meat chicken and chicken gender issues

18 years ago

So my chickens are 3 months old (I got 25 all male heavies, plus a batch of various females)...

To some extent, I can tell the roosters from the hens at this point, but I'm wondering if you all can help me tell for sure for some of them. I look at my "for sure" hens (my old 3-year-old hens) and some of them have pretty good size waddles and combs... SO on the young chickens which aren't crowing yet , how do I tell for sure whether a rooster is really a rooster or whether it's a hen with a big comb?

Next: Let the chicken slaughtering begin. My husband really wants to (sigh) pluck them instead of skin them. Anyone got some suggestions on how to do a big batch in one day (say 15-25 in one day, depending on how many are actually out there). What's your process?

Lastly, I had to order some of the banties as straight run, so I've got about 6 or 7 bantam roosters. They're only 3 months old, not much meat on 'em, but I can't exactly keep 7 roosters around. Anyone have suggestions on what to do with bantie roosters?

Kristen

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Comments (8)

SilverVista
18 years ago
Start comparing known females to known males, in terms of feather shape on the neck and tail. Male neck feathers should be pointed on the ends, females blunt. Same for the tail. And of course, as they mature, hens will have shorter, fanned tales while males have longer plumes in their tales.

Take your banty roo's to the fresh market with your garlic braids, if that is allowed. Make individual transport cages with a bit of scrap chicken wire tied over a topless cardboard box with a bit of straw in the bottom. That allows buyers to view, and to carry home easily. IMHO, not enough meat on 'em to bother eating, and Nik's probably the only one there with hands small enough to efficiently gut, which I'm sure wouldn't go over very well...
calliope
18 years ago
There are some excellent extension publications and sites online dealing with processing home meat chickens. Seriously think about NOT biting off more than you can chew at any session and particularly at your first session. I have never done more than five at once even with help.

I prefer plucking to skinning as well, but the kill/scald/gut/pluck/pinfeather process is time consuming. If you kill out more than four or five, you may end up slaughtering animals and wasting them. Learning to gut them out the very first time is tedious and you need to be careful so as not to contaminate your food with their fecal contents. You certainly don't want to kill more than you have freezer space for. It's NOT a fun process in any sense of the word. It isn't enjoyable watching them in their death throes. Humanely slaughtering involves a technique I can't do well, and I have my son do it. You would be surprized how an axe can bounce off feathers. I had to have my husband finish off a kill once, and for pity's sake he is a butcher and he grew up in the family slaughterhouse and I caught him apologising to the poor rooster for our clumsiness.

I incubate my own chicks, so get a 50 percent male outcome. ONe has to make a committment to how they'll handle the rooster situations. No, don't process the bantams. Many people love them for pets. Just find them a good home. I don't slaughter much anymore, but sell the full sized roosters as well. I like to know I have meat chickens up there, but it really is a major committment to take it seriously.
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BriosaFarm
18 years ago
If you're going to be processing chickens very often, go look up "Whizbang Chicken Plucker!" We haven't built one yet, nor done in any chickens :~) but I found this gizmo during my research....there's a book, a yahoo group, etc.
ceresone
18 years ago
lol--sounds like me--still cant tell them apart--and--i also have bantams--same problem. luckily i'm not going to be eating them.and--who knew bantam roosters matured sooo early!!!
lesli8
18 years ago
you can heat water in a turkey fryer to dip them in just keep a thermometer in the water and turn it down/add cooler water to mantain correct temp, when it gets too hot it will partially cook the birds and heat them up too much which hastens spoiledge.

If you use a cone to put them in after cutting off head or popping necks, it keeps them from flopping all over. I would only kill 2, dip, hang them by the feet on a rack have the kids picking feathers while some one else works on gutting them afterwards in an assembly line fashion, when they are plucked someone can go kill 2 more, have plenty of help.
kortay
18 years ago
We also ended up with 7 bantam roosters this year. We put them in with our goats. They keep the flies down wonderfully and since they have enough space, they don't fight. We will just keep them out there and not coop them up at night with the others. If a critter gets them, oh well, but for now they are really working for us with eating the flies. It's been a huge difference!
chicken_ingenue
18 years ago
Boy does that seem to be the 100 dollar question what sex is your chicken LOL. I still am not sure either. but am not so patiently waiting for an egg to be lain. I figure thats the only way to be forsure. L The featherline site was helpful in providing pics of different breeds at different stages, everytime I think I am 80% sure what I have the next day i rethink it.S

Good luck

chicken ingenue
chicken_ingenue
18 years ago
does anyone know how old a chicken is before they start laying eggs. I have had mine about 5 months, and as I said before I am not very patient. S

Chicken Ingenue

meat chicken and chicken gender issues

Comments (8)

SilverVista

calliope

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