Think Before You Hatch!

[RedThorn]

well done to you and your clan Di.

[Eco-Chic]

..Daisy's worry now is that if we do hatch again next year we might "not" get many boys!!!

Lol So much for sentimental girls!

[MaureenHall]

I'm really pleased you enjoyed the whole process right through from hatching to eating. My turn next?

[Hilary B]

Frias, I haven't forgotten. If it starts looking like "must be soon" send me a PM.

[frias]

Frias, I haven't forgotten. If it starts looking like "must be soon" send me a PM.

Thank you so much Hilary. At present they are still well beneath the girls in the pecking order so hope that will stop them crowing for a while longer. Although tall not very meaty yet either.
I'm going into hosp tomorrow so will be off line altogether for a few days. I will PM you soon though.

[CoraxAurata]

I hatched several Silver Appleyard ducks earlier in the year, 14 to be precise of which 11 are drakes! they are beautiful birds the best ones are show quality but finding home for that many especially up here is pure fantasy - besides they do taste good, 1 Christmas dinner for us, one for my chicken mentor, one for the guy who'll dispatch for me (they are big and strong even if I wanted to do it myself) one Christmas dinner present for my little brother and his lady wife 2 for future generations, 1 sold, 1 waiting to be picked up and the rest for the freezer...... hard maybe but they've had a great life and are costing more to feed than OH!

[RichmondHens]

Just bringing this to the top again to remind people to hatch responsibly ........... and for first time hatchers to make them aware of the downside to hatching.
Hope that's ok folks?

[MaureenHall]

Good idea Richmond, with some glimmers of "sunshine" (that strange orangey ball in the sky ), and some of us already starting up the incubators, I know just how infectious hatching is especially when we start seeing the little fluffy bundles

[its hilly]

Good idea Richmond.
Last year I ended up with 10 boys out of 18 chicks but the boys will be for the pot,although if someone wanted one I wouldnt mind, and that was decided before I put the first eggs in the incubater. Good job as no-one has been interested in cockerals. I have rehomed two cochin cockerals, but only because the lady who came to see my foal (not for sale) took one look at those big fluffy knickers and fell in love. Shes got ex-bats and no intention of hatching eggs so they'll be spoilt.
i'm going to hatch a few bought eggs this year, breeds that I cant get locally, or where a cockeral wont matter as I need an outcross to run with current hens. Other than that I'm going to hatch my own hybrids, but the boys again will be for the pot. My last hatch boys are now big enough to be pests but not big enough to eat yet, but their days are now numbered. Still my view is that they get a good free range life rather than being cooped up at some rearing farm so theyre better off than many.

[Glutton4...]

Great thread RH - I don't remember seeing it first time round.

Weather permitting (it's just started snowing heavily again) my Cockerel will be arriving on Sunday, IF one of the 'Laydees' decides to go broody and hatch some chicks, the Fellas will definitely be for the pot. Anyone locally, who wants to get rid of excess Cockerels, I'll gladly take them on, but they WILL be eaten.

[areia]

I think this pretty goes any animal you intend to breed,

[kirsty b]

Good idea to bump this one, especially as I have some due to hatch next week!

Boys are for the pot, I need to get over my squeamishness and be shown how to cull properly so I can be able to do it myself in future.

[motherhen]

What a brilliant thread lots of people do not consider what to do with the boys or even worse do not know that they are going to get any,the norm would be 40/50%, there was a company supplying eggs to schools, to hatch and of course the inevitable happened, and children were coming home with day old chicks without any idea what to feed them or how to care for them!!
Even worse I have heard of six cocks and one hen, poor thing its life would be a misery
Hatching can be fun if entered into in a responsible way, and its hard to be brave enough when the time comes.

[RichmondHens]

Thanks for your continued support on this subject, all you Grapes.

For anyone who missed my Christmas thread, the cocks that had been released in the woods near me were rescued by me and my family in all the snow just prior to Christmas. They were half dead, frozen and starving but made a complete recovery and are now enjoying life to the full with ladies to keep them entertained. These boys will not be eaten. They are amazingly tame and the smaller two are happy to be picked up for a cuddle any time.

[Snadger]

I already have enough chooks and thought I might have lost a few of the oldies to the winter colds. This has proved not to be true and I have 11 out of 15 three to four year old in fine fettle and laying there heads off!

Having said that............... I have three flocks each with there own pure bred cockerel and would love to see what the hybrids turned out like.

With this in mind I have collected six eggs from my Minorcas who are running with a large Lights Sussex cockerel. I also have three eggs from my ISA's who are running with a huge Silver Sussex cockerel and another three eggs from my ISA's running with the LS cockerel.
I also have a Faverolle cockerel running with ISA browns but he doesn't appear to be doing the business, so I haven't used any eggs from his Harim.
Hope to get the dozen eggs set away tomorow and actually would like to hatch a LS/Minorca cockerel to see how meaty and tasty they were?

Ps I love the black eyes of the Minorcas!