how do i ...

[milly2306]

tell a hen from a cockerel when just hatched?
i'm going to try hatching eggs and i'm not allowed to keep cockerels so how can i tell?
also, how do i look after them when just hatched eg food etc
one last question - how is best way to "dispose" of unwanted cockerels?
sorry for all the questions but i know one of you wonderful people will be able to help me
xxxmillyxxx

[Hilary B]

Unless they are of a 'sex linked cross' or one of the few breeds which hatch different colours, you can't tell for a while (experts can. but no quick way to learn the technique, and I never worked it out). Hen chicks grow tail feathers rather earlier than cockerel chicks.
Newly hatched chicks need full-time warmth, and 'baby food' (chick crumbs) but otherwise not very different from any other chickens. I would rear cockerels to just before they start crowing (which is a reasonable time, but I can't remember what age), and then get them bumped off and in the freezer.

[Polly Fouracre]

Quite right, mark the ones that start crowing (incidentally, the first crowing is not noisy) and kill them for the table. Yes you can!! You only have to do it once.

[milly2306]

thanks everyone.. now if only i weren't so squeamish!!!