Hens: olive eggers/ raising chicks?

[soloequestrian]

I'd like to get an olive egger to add to my flock, but I can't find anyone who stocks them up here in the frozen north. I have a broody hen and it's easy to order eggs by post, but I'm worried about getting cockerels. Does anyone hatch their own and what do you do with the males?
Alternatively, are there any good ways of finding small breeders who might have unusual hens? I got my two Araucanas from a girl who had a small flock but was moving so downsizing - I would never have known she was there otherwise.

 

[Leo Walker]

If you hatch you get cockerels. You will almost certainly have to cull them. There are homes for some cockerels but its almost impossible with hybrids/crossbreeds. I've hatched about a 60 chicks this year and been very lucky to rehome the cockerels but I have picked rare and popular breeds and have quite a wide network of contacts. Saying that, theres 1 left and I think he will end up culled sadly.

Have you tried Facebook groups and preloved for breeders?

Are your araucanas rumpless? If they are I am very envious!

 

[paddi22]

we hatched six eggs and got six cockerels. Luckily a local tourist working farm nearby took them. You;d def have to make a call to cull them. We tried to keep them and ended up with a cockerel battle every day!

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I'd like to get an olive egger to add to my flock, but I can't find anyone who stocks them up here in the frozen north. I have a broody hen and it's easy to order eggs by post, but I'm worried about getting cockerels. Does anyone hatch their own and what do you do with the males?
Alternatively, are there any good ways of finding small breeders who might have unusual hens? I got my two Araucanas from a girl who had a small flock but was moving so downsizing - I would never have known she was there otherwise.

Facebook-there's often poultry sales on at different marts?

don't hatch unless you are willling to despatch as they say.

I had rumpless araucanas for a while, didnt like them-actually have found all aruacanas to be flightly annoying beasts.

 

[soloequestrian]

Mine have tail feathers, which I assume means they're not rumpless? I find them just the same as the others behaviour-wise - none of mine are very friendly but that means they don't try and wander into the house which is fine by me!
I would find it difficult to kill the males - no moral objection, just not got the stomach for it.
I'll try looking at mart sales, thanks for that suggestion.