BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[Beekissed]

Good call....uh...cull. Even the feed to grow him out big enough to eat would likely be wasted effort. Also, failure to thrive birds are more likely to become sick or infested with parasites, so he's a liability in the flock.

 

[hellbender]

In my opinion, calling that bird a 'runt' is being very generous, indeed. I wouldn't even waste my time adding him to the 'recipe'.

 

[holm25]

In my opinion, calling that bird a 'runt' is being very generous, indeed.  I wouldn't even waste my time adding him to the 'recipe'.  

X2

 

[DesertChic]

These are some bad cell phone pictures of the runty cockerel. He's a Norwegian Jaerhon and I have no interest in keeping a male of that breed. His small size became apparent at about 2 weeks. At 4 weeks we was still behind so I put him into the brooder with some younger chicks. Those chicks are now 4 weeks old and all of them, and him, are out with the rest of the flock. He's healthy, active, and well-feathered. Just tiny.


He's the whitish one in the front. The black chick to left is a 4 week old and the red is a 6 week old Buckeye pullet.



A pullet of the same breed and age in front and he is the red combed chick cleaning his feathers.



Little one in the front with pullets of the same age. The chick standing in the feed tray is 4 weeks old.


I think I will just cull him this weekend.

Wow! You weren't kidding about the "runt" part.

 

[hellbender]

On the other hand...it might be a bantam something-or-another. Mistakes are made in hatcheries, just for the sake of discussion.

 

[Beekissed]

I'd STILL cull.

 

[bramblefir]

Mr. Teeny Tiny is now "assisting" with next year's garden compost.

 

[Beekissed]

 

[KittieChick]

I like to send my runties away to live with someone else if they're healthy in all other aspects.

 

[bramblefir]

I like to send my runties away to live with someone else if they're healthy in all other aspects.

I would be okay with that if they were pullets/hens that were laying. In this case it was a cockerel that wasn't good enough for me to even consider keeping him for breeding, let alone send him off to someone else to duplicate his runtiness.