BDutch's bantam flock & natural breeding projects #5 🪺 🪺 and #6

[BDutch]

I don’t kill my cockerels. But of course I know other chicken keepers do.
Curious as I am I talked to the people who sold me bantam eggs and asked what they do with the cockerels.

Some told me they just kill them and dont bother to clean the birds bc it’s too much work for less than 1 pound chicken meat. Others say its a delicacy and like to eat the meat as a special treat.

 

[Molpet]

I don’t kill my cockerels. But of course I know other chicken keepers do.
Curious as I am I talked to the people who sold me bantam eggs and asked what they do with the cockerels.

Some told me they just kill them and dont bother to clean the birds bc it’s too much work for less than 1 pound chicken meat. Others say its a delicacy and like to eat the meat as a special treat.

Seems to be a waste of a life, at least feed a dog with them.
I like the turkeys because a big jake had a couple weeks of meat for me, where one of my meat mutts cockerels is a week.
So far I have not harvested a perfectly good hen. I before covid I sell the extra hens. I have sold turkey hens last year.

 

[SkyAJK]

I don’t kill my cockerels. But of course I know other chicken keepers do.
Curious as I am I talked to the people who sold me bantam eggs and asked what they do with the cockerels.

Some told me they just kill them and dont bother to clean the birds bc it’s too much work for less than 1 pound chicken meat. Others say its a delicacy and like to eat the meat as a special treat.

The breeder I got my bantam chicks from killed all their unsold birds, frozen them unprocessed and sell them out as frozen food for other exotic animals..like snake...etc

I got 2x 2 days old chick - Japanese bantam for $20 each.

The unsold pullet/adult frozen is $2 each.

I know this because they advertise it and also they will take in roosters if my 2 days old chicks turn out to be roosters. Lucky both chicks are hens.

 

[Skyeknight]

Some told me they just kill them and dont bother to clean the birds bc it’s too much work for less than 1 pound chicken meat. Others say its a delicacy and like to eat the meat as a special treat.

Yeah that just sounds like a lot of work for not a lot of meat. That's why I would prefer to breed my chickens a little bigger so that the processing is worth it.

Seems to be a waste of a life, at least feed a dog with them.

I am off the same opinion, which is why I rather avoid breeding roosters that I know will have no use for me and probably no one else.

The breeder I got my bantam chicks from killed all their unsold birds, frozen them unprocessed and sell them out as frozen food for other exotic animals..like snake...etc

I do think that this a great option so that their life is not for nothing. Reminds of this movement in the Netherlands that thinks feeding vegetables to livestock that just barely dont fit the requirements for human consumption is a waste of those vegetables. Here I am thinking they are literally still being used for a good purpose.

 

[BDutch]

Yeah that just sounds like a lot of work for not a lot of meat. That's why I would prefer to breed my chickens a little bigger so that the processing is worth it.

I am off the same opinion, which is why I rather avoid breeding roosters that I know will have no use for me and probably no one else.

I do think that this a great option so that their life is not for nothing.

Waisting an animal life is very sad. I feel sorry for all the poor animals who are killed. Waisting vegetables is just a waste of labour. Humans don’t need meat to live healthy.

Reminds of this movement in the Netherlands that thinks feeding vegetables to livestock that just barely dont fit the requirements for human consumption is a waste of those vegetables.

I don’t get this. Never heard of such a movement. What is the name of the movement? Or is there a possibility this is fake news?

I do know that some farmers who grow vegetables sometimes can’t sell their vegetables bc the buyers of the supermarket concern find the quality (looks) too poor to sell them in the shop. They usually end up for a lesser price in soups, sauces, etc. or in feed for animals. Unfortunately sometimes the farmer has no way to sell them and the vegetables end up as soil enricher.

 

[SkyAJK]

Some of the shops here in Australia have those not perfect looking vegetables and fruits at a cheaper price. The shapes just aren't up to whatever the standard.

We buy those not so up to whatever the standard and frozen vegetables.

The farmer markets are good as they have all shapes and sizes.

 

[Skyeknight]

Waisting an animal life is very sad. I feel sorry for all the poor animals who are killed. Waisting vegetables is just a waste of labour. Humans don’t need meat to live healthy.

You are right about that. Animal life is completely different than plant life, all it did was remind of that example.

I don’t get this. Never heard of such a movement. What is the name of the movement? Or is there a possibility this is fake news?

I don't remember the name, I saw a video of them on my LinkedIN feed a little bit ago. But it must be small cause that was the first time I heard of them. Movement might have been a strong word.

bc the buyers of the supermarket concern find the quality (looks) too poor to sell them in the shop.

Yeah that is what I meant with not good enough for human consumption. We feed stuff like that to our sheep all the time and sometimes eat it ourselves cause it's cheap and otherwise a waste, since they would have to throw it away.

They usually end up for a lesser price in soups, sauces, etc. or in feed for animals.

I think as long as you use it for this it's not a waste.

 

[BDutch]

Today I received my first white egg of the year!
Katrientje started to lay today.

Top left and bottom: 3 eggs from Gin*
Middle : 2 eggs from Tonic*
Top right - 1 egg from Katrientje.

*not sure, who lays the darker brown eggs. I never caught them in the act and its harder to distinguish to 2 Amrocks than their eggs.

 

[SkyAJK]

In the future when I need to add more chickens to my flock, I only have 2 options:

1. Get a 2 days old chicks and risk having a rooster as only unsex heritage breeds are available.
Problem with this is what to do with the rooster, my area does not allow rooster.

2. Get pullets - ..more expensive and not as much fun as having fluffy chicks.

I checked out on youtube, Japanese bantam rooster is quite loud where as the Pekin rooster is less loud.

From this point onward, I can only get bantam chickens and might be 2 Isa Brown as I get older it is harder to manage my flock. I love chickens and I can not imagine life without them.

 

[BDutch]

A few pictures I took in February.

…..
Today was cleaning day because the weather was too nice to work inside the house all day. 16 °C and

Besides the usual cleaning:
I repaired the diatom ‘paint’ around the roost areas.
I took out the paper shreddings and hay from the sand floor. Filled the gaps in the sand floor with new sand and made straightened the floor a bit.
Got all the monitor-rolls in place to check 1-2 times a week for mites again.

Bonus:
And I found the silver plated earring I lost a few months ago.
The girls were curious about what I was doing and kept me company.
Happy with 3 eggs again today.