What do you do with your male chick you can't keep?

[Lucylou]

I'm keen to hatch some eggs this Spring & someone has all the equipment for sale on the For Sale section so all would fit in well.

My problem is that my OH feels really strongly about the 'outcome' for any males that hatch. I'm more philosophical about it but he feels quite strongly that I would be raising chicks just to be culled. Don't think I can just cross fingers that they're all girls so when you can't keep all the boys what does everyone else do?

 

[Frenchchickens123]

Hi, personally I keep males in a seperate flock and depending on thier size we eat most of them and for the others we try to sell or give away. Obviously alot depends on your breed, we have Orpington hybrids, marran cockeral and leghorns so it's relatively simple for us.

 

[Davidd]

hello, i normally dispatch the cock chicks as soon as i know that they are male- i keep some of the rare breed ones to sell but most don't make it past 6 weeks- i know they have had a good but short life- i would never try to rehome them - there are too many- if people are going to breed birds then they should take responsibility for the unwanted males- too many suffer going from market to crate for days at a time before being killed. just my thoughts.
regards, David

 

[Anonymous]

Its funny, if you had asked me this question last year I would try to rehome unwanted cockerels. Now I agree with David. The problem with rehoming is first it is very very hard to find anyone willing to give a cockerel a home. Its true there are just too many available unless you have something unusual or show stock. Second. even if you do find a home, how good that home really is remains to be seen as we found out last year.
Growing them for eating is of course an option with LF, not an option with Pekins though. At least if they are eaten they have not lived and died for no reason.

 

[podstable]

I have given up trying to re home unless I know someone SERIOUSLY wants a cockerel. I have had people persuade me to let me have cockerels assuring me they were not at risk of neighbour complaints , had adequate space etc. Recently I had one returned to me with the added bouns of a male grower as a 'gift' (!!!) , last week I had a woman wanting me to take back a cockerel that she virtually tore away from me in the first place ,complaining that it crows and the neighbours dont like it ( I had been over this in great depth with her ,then I had a lady who had unsexed chicks from me wanting to bring the boys back--I had also discussed it with her . All these people had reassured me that they positively wanted cockerels and knew what was involved re neighbours etc. I would now only rehome something that is maybe unusual/quality to a serious breeder --I care too much about them to have them passed from pillar to post and possibly end up as Davidd describes.. I am just going to have accept that I will need to cull even my special favourites as well as the rest as much as I detest doing it. I dont understand how people can take on any living creature without finding out about it first---sorry , my favourite grumble! Ros :evil:

 

[Lucylou]

Thanks for your replies everyone, much as I expected. I agree with Davidd on the fact that they will have had a short but good life but OH can't see it that way.

So have decided to give some of the 6000 1 yr olds advertised elsewhere on the forum a home instead. I know I won't have the experience of breeding & watching them grow but probably best for peace & harmony on the matrimonial front :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a wonderful compromise to me. Its great that so many people on this forum are giving them homes and a second chance.