I am so torn. I put my 4 roosters on Craig's list and have someone coming at 4 to take them. They are 22 weeks old. They were hatched here from a broody hen and some borrowed fertilized eggs. I just wanted hens. However, my roosters are so handsome.
Would you get rid of all of them or just keep one maybe? The little all white one is not big enough to mate with the big old hens. They just shake him off and peck at him. The little golden comets like him OK though.
Maybe I should just let them all go. What would you do?
These are my first roosters. No, I can't kill them. I'm chicken. :)
Parting with roosters
if you want fertile eggs keep one. If you don't get rid of all of them. You can't help but get attached to them when you raise them. You do know the person coming to get all 4 of them is probably going to eat them.
Oh dear. Can you afford to keep them? Do you have enough room for them? Are you particularly attached to them? If so why not keep them. Roosters are fun, just being roosters. I wish I could have roosters here. But your own circumstances probably dictate. Good luck with whatever decision you make. Is there one that the hens like?
Well, the roosters are all gone. Turns out we had 6 of them not 4. The man was very nice and showed my husband how to tell which are roosters. So, out of 9 eggs we had 6 roosters. He said he has a big chicken operation and was going to use the roosters to mate with his hens. I don't know if that's true or not but it makes me feel better to know. They all were squawking so loud when he was catching them. He had a big cage he put them in. I was a little sad to see them go but am relieved they're gone now. I do not want fertilized eggs. This man said that is what usually happens. Most of the hatched eggs turn out to be males.
If I want more hens for eggs I'll just pay and order female day old chicks. The roosters were first to the feeding trough and ate an awful lot compared to the hens. I will miss their crowing though. I loved it.
Yes, we have room for them. We're rural out in the country on 28 acres. I just want eggs though and don't want to eat them. Thanks for all the advice. I guess the longer I'm into this the easier it will get.
Brenda
Aww I'm sorry.. I know it's hard.. and it doesn't get much easier! I've kicked myself for letting go some that I really loved, but we can't keep em all.. and if they are going to be used for breeding, what more could they ask for!! LOL