Here it is ending the third week with the new chicks and it appears that just one might be male. I am going by the comb. One of them is about twice the size of the others.
Stand by for the report of the incubator. 41 eggs due to hatch the 12th :shock:
Jerry, hey that is a pretty high ratio of girl to boy, yay!!! Seems to me that you had about 9 or 10 of the little dudes? That is good, the girls are far more useful, unless of course they are meat birds. Can't wait to hear your report about the incubator chicks. I have about 100 in mine, we'll see how mine turn out in about 12 days from now. Beautiful days in our great lives, health. Cindi
That is an awesome ratio if it stays that way, good for you.
I always end up with way more roos than girls. Lucky dog.
I took an even closer look at them today and it is just that one that appears to be growing waddles under the cheeks. :-D
Brat!
Well darn it all.
A couple more are showing signs of being male.
Are they leaving the toilet seat up and refusing to stop and ask for directions to the barnyard?
I thought your male ratio was amazingly low. I always get between 50-75 percent males out of my hatches.
I sold 21 roosters this year alone.
What do roosters go for these days?
What were their age when you sold them?
Quote from: Jerrymac on May 12, 2009, 12:07:32 PM
What do roosters go for these days?
What were their age when you sold them?
My roosters usually go for fryers. I'll butcher the excess rooster when they're about 10 weeks old. Cornish crosses can be butchered at 8 weeks but I like a little firmer meat so I wait a couple of more weeks. I've butchered fryers as late as 12 weeks but then you're really getting into the broiler age.
Jerry around here you can sometimes get $5.00 per rooster or give them away if you just want to unload them.
If you want to let them grow out for a couple/few months you could have them processed for the meat but you have to pay a processer to do the deed if you don't want to.
I just sold or gave mine away but there are people that want fresh chicken meat that will pay a processing fee of usually $4.00 per chicken around here.
At one point last year I was looking for someone to process a few roosters. Couldn't find anyone that did that. So the wife and I did four of them our self. We fried up two of them and no one wanted to eat it. I had a couple of pieces but I am not a big fan of chicken anyway. Then there are two still in the freezer. Probably should do something with them.
I don't know much about processing other than you are suppose to let the meat sit for a day before you cook it or it will be tough.
I see roosters on craigslist sometimes, you could try that.
I bring mine to a swap meet that we have once a month for chickens and if you don't sell them or trade them you can put them in the auction.
You might even have a livestock auction near you.
When it comes to processing I'm ready. I have a motorized feather plucker (good for anykind of fowl), a scalding pot, butcher table, 2 butchering knife sets and 2 stainless steel gloves so as not to cut off a finger instead of a drumstick. I raise the chickens and the eggs for the family so when we butcher it's a family thing, kind of like a barn raising.
that a new hobby that I just started this year. First run in the bator got 3 chicks out of 12, got another run of 31 in tight now, hatch date of 5/29.
glad to hear you got a hatch off.
G3