Considering my first attempts at culling roosters

[Airyaman]

Is there anyone in your area who will process them for you, including the kill? I’ve read posts here by people who use this.

Not sure how I would go about finding that out...

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'd call your county extension office and chat with them. Might call your local health department and see if anyone is licensed. See if you can put a notice on the bulletin board at your feed store, some will let you do that. Put an ad on Craigslist or whatever media you have available. Find your State thread in the "Where am I? Where are you!" section of this forum and chat with your neighbors.

 

[Airyaman]

I'd call your county extension office and chat with them. Might call your local health department and see if anyone is licensed. See if you can put a notice on the bulletin board at your feed store, some will let you do that. Put an ad on Craigslist or whatever media you have available. Find your State thread in the "Where am I? Where are you!" section of this forum and chat with your neighbors.

I have put ads on Craigslist and multiple FB groups to rehome them. Was successful about a month ago for two of the original 7, but no takers since then.

I suppose you are talking about processing though. Will try that.

 

[AshVau22]

Do you have a local poultry or small animal auction near you? I take my unwanted roos to auction. I also live in an area with a lot of Amish so we have butcher shops everywhere for processing. I've processed my own birds but I'm not a fan of it. So if I can avoid it I do.

 

[SnackMeat]

You'll find over time it helps to network in your area. You'll find out who is breeding what, who is looking for what, who might have supplies for sale, and in a pinch you can buy some emergency avian medicine off someone or get good suggestions.

For cockerels it also helps because you'll find out those, including BYM types who don't care about purebreds but like a certain type (in your case white and I assume yellow legs.) I have one poultry contacts love the crap out of the pictures I sent of two Cockerel bullies and took them even though out of everyone I was actually *really* looking forward to making them dinner, they were such jerks. But, they also took my sweetest roo, sadly a victim of their bullying (sorry, Schmaltz. Hope you grow up to kick their asses eventually.)


I have gotten people's roosters/cockerels to humanely dispatch for us to eat. I have also been asked to dispatch poultry and because of the work involved, I said I would do the first time as a favor but after that I would want a one duck for you, one such for me as payment type deal.

It does suck when you have a particularly rare breed, or excellent specimen, or just simply the best personality rooster/Cockerel. The interesting thing to keep in mind is there are chicken people tucked *everywhere* so the more people you talk to, the more you can grow your network to find that random person who just lost their rooster and is looking for another.

And, sometimes, I have heard of trading Cockerel for Cockerel so that you don't have to dispatch/eat your own.


Lots of videos online about culling and processing. I prefer the broomstick method, and while I don't like cutting their veins to bleed them, processing them after the fact when they haven't pumped any out is worse so I think I have overcome that.


Depending on land and resources, there's always a bachelor colony. Or, if you're in city limits, a crow collar or letting them out later than the chickens so his crows are muffled.