Culling a long time rooster. Is there a better time of day?

[TheMrsBird]

Not to mention the fact that it’s usually hard to re-home even a “Good” rooster, they are generally not the sought after sex in the chicken world.

Ain't that the truth?!? I have 2 "spare" roosters from my chicks from this spring. I have a home for one when he gets a bit bigger, but the other is still homeless. If I can't home him, he will end up in the fridge. But everyone either already has a rooster, can't have a rooster, or doesn't want one for various reasons...poor fella.

 

[Cheery]

We have a rooster that is in charge of 18 pullets and hens. He has worn out his welcome. My legs are scarred beyond belief. I have been trying everything under the sun for the last 3 months with no success. I have lumps where he has spurred me that are over a month old.
My question is is there a better time of day to cull him? I was thinking at bedtime so it doesn’t disrupt the ladies too much but I didn’t know.

yes I cull at noon get after dark. I use my phone torch to locate the victim then put it in my pocket and grab both legs if possible. I then hold him close. Often put his head under my arm if I can which usually quiet end him.
my method is to wrap him tightLy in a towel outside the hen house. I’m sitting with him on my lap. The phone torch and house lights in th distance are enough to see what I’m doing.
ive got some secetures with longish blades. About 3”.
They’re kept exclusively for this job.
Once he is securely wrapped with his head and neck out I hold his body between my knees. I pull his neck feathers upwards and place the wide open secetures in as far as possible before clapping hard to decapitate him.
it’s very quick and I think doing it in the dark it much kinder to the animal than chasing him around and catching him. And I agree with you that the girls don’t get upset either this way.

 

[Cheery]

yes I cull at noon get after dark. I use my phone torch to locate the victim then put it in my pocket and grab both legs if possible. I then hold him close. Often put his head under my arm if I can which usually quiet end him.
my method is to wrap him tightLy in a towel outside the hen house. I’m sitting with him on my lap. The phone torch and house lights in th distance are enough to see what I’m doing.
ive got some secetures with longish blades. About 3”.
They’re kept exclusively for this job.
Once he is securely wrapped with his head and neck out I hold his body between my knees. I pull his neck feathers upwards and place the wide open secetures in as far as possible before clapping hard to decapitate him.
it’s very quick and I think doing it in the dark it much kinder to the animal than chasing him around and catching him. And I agree with you that the girls don’t get upset either this way.

Did not mean to say ‘noon’ Should be night!

 

[imladrisfarms]

This response is probably too late to help but I'll send it any way...

THE SMALL-SCALE POULTRY FLOCK by Harvey Ussery
Forward by Joel Salatin

Massively educational on ALL points bird!
I use to get beaten up like you described but not after he explained a roo's approach to life protecting hens. The knowledge even taught me to correct a flogging roo that tore me up like you described. (He still got others, but left me alone!) He was good to the hens, so worth keeping.
And I have not been flogged by any roo since.
You could call Mr. Ussery a "chicken whisper'r!
For anyone who keeps birds, the book is utterly amazing.
G'luck!!

 

[Julie SC]

Hey, oh yes I agree with most posters that this is a sooner rather than later deal. Like tonight.

I had my 1 yr old rooster do a little dance and they to attack me once. That was it for him. I have a toddler and small child and will not mess around with any form of aggression. Be it light or whatever. If it was just me, I'd say ok I'll give him a chance until it gets bad. What you describe is terrible.
I took mine off the roost in the evening and stuck him into a self fashioned killing bucket. He was just too big to handle the legs, wings and knife at the same time. My husband is a vegetarian and can't stand any sort of animal killing, so he is of no help.
My girls didnt even really notice, except they stray apart now when free ranging. Not a problem really since we have dogs and lots of neighbors to protect them.
Good luck with the necessary deed and you will be relived after the sadness. You got this.

I can’t handle this it’s too horrible to read!
we love our rooster

 

[free range possum]

why not try to find him a new home instead of kill him?

It's all well and good to cull him. If you raised him, I'd certainly say eat him. And if you rehomed him, he'd certainly go back to torturing his new flock mistress and flock. BUT, if somebody had a puppy they were trying to teach not to kill chickens, his aggression could be the life lesson so the puppy grows up respecting the birds and the puppy owner can return him for his final "pound of flesh" but it will be his pound and not yours taken. I had a jersey giant that was mistaken for a pullet and shipped as such. He grew up to a huge, gentle fellow and protected his girls. A neighbor, whom actually lives on our land since he was given "temporary " shelter permission by my hubby's elderly widowed mom , thinks he owns the place and let's his pitbulls kill our animals and other neighbors animals. He thinks we, US and my hubby's elderly mom, need to move off "his " property he now thinks is all his. To be square. He is not related, and a church gave him his trailer and he begged the well people to drill and he'd make payments. He never did..and he will take advantage of my hubby's mom every chance he can.Oys abuse of elderly. His dogs killed 3 batches of chicks and he tried to beat my elderly dog to death with a shovel be a use my dog was holding the pits off the birds. I'm female and nearly 60 and I went crazy when I saw another batch we just got eggs from, get butchered so cruelly. I wiped him pretty good. I believe he was retaliating by coming up and hitting and kicking the surviving rooster. Well , he went after my hubby. With jerk repeatedly torturing when we left it was time. I could let my problems with roo go to another owner knowing he could abuse them . So then he went after my hubby.
So, I loaned him and his bad self to them, and we had peace. He ruined the bird nut I brought him there so I HAD TO TAKE HIM DOWN! (Roo). So I people with a new puppy use him to get the message. Then he came back and we put him in cold storage. Not perfect. And that roo had endured so much due to neighbors gleefully abuse

 

[Plsc]

I just grab whenever is convenient for me, chickens don’t care what’s going on, they just want some scratch or mealworms.
Toss em some after you nab the rooster if you want.

 

[Ihavesomechickens]

We have a rooster that is in charge of 18 pullets and hens. He has worn out his welcome. My legs are scarred beyond belief. I have been trying everything under the sun for the last 3 months with no success. I have lumps where he has spurred me that are over a month old.
My question is is there a better time of day to cull him? I was thinking at bedtime so it doesn’t disrupt the ladies too much but I didn’t know.

I would just cull him at night. If the hens don’t realize what’s happening they can’t fully realize he’s gone. I’m so sorry for your loss .Sometimes roosters just turn bad, and there isn’t always much you can do.

 

[munchkinlover]

I have a rooster that started flogging me months ago. I wanted to eliminate him, but he is such a good rooster. I am able to free range my group on 10 acres, and he watches them like a hawk, no pun intended, and calls them when he has found food. He just became a dad to 4 chicks about a month ago and he walks with them and the mom like a little family. BUT, I have boards (1"x1/4"x 3') stashed everywhere, so if I see him coming my way I can grab one. He recognizes that I have a weapon and goes away. One day though, he will get on me again and I will grab him after dark and he will just disappear. Sigh.

 

[Vicker]

Timing has nothing to do with the other birds. Mine have never shown any indication that they are upset or even notice when one of the others is gone. The hens are actually calmer without the rooster. Just do the processing when the temperature is not so hot.