Cull him, or wait for protection?

[NatJ]

All the different ways to process him overwhelmed me too, as i don't have the means to do it the ways that were suggested. When i heard scald, 42 tools, tables, buckets, hours, etc.

My tool list:
--a way to kill the chicken (something sharp to cut off his head)
--a work surface (a table works, a baking sheet on a sawhorse works, etc.)
--a knife. Sharp is much better than dull.

My basic method: kill the chicken, then remove all the parts that do not belong in the soup.

It doesn't have to look pretty.

 

[PeckingAround]

The coyotes are a bit smarter than we are. They always manage to find their way in. The cattle and horse do a great job at keeping them away. We've only seen one or 2 slip through. They are shot and we haven't seen any in a few months, but nighttime confirms there are still plenty out there, as we can hear them. We haven't lost a chicken to them so far, but my luck...

I haven't finished reading the pages, but just wanted to comment on this. We live out on a 200 acre farm land, definitely have coyote, foxes, and bobcats around. We don't have cattle or horses, just wheat and cotton fields. No roosters for our flock and ours will free range for the majority of the day. We have yet to lose one hen to a coyote, fox and bobcat, actually have only lost one to an owl on a cold overcast day. We've had chickens for about 7 years now. I think it helps that we have a medium size dog that roams, but even before we had the dog we didn't have the coyotes come up close to the house and coop. Our coop is kinda close to the house (60-70 yards away) and human activity so the predators don't like that. We just make sure to lock the hens up at night and I check on them while they are out. This works for us with predators.

 

[Brooks_]

They are shot and we haven't seen any in a few months,

Wait, what? You can do that but not kill a chicken? Am I missing something?

 

[CoopsNPoops]

Wait, what? You can do that but not kill a chicken? Am I missing something?

I think what you're missing is where i said i couldn't, or wouldn't, kill a chicken. That's not at all the issue. Just like i have no issue shooting a preditor after my livestock.

 

[Brooks_]

I think what you're missing is where i said i couldn't, or wouldn't, kill a chicken. That's not at all the issue. Just like i have no issue shooting a preditor after my livestock.

Then it's the why that I am really missing.

 

[LaFleche]

Just do it. Your children depend on you to keep them safe. Keeping the cockerel is not keeping your children safe.

So true!

 

[Brooks_]

Bird > children. At this point, I think troll.

 

[LaFleche]

Bird > children. At this point, I think troll.

An overstrained mother that has no experience in butchering is not necessarily a troll.

ETA: Although we would have ended this aggressive cockerel's life right after the first attack, we simply have to live with the fact, that other people decide otherwise. Like it or not.

 

[Brooks_]

An overstrained mother that has no experience in butchering is not necessarily a troll.

Maybe not, but my kids rank over any animal. Fox come after my chicks...dead. Roo come after my kids...it's all good? F that!

 

[LaFleche]

Maybe not, but my kids rank over any animal. Fox come after my chicks...dead. Roo come after my kids...it's all good? F that!

See my ETA above.