely get my hand inside. He was around 18-20 weeks.

 

[Chicken_Little_AGray]

Not sure if this is the best place for this question- but it isn’t really a question about meat birds, so I hope it’s okay here.

Is there anything that can be done with young cockerels (3-8 weeks) that you do not have a need for? I don’t like the idea of culling a bird without giving it a purpose.

In my current group of youngsters, I have 2 cockerels I could easily identify as early as 2 weeks as being certain they were male. So now I know these guys are going to be wind up being processed in the future, but I don’t know if it’s truly worth the time & effort to raise them until they’re big enough for freezer camp. I also have a 7 week old that’s already proving to be a jerk.

Could they be butchered and used like tiny Cornish game hens? (How DO they clean those things out, anyways?) Or even as dog food? Or chicken food?

If there’s really no way to use them until butchering age, my next question is at what age do you separate them from the pullets? And what do you feed them that helps them bulk up and is preferably cheaper than all flock feed? They are mixes of dual purpose breeds, mostly Orpington and Wyandotte.

And just to be clear-
-Rehoming isn’t really an option because no one around me wants roosters, especially at these young ages.
-I have a good-line up currently of roosters and don’t want/need/have the hens for any more.

I know you said you do not want it, but if you have the space you could make it into a show rooster. They can make you money if they win, and they make good money at auctions. Someone I know sold theirs for $1000 at an auction once. Just a suggestion.

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

I know you said you do not want it, but if you have the space you could make it into a show rooster. They can make you money if they win, and they make good money at auctions. Someone I know sold theirs for $1000 at an auction once. Just a suggestion.

I assume they would need to be a certain age in order to show, and probably a pure breed? i don’t know much about it. Ultimately I’m trying get rid of the cockerels earlier but without them going to waste, and like IgorsMistress said, before I grow more attached to them, and to make more space.

 

[Acre4Me]

Well, a quail farm I know if has tons of extra roosters. So they sell some to people who feed their dogs a raw food diet. You live in Frederick, MD a more populated area, and with a decent amount of wealth (I grew up not too far from there). I can’t imagine you couldn’t find those types of dog keepers - ones that feed a raw food diet. Try searching Fb for groups that cater to that.

 

[scyllarus]

Adding to the opinion that it might be worth feeding to other animals, people who feed raw diets to their dogs, cats, or even reptiles would be interested. I don't solely feed raw, but my dogs definitely get the butchering scraps.

 

[igorsMistress]

You can compost them?

Yes, bury deep and well.