Surplus Roosters, what do you do with them?

[Ontario Chick]

Poultry princess post inspire me, we haven't visited this subject in a while.
This is the time of the year when decisions are made on how many chicks to hatch or order from a hatchery or purchase from a breeder, might as well consider the dreaded extra cockerels question.
With the privilege of being able to hatch our own chicks comes the responsibility of dealing with surplus birds.
In average year we hatch about 60 chicks, and if we are lucky they are 30 pullets and 30 cockerels.
Out of the 30 cockerels I need only 1 or 2 for replacement for myself and there will still be 2 to 3 good representative of the breed that I will combine with 2 pullets to make a good quality trio to sell.
Since I only sell cockerels I feel (this is a very personal decision) are worth breeding, that leaves about 2 doz cockerels for the freezer.
Sometime DH proceses them, and sometime we take them to a processor to be done.
I have seen roosters sold at an auction for $ 2-5 and like KB, I prefer to put them in the freezer. :)

[Farrier1987]

I turned one loose at the neighbors as sort of a joke. Told him if he didn't want him to catch him and I would take him back. He is a fixture now, grandkids feed him, he eats with the horses and sleeps in the rafters. If people knew, roosters make good pets.

Someone else I knew turned some loose in the park. Chased all over the park by kids, fed popcorn. Some became coon food I am sure. Not my choice to do such, but amusing none the less.

I have an easter egger roo extra, will be making a quad for sale in April. Four hens and him. On his own, he would probably be an olive egger, Marans Americauna cross. Will put him with a white, blue, olive and Marans egg hens, see what I will get. I am thinking $50 or so. Planning on the Harrow auction, last tues April I think, Might make March, not sure. Got to talk to Syble make sure March is happening.

But there is only so much of that you can do. The pot and give aways is all I know.

[Skinny rooster]

QR_BBPOST Poultry princess post inspire me, we haven't visited this subject in a while.
This is the time of the year when decisions are made on how many chicks to hatch or order from a hatchery or purchase from a breeder, might as well consider the dreaded extra cockerels question.
With the privilege of being able to hatch our own chicks comes the responsibility of dealing with surplus birds.
In average year we hatch about 60 chicks, and if we are lucky they are 30 pullets and 30 cockerels.
Out of the 30 cockerels I need only 1 or 2 for replacement for myself and there will still be 2 to 3 good representative of the breed that I will combine with 2 pullets to make a good quality trio to sell.
Since I only sell cockerels I feel (this is a very personal decision) are worth breeding, that leaves about 2 doz cockerels for the freezer.
Sometime DH proceses them, and sometime we take them to a processor to be done.
I have seen roosters sold at an auction for $ 2-5 and like KB, I prefer to put them in the freezer. :)

OC I used to be at almost every sale around and to be honest most roosters go between $2 and $5, usually $5 is the average, once in a while some good ones go between$10 to $20 in the spring and I have sold as high as $37 for a speckled Sussex but people should understand that you are correct. If I had somewhere to take them I would do that, I hate butchering. To be honest and I know a lot of people are not going to like this, when I was hatching chicks I got to recognize a baby rooster pretty quick and I put them down. I didn't want to put all the time and money into them for $5 after six months of work. I agree with you, people need a plan.

[JimW]

I have a few extra roosters right now as I over wintered 2 to 3 roosters for each breed I have. I sold a couple in the last few weeks to people who lost roosters over winter, plus we ate 2 last weekend.

This year I am excepting quite a few roosters from our hatches, several of our breeds, cuckoo malines and bielefelders in particular, we are going to raise the extra roosters as meat birds and process around 20 weeks or so?? Three of my breeds cream legbars, bielefelders and malines are autosexing, so I know the sex from day one. The legbars are a lighter breed and not great for meat, but I will still process the extras to eat, I might try processing when they are small, like a "game hen". I will not get a lot of meat but at the same time did not waste food and time feeding them for 5 months.

I might take the odd rooster matched up with hens for breeding groups to an auction or 2 this fall, but will not bother selling lone roosters at auction, would rather just eat them.

Looks like we will be eating a lot of chicken this year, including some strange black meat chicken, from culled Ayam cemani and Svart honas that are not breeder quality.

JimW

[thegawd]

Jim, we use the smaller birds like leghorns for soup/soup stock.

[JimW]

QR_BBPOST Jim, we use the smaller birds like leghorns for soup/soup stock.

Ya good idea. Guess I will have to start making homemade soup.

JimW

[baronrenfrew]

Trever (renfrew bst) kills em young and puts them on a skewer on the bbq.

Thus the French method of coq au vin, rooster stewed in wine. Using a dutch oven of course (cast iron pot w lid). http://leitesculinaria.com/5399/recipes ... u-vin.html

[ross]

Beer can BBQ chicken or in the turkey deep fryer 4 at a time for Bantys . Just breasts are good too . Luck

[Ontario Chick]

QR_BBPOST Jim, we use the smaller birds like leghorns for soup/soup stock.

QR_BBPOST Trever (renfrew bst) kills em young and puts them on a skewer on the bbq.

QR_BBPOST Beer can BBQ chicken or in the turkey deep fryer 4 at a time for Bantys . Just breasts are good too . Luck

All excellent ways to use up the EOM (early obvious misfits) Anything hatched in April- May -June is ready for a BBQ by July
that takes a few cockerels out of the flock and eases up on the food bill and leaves more room for the birds growing out.
I like these Early birds because processing 2 at the time is a pretty quick work and they can be used fresh, without going to camp Kenmore first.

[BobG]

I guess I am lucky in the unwanted birds department ,anything not deemed fit for breeding goes to the fur farm I work on . Not a great return money wise but I do get free shavings for bedding