🚨Wanted: Tips for Raising Hormonal Bad Boys

[Kiki]

Ghosty ghost....look up

 

[Everose]

I just offed a male! All by my widdle bitty self!
A quailie.

That actually seems harder to me than chicken slitting.
Snipping the whole head off of such a teeny bird vs cutting and bleeding a big fatso is more difficult for some reason

 

[Kiki]

That actually seems harder to me than chicken slitting.
Snipping the whole head off of such a teeny bird vs cutting and bleeding a big fatso is more difficult for some reason

I took a video. Wanna see?
It was my very first time holding one and cutting its head off. Watch out. I'm no longer scared.

 

[Everose]

I took a video. Wanna see?
It was my very first time holding one and cutting its head off. Watch out. I'm no longer scared.

Yes, let's see how tough you are and how not tough I am

 

[rollinrockell]

Freezer camp. Not worth the stress to the hens.

 

[Mrs. K]

I have 24 birds this summer. 7 cockerels and a flock master. So a similar situation except mine are a multi-generational flock, which is a big difference than flock mates.

You know you are not keeping all of them (right?). So now is the time to start. This is what I did.

• Any cockerel, that I didn't like I removed to the bachelor pen, for any reason.
• I left one cockerel in the flock, hoping that maybe the flock master will keep him in check
• Within two days, the laying flock with the pullets and chicks relaxed, I am thinking that while they are picking on one pullet, the tension in the whole flock is much higher than you are aware of. When you separate them, you will be able to feel it in 2 days.
• I strongly suspect that as they grow bigger you are running out of room. What is enough room when they are chicks, is not enough room when they are bigger.
• I had 2 roosters escape the bachelor pad, and went back to the flock. What I noticed, is that the tension did not come up immediately. However, tonight, they will be back in the bachelor pad.

So my 2 cents:

• As your pullets are not laying, and you don't have older hens, and or a mature rooster, it would be best to put everyone in the bachelor pad.
• If you don't have room for all the boys in the bachelor pen, cull until you do. You want to wait to make the decision, but the chickens need the decision to be made NOW. That is what they are telling you with the aggression.
• So pick, your top two or three favorites, cull the rest.
• Do know that there is a strong possibility that NONE of these cockerels will work out. IMO you seldom get good roosters in a flock mate set up.

Mrs K

 

[BlessedChaosHomestead]

I will never keep cockerels intact ever again. Especially when this method can make them taste better.

Oh heck no!
Never heard of such a thing & I grew up around farm life. (Grandparents had chickens, cows, goats, turkeys, quail, cats, dogs, calves, kids, etc…)

And especially doing it to every chicken they have just to tell sex. That is unnecessary trauma! And a major chance at losing your bird. Crazy!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

So the boys are just beating up the one girl. They seem to get along with everyone else for now.

Does the one girl stay confined or do they need to remove one of the mean boys?




There is no right way or one answer. I know.

We just need ideas on things to try to keep the peace for a little when longer.

I had a pullet in the same situation. Who k ows why, but when she w!s within sight of a male, or worse, multiple, they all dropped whatever (or in one case, whoever) they were doing and ran to breed her. Never figured out why.

We separated her and let her roam with rhe respectful older male (which isn't an option unfortunately here) once she was healed.

I would seperate all the males from all the females personally.

 

[Everose]

Oh heck no!
Never heard of such a thing & I grew up around farm life. (Grandparents had chickens, cows, goats, turkeys, quail, cats, dogs, calves, kids, etc…)

It's a very old method. I honestly can't believe we stopped doing it.

And especially doing it to every chicken they have just to tell sex. That is unnecessary trauma!

Not really, they don't want extra cockerels and checking by opening the body cavity is a surefire way to tell genders. Having an extra cockerel could just result in extra trauma for the pullets who have to endure overbreeding or hormonal outbursts.

And a major chance at losing your bird. Crazy!

If you're experienced you rarely lose a bird. I've heard of losing a few in the beginning, but usually after doing it a couple times the process is much quicker and safer.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I took a video. Wanna see?
It was my very first time holding one and cutting its head off. Watch out. I'm no longer scared.

Mine are hard too by myself. I'm just not great at holding them still and handling the scissors without a third hand