Poultry Talk Ontario (pto.ca)

I have limited space, & added extra pens last summer.
"of course" I expanded on the number of birds - LOL

I have come to discover that
- the newest Fancy bantam birds I luv, are more difficult to sell than well known bantam birds
- also another new standard breed I bought are not nearly as hardy as my regular standard motley crew flock.
( my 6 yr old flock could endure a hurricane! They never get sick & don't need any special care )

PLUS, with 7 roosters already, it's a nitemare to discover 2 more chicks are indeed Males!
The roos have been hard to sell, & I'm thinking about changing gears.

The plan was to hatch a few bators but what to do with the males?
( I can not, will not kill them because they are males )
IF I "give them away, it doesn't make sense to hatch Anything!!!
I paid good $ for my males, I just assumed everyone did?
I may as well just BUY the females I want, if I can't sell the roos?

What do you all do, to determine what you will breed?
$$$, or Cuteness, or Health, or :question: :question: :question:

I am going to get a PLAN before I go any further.
I hate the thought of selling my Show quality males,
but I just can't keep "collecting" birds for no purpose.

THOUGHTS? OPINIONS? ADVICE?

In the spring , you will be able to sell them. You will never make money with chickens. I keep the ones I love after all they are for me, I really don't care if anyone else likes them, course it helps when someone does. If I have to I give my extra roosters away. Yep it bites when I paid 35.00 for a chick only to have it turn out male, then turn around and sell it for 20.00 or give it away because I don't need another male.

if you also have a surplus of hens, selling rare birds as pairs can be easier?

I must say though if health is a real issue, they go. For example I had lavender orpintons, beautiful birds, rare colour but I would go out and a perfectly healthy bird yesterday would be dead. We figured heart attacks, I found that too heart rendering and sold them all at a loss at that. I just did not want to have to deal with a favorite bird for no visible reason drop dead.
Breed your own, get rid of extra roosters as soon as you know whats what, keeps the expenses down and you'll enjoy them more. No matter how nice that rooster looks when he matures he is a problem, sell him with a mate if necessary or at auction..I've sold, given some, to young kids who I know will love them at buy sell trades.

I paid $50 for each one of my reds and I have not sold any of these birds. If I were to they would have to be darn near perfect and accompany at least one hen. since I have not sold anything, and if I dont believe they will make the cut I eat them. That is my first and foremost goal of producing poultry, breed high quality birds, hope they are up to the standard, pick my keepers and then enjoy a wonderful home grown meal. BUT not everybody has the same goals as me and I do believe that sales are their main source to rid them of their culls, I bet most of those birds are very nice as well but everyone has different goals... I have mainly traded birds for birds over the last couple years, I enjoy bartering, and that is how I have gotten rid of the birds that I could not eat because they were to nice.

I would normally far rather eat a rooster than try to sell him or give him way with some exceptions. Same for my turkeys. They have to be going to a good home or they will go to the freezer.

I have been around this tree a few times, it absolutely never gets either easy or simple.
http://pto.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1511#p21465
The only thing I have learned over the years, I would never choose a breed based on the birds being more or less sellable, fashion changes in birds just as fast as in anything else.

I always figure that the males I raise & eat or sell are part of the cost for the hens I produce of my own tryed & true blood lines that are giving me what I'm aiming for in my coops as well as not bringing in new birds & possible decease . Luck

thats very true Ross. one thing I forgot to say was I always bless and thank the bird (or any animal) when I take its life, even predators, I hope they come back as birds. LOL.

For me i try to process the males that i am not keeping-meat on the table. But if i cant then i will take them up to auction. I dont like the auction per se because i do not know where they are going, but it usually gets me better money than trying to sell at a sale or kijiji or whatever. I only have standard size and they all turn out to be respectable birds by 18 weeks, enough for the two of us. Seeing someone elses posts earlier i am also now thinking about drilying capes in borax...there are lots of people that fish-and a couple fishing stores close to me..i have some colourful breeds too....