The 87 birds, 7 roosters and 80 pullets, have grown well. Freezer Camp aka chicken processing, is scheduled for September 6th.
As is usual by this time of year, we are so done with tending so many birds. The roosters are constantly after the hens.
This year was the worst for getting roosters instead of pullets. We’d ordered all females. The roosters will be the first to go.
We’d gotten 15 Buff Orpingtons, 35 Barred Rocks, and 40 Black Australorps, 90 chicks. We lost one of each in shipping in May.
Of the 7 roosters (6 Australorps and 1 Barred Rock), this one is top bird. He is easily twice the size of some of the other roosters.
If you look directly behind him you can see the single Barred Rock rooster.
I have orders for about 45 of these birds, to be sold as layers. I have yet to do a freezer inventory and figure out just how many birds I will need for the freezer for the 2020/2021 year.
I will also be culling to select the best birds for the new layer flock. I will need 18 and hopefully have no hidden rooster this year. We may also process the 3 broody birds and the old rooster, leaving 14 layers until early October.
Hopefully all the sold birds will be picked up early, well before the October 1 deadline I set.