I am in need of information. I have 21 hens and 5 roosters. I am getting ready to have the roosters slaughtered Saturday. Is there any reason why I should keep 1 rooster around. I have had several locals tell me conflicting stories. Some are saying to keep 1 to have around the flock as a protector, most say their really is not a need for them unless I intend to hatch eggs. I want to raise meat chickens, maybe starting next year. So it is rather conflicting on should I or shouldn't I. My wife's grandma told me it would be better to just buy the meat chickens for a couple years and see if we continue wanting to raise meat chickens. She said she raised her own meat chickens, and rather then investing in incubators and some other equipment that I cannot remember at this moment, it was cheaper to just get them from a local farm or store, or by mail order. So many choices for my little pea brain. Maybe some of you could weigh in on this with your thoughts. Hopefully, next week, I will have pictures of my hens. We got one outrageous egg yesterday. Can't wait to show it off. Thanks for any suggestions.
Michael
Roosters
Roos are for the most part, in my estimation, more trouble than they are worth. If you have a particularly friendly one with personality that is fun, keep it. Otherwise, why go through the slaughter twice?
whosennext, Your term meat chickens is a too vague to pinpoint a specific breed. If you're raising the typical CornishX for meat .... then you'll be butchering all of them before long ..... not just the roos. What breed of chicken do you have? Someone there must have an idea. I suspect you have a dual purpose breed if you're thinking of keeping one roo. If you're raising meat birds .... best to stick with a meat breed ... like Cornish X. If you're into incubating and raising chicks or even trying to get a group of broody hens ...... then a dual purpose breed can bring you eggs as well. Time is usually quite precious to most. I'm unimpressed with the egg production from any dual purpose breed. Cost is rediculous ..... $3-4 / dozen. Best to buy at the grocery store. Meat birds cost at least $1.50 at the store.