A humane way to handle male chicks?

[redhen]

hi deerman..yeah..they do end up as food alot..i always feel bad when i get rid of a roo....but..at the same time i eat chicken..so..why shouldnt someone eat MY chicken..

..as long as he's had a good life till that time..but..the pet store thing...well..as long as its not "live feeding"..then..your right..if we eat them..why cant a snake?...again..as long as its not eaten alive..

...

.., Wendy

 

[SandraMort]

What's wrong with a snake eating a live chick? That's how most snakes eat, after all. Definitely, imo, a good way to dispose of excess males, if the snake can handle the beak without injury.

 

[redhen]

...well it must cause them alot of pain?..or something....

...

...its just my opinion...thats all...mine wont ever go that way...but to each his own...

...Wendy

 

[fowltemptress]

I do allow people to have my male chicks for snake food, but I stipulate that I dispatch them first, because I don't trust them not to feed them live. A snake is not always the most efficient killer, and sometimes it can take awhile for them to even bother with the terrified chick . . . I know it happens in the wild, but as long as I have control over the animals in my care I will ensure them as easy a death as I can manage, and that does not include feeding them live to a snake.
I'd like to add that I often have to dispatch extra chicks and keep them in my freezer for snake owners (I don't feed them to my own because I think it makes them smell bad). I think this is an ethical option for people with extras who can't find another way to cull them. I'm glad the OP found a solution to the problem so readily

ETA that I would never take my killing cues from anything that happens in the wild. If anyone has ever actually seen any type of predator take down prey, you know what I'm talking about . . . too graphic for this forum.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

What I would do is raise them for 11-15 weeks (prob won't be crowing at that age yet) and then process them. I bet you can find someone in your area who would process them for you for a good price. That way they have a good short life (prob more so then if you were to give them away) and you get good chicken meals out of them to boot

If you dont want to keep them what you could try to do is ask some of the Hmong or Chinese restaurants...they will prob buy them at a good price. Or try craigs list.