Culling is hard on my heart, yours?

[Guinea Goonie]

This is one of the worst things a chicken owner MUST do.

Sick ones, hurt ones, bad ones, roos are the hardest for me.

I ALWAYS try to rehome my roos before I have to cull.

I have a few that others have rehomed and they are still with us.

Such an unfortunate thing. The chicks that need to be done I use

the vinegar and baking soda method. It is so much easier and

peaceful for them.

 

[Preservation Acres]

Baking soda and vinegar? How does that work?

 

[PunkinPeep]

Culling is awful, but the longer you wait the more you betray the trust. I read this on someone else's thread. You're fulfilling the trust placed in you by putting her down instead of letting her continue to suffer.

 

[farmin'chick]

I had a little hen like that...RIR....wasn't growing, etc., etc....Turns out I had her in with 14 roos and 1 other hen (Some straight run THAT was!) and she was STRESSED. They wouldn't leave her alone to eat, or to let her sleep, or ANYTHING. I pulled her out, gave her a dog crate to sleep in, fed her free choice feed (available all the time) and now she is a bossy little squat! She has matured, and will even sometimes stand up for herself and chase off the roos that come into her territory (the porch!) It took her a month to catch up, but now she is beautiful, and I'm expecting her first egg any day now. Oh, yeah-- sometimes she hides in the hay in the barn when she doesn't get enough peace and quiet on the porch. Sooooo...I guess I'm saying, if she's REALLY ill, keep thinking culling. But check to see if something is just stressing the heck out of her that you can change. Maybe you'll have the same result I had.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Awww, I'm sorry for your situation.

Like others have said, this is a sad but necessary aspect of keeping chickens. Sometimes it must be done for the benefit of the suffering individual as well as the well-being of the rest of the flock.

I dig a deep hole at the drip line of a tree or bush in my garden. Then I hold the bird under one arm, get it calm & relaxed, bring it to the garden, then give the head a decisive yank which breaks the neck and dispatches them instantly. Their wings will reflexively flap for a few moments afterwards, I continue to hold them until they're still. Or place them under a bucket & walk away. I bury them near a plant so their bodies will help it to grow and in that way, they continue to live.

I advise all chicken keepers to consider this issue right from the start, along with other decisions about managing their flock. Keeping chickens is different from keeping other types of animals, often we have to learn to care for many of their needs ourselves. Professional care for them is often unavailable, or too costly.

Sometimes it helps to have a more impartial person do the culling for you, they can focus on doing the job quickly & humanely and not be as emotionally attatched to the individual animal. You can even trade this "favor" with another chicken keeper nearby.

It's a very sad task, but sometimes your chickens are depending on you to end their suffering quickly and humanely, or to keep them safe from another bird's disease. If they were out in the wild their impairments would probably make them vulnerable to predators, who would use less kind tactics to dispatch them. I wish you courage & fortitude to do what your hen needs you to do.

 

[kathyinmo]

 

[tigerlilly2588]

I vote just don't do it and see if she turns out ok....

 

[Sitka]

"Culling is hard on my heart, yours?"

Yes.

 

[chickensioux]

Fortunately I have never had to cull any of my birds. I think if I was ever faced with a sick or dying chicken, I would have to let the vet do it. I don't have the heart for it.
I have had chickens die suddenly and always had necropsies done to find out why (have had tumors rupture and heart attacks). Had hawk attacks, one die on the surgery table, etc. but never have had to cull. My heart goes out to those that have been faced with that decision.

 

[Sjisty]

I'm a chicken at heart. I had a turkey poult that needed to be culled. I ended up taking it to our local animal control. They did it for me for free.