How and when to choose cockerals

Last year I had two barnevelder cockerals, so had no problem growing them out to see how they matured. This year I have at-least 35 so far, and only 7 pullets. I sure hope my other breeds and crosses don't have these same odds, or I will have a whole lot of chicken to eat and might have to buy layers. My chicks are 2 weeks old to 2.5 months old.

With the Barnevelder, this years breeding is an out-cross with two completely different lines (as that was all I could get!!!). I have a few stand out boys that really catch my eye, and each one for different reasons. And others that are just meh, whatever, nothing special. However, with only 7 (so far) pullets, I am really concerned I need to keep the right roo's to complement the girls to keep improving on what I got. And I'm already seeing nothing but improvement and think I have some pretty special barnies growing up. I do feel the utility purpose of the barnie has been somewhat lost, so will be looking at size/health/disease resistance/easy keeping/egg laying in addition to pretty. And my barnies are by far the friendliest of all my chickens, the first ones to come running for treats and greens, and the most curious, and just the best mannered. Other than the broody, none have ever pecked at me or been mean to me or other chickens. If I had oodles of girls, this decision would be easier as I could select the best girls and a really nice male and probably come out OK next year in breeding. But having so few girls the boy(s) are going to have to be very special. I am also keeping the moms and plan on breeding them a really great son, and maybe another out-cross male that I was able to get this year (actually have 4?, but again, one stands out). Or both.

So here is my dilemma...as much as I would love to grow all these boys out, I can't do that here. I've appeased the neighbors by reducing to the few roos left and I still hear them swearing from time to time. So I can't grow out many cockerels here this year. I may be able to move some cockerels to the future farm, and although they have LGD and I could build a really great movable pasture enclosure, I'm still terribly worried about mink there and I definitely can't afford to build a mink proof pasture enclosure, so wouldn't want to send my nicest boys there...not to say mink won't show up here someday when I'm not home. There is probably some flock security in dividing them up. I think there are probably 1/3 of the cockerels with a combination of less desirable factors I could choose to send now to the eating pen. Another 1/3 are standouts. And another third don't have anything particularly bad but nothing outstanding. And they are all babies.

How do you decide? What age?

Cheers,
Theresa

Maybe post pictures for the experts to help you out?

While trying to figure this all out, I found this link. Super helpful and exactly what I was looking for, as I'm focusing on utility traits in addition to the type/feathers part of the bird.

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In a perfect world I would grow mine out to 12 months before I chose!
What I do is cull for all the defects or things I don't want to add to my breeding pen first. They go into the bachelor pen first. I then grow the rest to 16-20 weeks and I keep a really good eye on them in that 4 weeks. By the time they are 20 weeks I am pretty sure the ones I like best. I will keep 3 or 4 of the best for each breed, the rest get fed hard for the last 2 to 4 weeks before they get processed.

The 3 or 4 breed keepers are penned together all winter in the bachelor pen and in the spring I decide my breeding pens. If I still like all of them, I will try to use them all at some stage through the season. Usually I end up with 2 I really like and I also will have my older roosters to use again if I want to as well.

So, I do end up keeping quite a few males over the winter. Things can happen if you don't take precautions that may leave you without a breeding male if you are not careful. This also means the males will be close to a year old before the final decision.

I think people forget how much impact the male has on the breeding pen. He will have genetic material in every chick you hatch with him. You can make big progress or big mistakes with the right male. I have done both over the years!

Just the method that I have found works for me at this stage.

coopslave wrote:In a perfect world I would grow mine out to 12 months before I chose!
What I do is cull for all the defects or things I don't want to add to my breeding pen first.  They go into the bachelor pen first.  I then grow the rest to 16-20 weeks and I keep a really good eye on them in that 4 weeks.  By the time they are 20 weeks I am pretty sure the ones I like best.  I will keep 3 or 4 of the best for each breed, the rest get fed hard for the last  2 to 4 weeks before they get processed.

The 3 or 4 breed keepers are penned together all winter in the bachelor pen and in the spring I decide my breeding pens.  If I still like all of them, I will try to use them all at some stage through the season.  Usually I end up with 2 I really like and I also will have my older roosters to use again if I want to as well.

So, I do end up keeping quite a few males over the winter.  Things can happen if you don't take precautions that may leave you without a breeding male if you are not careful.  This also means the males will be close to a year old before the final decision.

I think people forget how much impact the male has on the breeding pen.  He will have genetic material in every chick you hatch with him.  You can make big progress or big mistakes with the right male.  I have done both over the years!  

Just the method that I have found works for me at this stage.

Thanks coopslave, that's exactly what I was looking for. I have a few that are already narrow, or small boned, and I don't see that changing so I like the idea of just fattening them up. And I have the ones I really like, but also know they may not mature as I anticipated. And I'm going to have sooo many to chose from, so this will help lots. I'm seeing 3 in the older pen, 2-3 in the next pen, the babies are too small to tell but there's another 12 there to pick from, and I have more hatching. I will not have a shortage of boys to choose from. I'm down to one hen laying...one went broody, and I lost one the other day after moving the hens/roo to a new pen to make room for babies, nothing got in the pen and she wasn't bloodied, but I wonder if the raccoon showed up before I got home from work as the roosters comb was all bloodied and that didn't make any sense other than him trying to fight off something. Super sad about that. I hope I get more girls in the next hatches!!!

I have two potential temporary grow-out locations for cockerals to grow out and fatten up, so will feel better about keeping a handful here and moving the rest over there. I can't wait till I move, then cockerals are not such a big deal anymore.

Great post coop, and great advice. It baffles me how much selection goes into choosing nice females for a breeding program, and only one male is kept with the thought a replacement can be easily found if need be. I made that mistake once and will not do so again.


Islandgal, there are more good articles/info on the poultry page of ALBC (in case you haven’t found them yet  )

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Coopslave, How do you fatten up your eating birds?

Have a look here Beep:
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coopslave wrote:Have a look here Beep:
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Thanks for that, coopslave. I'm feeding them on grass and cert. organic grains at the moment, so maybe I'll just give them free choice feeding. I'd rather not feed them GMO grains if I can help it. I also heard boiled potatoes?

Now everytime I pick up a chicken I am feeling it to see how it measures up against that PDF brochure above. lol

As soon i can tell bad combs they are out. Bad feet/legs, conformation or bad leg color can be seen easily and weak ones, runts are out quick too. After that those left can grow bigger and can pic you favorites. I always try to keep some different styles or extremes in some points, but off course ones only that do conform to the SOP. Piet

I more or less do what Coop does as well, However I have always left my top rooster in with my hens all winter and decided who would make the best breeder come spring, out of my two top choices.

But I am changing things with my downsizing I am more or less going to be following the same idea as mentioned by coop.

I find with the Orpingtons they take a while to grow out and I have been choosing my breeders at around 16-18 months of age, but once I find a good rooster I stick with him, for example Luke, I have been using in my program for years now.

Great thread!