Fatten up

[walldanzig]

We recently(about 11 weeks old) inherited 10 chicks I think they are some kind of Hybrid I have never seen anything grow as fast and we have already identified thaT 5 of them are cockerals. I am going to dispatch of these but was thinking was it worth fattening them up first. What would people reccomend. Is there even an argument for not fattening them. Any advice as always is appreciated

[RichmondHens]

You can fatten anything up (well almost anything) with the right management. We eat all our surplus cocks including bantams. The bantams don't make roasters but we skin them and put them in casseroles, and they taste great. So go for it, enjoy!

[walldanzig]

Thanks Richmond. I have to unfortunatley 5 cockerals will not be popular with the neighbours

[Bramble-Poultry]

You can fatten chickens to table weight in 16 weeks, you may not get a large sunday roasting bird with hybrids but they will still be nice for casseroles and stirfrys. Obviously you can leave them longer to get bigger. But they will be in full crow!

You need to change them from growers ration onto finishers ration at 12 weeks, you can top this up with corn if you like too.

it is worth fattening them up for the table, the only other option is to take them to market and sell them - you will get 50p each for them for someone else to take home and eat!! You may as well enjoy them, knowing that you have full traceability on where you food has come from and safe in the knowledge that they were well looked after animals - you can't guarantee that from supermarket chooks.

[walldanzig]

Thanks Bramble. I wouldn't sell them for 50p to it just wouldn't seem right. I will put them on finishers in the next few week when I can seperate them from the rest of the birds. I don't want to fatten the ladies up I've heard it can stop them laying

[Bramble-Poultry]

it will delay their laying, but this time of year they are probably not going to go into lay anyways, when your cockerels are dispatched you can put them onto a laying ration and they will come back into lay spring anyways.

[walldanzig]

Thanks again Bramble. Do you just feed them until you get a weight you want?

[walldanzig]

I have been given a bag of Turkey finishers will it be ok to give it to the cockerals I plan on fattening up. I was going to mix them with growers and wheat.

[di]

On a similar note...our boys really haven't got long to go now.
As we obviously don't have to worry about their long term health,surely it's OK to feed them mainly on kitchen scraps???(Mashed spuds & boiled peelings/fish/bread/left over brekkie etc etc)....or not?

[TPeers]

Just remember that what you feed them will flavour the meat.......

[di]

mmmmm...chocolate!!!!!

[walldanzig]

mmmm Treacle Pudding and Custard

[matthew2riches]

So you could have Bovril flavoured chook? lol!

[MaureenHall]

Feed them Paxo and they'll be ready stuffed

[Snadger]

On a similar note...our boys really haven't got long to go now.
As we obviously don't have to worry about their long term health,surely it's OK to feed them mainly on kitchen scraps???(Mashed spuds & boiled peelings/fish/bread/left over brekkie etc etc)....or not?

Shhhhhhh!