[Jon Feather]

Hi there,

I am planning on putting 50-100 eggs in the incubator.  They are eggs from our hybrid hens and Cuckoo Maran cockerel.  The aim is to raise the hen chicks for brown egg laying, but what to do with the cockerel chicks???

We are both vegetarian but are not altogether against raising animals for meat in a humane way.

Killing all the cockerel chicks at day old isn't an option for us, so the only other option is to grow them on.  But what then??

In the past we have occasionally hatched a handful of eggs and got rid of the cockerels by giving them to friends who kill and eat them.  But with upwards of 50 cockerels I'm going to need a more commercial plan.

I would appreciate any ideas and tips, from those who have been in this situation, as to likelihood of selling them on for meat and what might be involved and how you go about the mechanics of it all.


 

[Thyme]

I wonder if there might be a market to people who raw feed their dogs and cats?  That's assuming that it would be a plus to feed them guts and all, so less processing needed which might make it cost effective for the amount of meat involved.

[Jon Feather]

I wonder if there might be a market to people who raw feed their dogs and cats?  That's assuming that it would be a plus to feed them guts and all, so less processing needed which might make it cost effective for the amount of meat involved.

Hmmm!  Hadn't thought of that.  Although, as a dog owner I can't see many dog owners wanting to give their pets a whole chicken carcass. 1 because of the chicken bones and 2 because a dog ripping a chicken to bits wont look very nice.

No! I think i'm back to chicken meat for human consumption.  Any thoughts, anyone?

[twizzel]

raw feeding dogs is very popular, raw chicken bones are fine for dogs... I wouldn't dismiss the pet food route personally

[Thyme]

For human consumption I'm pretty doubtful there's a market.  I kill and eat my Marans and I would take an extra couple of cockerels from a neighbour for free but I would never buy them -- they're too much work to process.  Anyone who is prepared to do the killing and processing can probably get as many cockerels as they want for free from people who need to get rid of them.

[Jon Feather]

I take your point about raw chicken bones being fine for dogs: although the general perception, in my experience, is that they are potentially harmful.

Raw chickens for human consumption are flying off the shelves every day so I would assume free range corn fed local chicken would find a market, and at a premium too.  I'm interested in anyone's experience to the contrary or otherwise...

[Jukes Mum]

While it sounds as though there should be a market, I think you'll find that there are a few factors while will present problems, which is why there are so many free cockerels offered!

Firstly, if someone were to be able to sell them to the public, they would need licenced premises to process them. People with this kind of set up are unlikely to want your lovely corn fed hybrid birds as there is unlikely to be a lot of breast meat on them compared to commercial breeds.
We really enjoy eating our cockerels and they definitely taste better, but they do look rather scrawny compared to a supermarket bird. We have no specialist equipment and it takes us around an hour to pluck (or usually skin) and gut the bird, then you've got a bag of 'gubbins' to get rid of. So, while we are happy to eat ours, I would prefer to pay £4 for a supermarket chicken than go through the faf involved with unwanted cockerels.
Just my thoughts.

[Jukes Mum]

Just one other thought- we don't have many birds so I don't know about this, but if you have over 50 birds, you may need to register them
https://www.gov.uk/poultry-farms-general-regulations

[Eve]

Friends of ours feed their dog the raw meat diet, they get supplies of frozen chicken wings etc, not a feather or gut in sight.


There's a wolf sanctuary in Anglia that possibly wouldn't mind that sort of treat, maybe there's something similar to where you live? Or get yourselves a dog? 


Alternatively, you'll be having lots of soup and curry

[Thyme]

Friends of ours feed their dog the raw meat diet, they get supplies of frozen chicken wings etc, not a feather or gut in sight.

Yep, but I think you'll find they also supplement to make up for the lack of feather and gut, as bone and muscle meat isn't a complete diet.  I know some raw feeders feed whole rabbits (to dogs) or mice (cats).

[nutterly_uts]

Where are you? There are definately raw feeders of dogs who would take them. I could post on one FB page i'm on and easily have them gone in a day for you

[Castle Farm]

Are you hopeful in finding new homes as dog meat before or after you spend time and money rearing them to an age where you will know what sex they are ?


Buy in pullets it's cheaper and more ethical.

[Jukes Mum]

why is it more ethical? What do you think happens to the boys from where you buy your pullets?

[in the hills]

Have you thought about buying in day old sexed hybrid layers?   Is there a reason that you want layers from that particular cross?

We usually hatch some of our own eggs under broody hens .....mainly because my daughter enjoys having chicks around. However, after a couple of years when most have been cockerels , we've bought in some sexed day olds and popped those under a broody.

We do eat our own cockerels but I wouldn't buy in cockerels to eat.   

Incubator costs, rearing costs  ..... letting them go as pet food could be an expensive way of doing things. Day olds maybe a better option if you don't want to eat the birds yourself, IMO.

[lord flynn]

personally, given how much they cost to feed and grow on, the almost non-existent human market and a questionable pet food one (and I know lots of raw feeders who'll feed the whole carcass), I would cull as early as possible-see if any reptile people nearby want them and thats if they were pure breeds. For a cross like that I'd be buying in-they really do cost lots to feed and I only hatch 20 a year.