[caroway]

Does anyone want any cockerels? I have 6 and only 6 little hens who are getting no peace!!

[Hatty]

what part of the country are you in?

[caroway]

Hi - I'm in Fife.

[Hatty]

long long way away 

[melodrama]

What kind of cockerels are they? x

[caroway]

They are bantam cockerels of very mixed breeding ! - 4 hatched last year and 2 older ones.

[Rosemary]

I'm not having a go at caroway here, but this is one of the problems of hatching eggs that folk just don't think through. We used to get boxes of cockerels dumped at the livery stables where I used to keep Smokey. Some of the horse owners would feed them, but they fox usually got them pretty quick. TBH, I suppose there are worse ways to go, but it's just not very responsible and was pretty annoying.

If you are going to hatch eggs, be prepared to deal with the resultant cockerels.

[geebee]

I think the fact that she has had them since last year and longer and now trying to find homes shows she has been dealing with the consequences, not dumped them, which of course is irresponsible. I too have 6 bantam cockerels, 10 weeks old, FTGH but am prepaed to keep them if no one wants any. I'm not having a go either 

[lazybee]

It's just a matter of time before they start fighting. You always have a surplus. Best to do the responsible thing.The freezer beckons.

[geebee]

I have 2 cockerels in together at the moment, they only fought  after they had been separated for a while, I broke it up a few times and now peace reigns and no more crowing  so maybe if there's a whole bunch of them they'll be ok time will tell. Anyway there's not enough on them to make a meal out of and I couldn't kill/pluck them, don't know if I could eat them but I'd rather eat them than the poor things that end up in the supermarket after a miserable existence

[shetlandpaul]

two bantams make quite a good meal. you have too many eat them up.

[hughesy]

I've kept some going for the pot this year. currently have seven light sussex cockerels in a pen together with no real problems but at the first sign of serious fisticuffs it'll be oven time. Or as soon as there's a reasonable amount of meat on them, whichever comes soonest

[princesspiggy]

well, wev hatched out a fair few this year and look forward to having a good few dinners from them.

[jaykay]

Mine start annoying the hens, each other and me at 5-6 months, at which point they go into the freezer.

You always get too many cockerels and I don't know that people want them in general (only the occasional high quality pure breed for breeding), so best to let them have a nice life then eat them 

[caroway]

Thanks for all your comments. I wouldn't dream of dumping them. Not too much fighting -  they seem to respect boss cock but unfortunately he doesn't stop the young one's annoying the hens.  I can't bring myself to kill them in case I don't do it properly (and them enjoying life!). Sadly the person who used to do it for me is no longer here.