Too many roosters

[LeatherneckPA]

Too many roosters
A problem which shall be remedied Wednesday. When we ordered straight run birds we actually did get a bout a 50/50 split. In fact, we got 13 roosters and 14 hens. But the roosters are getting to be too much for the hens. I think the stress of all those roosters is actually lessening my egg production.

I ordered the Whizzbang Chicken Plucker plans. I was discussing them with one of the high school shop teachers where I sub and he asked if he could have his classes build it for me as a good experience. He said that once they heard it was for "the LT" they'd jump all over the opportunity. (Apparently, I am a very popular sub.) And they'd actually learn a lot along the way. So I'm waiting for that now. But of course, since it will be free, it will be on their schedule. And I have to get rid of roosters NOW!

The local Cooperative Extension gave me the name and number for a fella named Ernie Reiff in Mifflinburg, PA who processes small lots of chickens. I'm taking mine down there Wednesday afternoon. I'll post my impressions later.

[mom]

Aw yes - the straight run lottery. We kinda wond that. Rhodies we only got one bad boy. As to the bantam - we bought 6 and one promptly died and we not have 3 out of the reming 5. Bamtam boys are the noisiest of them all but not worth the killing to put in the stock pot. We ordered some ducks and they stuck 9 boy chicknes in ther efor warmth - Freecycle got rid of them. I just didn't have the time to dispose of them myself - you have to consider your time vs the cost of a chicken. Good luck

[beaglady]

I was just reading your post & was going to tell you about Eli. Taking your birds to be processed is like a free poultry seminar.

[bookwormom]

we got 20 straight runs and 18 were roosters.
that in addition to the frying pan special that my husband had ordered (50 roosters of every breed the were selling) I still have a few in the freezer with freezer burn.

[LeatherneckPA]

beaglady, you were right on with Eli and family. I was really impressed with the efficiency of the operation. I wonder how many birds you have to average per week to become that efficient?

I still think that processing them myself would be more cost efficient. There is the $2.25 per bird plus the cost of gas down and back. And since I paid less than $2 per bird from the hatchery I more than doubled my cost having him do it.

But next year I have a better plan. First of all, I am going to build the Whizzbang Plucker over the course of the winter. This tie I will have everything in place before I order the birds. Second, I think I'm going to try a late summer order instead of a spring order. I won't have to worry quite so much about the heat lamp, They'll be able to go out on pasture sooner, and we might be on our homestead by then.

[crafty2002]

I made that mistake too, bookwormom. I ordered 50 roos and could have killed myself for it.
I ordered 23 hens and 2 roos two years ago and all was fine.
But Lord when I ordered 50 roosters last year everything fell apart.
I think the roosters called the foxes from 10 miles away every night just so they could watch a hen get eat.
I didn't know what was getting them until an old man was bush hogging the field back there and told me he just saw a red fox.
I didn't even know we had them around here but after he pointed out where he saw it at we flushed it out but I didn't get a shot at it. I wish I had grabbed my shotgun instead of the cross bow but we are just inside the city limits. ::)
I am going to order some more hens and "maybe" a couple roos. I am not sure about that yet. I want to build an incubator so I will need a couple. They weren't bad when I had 23 hens and 2 roos but everything went to pot when all the new roos grew up.
I think it is worth the extra money to order what you want instead of taking pot luck.
I'll never do it again.
Dennis

[beaglady]

Late summer has worked well for me. I try to time things so that the birds are ready around first frost. You're right that they can go outdoors sooner in midsummer.

I'll probably keep taking mine to be processed - I don't mind doing a few birds here or there, but I like to raise a year's worth of birds at once. I split them with a friend who shares processing cost and it's worth it to me to pay him to process, since he's much faster than me and has a much more efficient set up. I don't want to store a picker between processing either.

[LeatherneckPA]

beaglady, now there are two considerations I hadn't considered.

Like you, once I get my land I'd like to do an entire year's worth of chicken at a shot. And I don't plan on having more storage space than I need on the homestead.

It'll probably end up being a "flip the quarter" type decision for me, as doubling the cost of a bird is a powerful incentive for doing my own. And if I were to start a pastured poultry business that would really eat into my profits.