A CALL OUT for responsible pet ownership! Unwanted roos, ducks, etc.

[Beekissed]

A friend of mine said she'd take my hens if I ever had to get rid of them, but she didn't want the rooster because she has too many male birds already. She didn't want me to kill him or give him to someone who would, though. If she ever asks what happened, I guess I'll have to say, "He went to live on a farm!"

How sad for you to be placed in a position where you have to lie to a friend about the realities of chicken life. Kind of ties your hands when disposing of an unwanted animal if such restrictions are placed upon it. It's as if someone said, "You can place this puppy in a shelter but just as long as it's a no-kill shelter." An unwanted life is an unwanted life, no matter the geography.

Hence the plea in this thread....think before you hatch. Think before you receive or buy unwanted animals from someone else. Be careful about buying from someone you do not know well. As I have heard over and over for the past several years on here, "It's not JUST a chicken."​

 

[txreddirtgirl]

With all that said.....................can someone please teach me how to process my own birds?! I know there is instructional videos out there that are awesome, but I need an actual person standing beside me telling me what I'm doing wrong

Fortunately I'm not there yet, but I do want to know how b/c I know when owning chickens that the day will come when I have to cull. And I'm ok with that, I just want to know that I'm doing it right...

 

[txreddirtgirl]

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Never thought of that, great idea! Thanks!

 

[RHRanch]

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Try posting an ad on craigslist - where i live, there are actually people who do workshops for processing rabbits, chickens, etc.

 

[Beekissed]

I would gladly do such a workshop in my area if I thought there would be enough interest. It is a good thing to pass along skills such as this....I didn't know just how much this generation had lost in these types of skills until I signed onto these forums. Then I started to notice in my own very rural, agricultural community just how many people have let processing their own animals pass to the slaughter houses. More efficient, I am sure, but that old knowledge is slowly lost.

My grandma taught my mother and she taught me~ and also taught my sons to process their own deer along the way. Where would we have been if these ladies hadn't passed on their years of know-how? In my family it hasn't been the menfolks who do these things, as you can probably tell. I was determined that my own sons would carry this on to their own families.

 

[yinepu]

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I hatch a lot and i buy straight run or just cockerels from hatcheries several times a year.. Believe it or not... I LIKE getting extra roosters because I can raise them up for meat. They are welcome to go camping in my freezer anytime!
I however will not bring in any bird that is from a local breeder or backyard poultry owner because I never know what diseases they have on their property.. I also do not allow anyone who has poultry to set foot on my property for the same reasons.. yes we do practice biosecurity and because of that we have a very healthy flock..
The way we do things.. old hens, roosters and any bird with defects gets culled.. and if they are big enough they go to Camp Kenmore..

 

[yinepu]

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in my family it was the women who did it.. and it was passed down from generation to generation.. lol.. I have taught my husband (though he hates the processing part)!

 

[Highlander]

I processed 4 boys this week and the last 3 are being done tomorrow. It's not something I look forward to doing at all, in fact I dread it, but I love hatching more than I hate processing so I've got to find the room somehow! And the hens will thank me for the peace with a bucketful of eggs hopefully!

 

[RHRanch]

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Beekissed, heres an ad from my local craigslist. They charge $40 per person.

Chicken Butchering Class

When: Saturday, August 20th, 2011 from 9am to 11am

We are a small family farm in located in El Cajon, Ca. Come learn how the process, from start to finish, on how to slaughter and process your own birds. Techniques will be demonstrated for you and hands-on participation is required.

Many people have shown great interest in learning to be more self-sustainable, knowing more about where their meat comes from and from that, how to raise their own meat birds from chick to table.

We will walk you through the process of how to humanly kill and butcher a chicken at home. No one who does not want to will be required to kill a chicken, but this is a class on how to butcher and dress a chicken so be prepared to do the cleaning and plucking.

Please wear grubby clothes. While this process is not hugely messy, there will be some mess.

The class cost is $40 per person. This includes the cost of a chicken for you to take home after the class. We will also provide the tools required for cleaning, gloves and a bag for you to take your chicken home. Please bring a cooler with ice to transport your chicken home.

We have a limited number of birds available, so please make you reservations soon. This class fills up very quickly!!

The price of the class is per person. No children under 12 allowed. Paid participants only (no just watching) and please do not bring children unless they have a paid registration.

CANCELLATION POLICY - If we cancel the event, you will receive a full refund. Otherwise, if you notify us of your desire to cancel up to FOURTEEN (14) days in advance, we will offer a 80% refund. After that, there is no refund for any reason, although you are welcome to give or sell your admission to someone else.

 

[Beekissed]

What a great little money maker! I'm surprised Salatin hasn't thought of that one.....not only are you charging more than these birds would normally sell for but the person actually has to do all the work themselves!

How cool!

If I were sticking around these parts, I might start something like this.