How to raise Backyard Chickens: Re: [CHICKENS-101] What to do with cockerels

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Re: [CHICKENS-101] What to do with cockerels

I'd advertise the little cockerels on Craigslist first, $5 each or less. It's free, what do you have to lose?

The Silkies are ----well, different. You can probably keep them all together, they are pretty laid back. Even if they fight a little, it's laughable! And you will be able to tell which ones are males pretty soon. I'd try selling them too.

There's not enough meat on bantams to hardly make cleaning them worthwhile. However, if you happen to have certain ethnic groups in your area, (Chinese I think), they very highly prize Silkies for soup with their black bones and all. Even white ones have black bones. Supposed to be an aphrodisiac.

Diane S.

----- Original Message -----

From: jajeanpierre

To: CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Wednesday, July 03, 2013 8:57 AM

Subject: [CHICKENS-101] What to do with cockerels

My foray into chickens started with my first batch hatched this year in mid-March.

I have a lot of bantam cockerels that I don't need. I have 13 straight-run silkies and three cockerel frizzle bantam Cochins. The Silkies are starting to make their gender known by their hackles and the longer streamers in their top knot, many are still ambiguous.

I've thought of setting up a bachelor pen until they are bigger, but the Silkies are a lot harder to sex and I think more and more will be identified as cockerels as time goes on. My feeling is that once I set up the bachelor pen, I will not be able to add any new cockerels into it. The Cochins are pretty feisty.

The Cochin cockerels are starting to be problematic. The two I really don't want weigh about 1.5 pounds. They were hatched March 17. I'm tempted to keep one of the cockerels because he has such a neat personality.

Is there any meat on them and will there ever be any meat on them? If I'm going to cull birds, it behooves me to utilize what meat they have.

As mentioned, I have zero experience with chickens/cockerels and could use some advice on when would be the best time to dispatch the bantam cockerels while maximizing their useable meat.

Thanks,

Janet