Culling Older Hens?

[Wolf-Kim]

Quote:
After thats all said, I wonder how you feel about retirement plans for us. Your company may provide you an air conditioned office, company car, lunch every day, enough money to buy a house, possibly a farm, you get the idea....

We are not chickens. Neither are chickens humans.

This thread is to help the OP and answer her questions. Not for you to question how other people raise and care for their birds. You have suggested giving them away as pets, but everything else you have added to this thread has been criticizing your fellow bird-fancier. We are all here because we want to provide the best care for our birds and to share information, not to criticize or tear down each other. I guess I'm asking you to be helpful to the OP and the other people trying to help her, and not keep making all the negative or dramatic remarks to everyone else who is only trying to help.

-Kim

 

[seminolewind]

It's a personal decision. You should not feel guilty either way. IMO, either way is humane. What I will do with mine and why is not the issue here.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

You are very right.

Each person will do what they feel is best for them and their birds.

We are here to give options and our personal experiences.

I do not have enough hens to do the generational marking, but I know a lady who has 100's of birds and with each "batch" she uses a different color bad. When I point out a bird, she always asked "What color is the band? Pink or Yellow?". This is how she keeps track of how old everyone is.

I only have a few birds and I plan to use a nest box system. I use the nestboxes because I want to "carefully" keep track of which hen laid each "particular" egg. This is only when I'm hatching, but it also works for just "counting" the amount of eggs each hen lays.

-Kim

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Quote:
LOL. How about electronic legbands(like the ID microchips, except externally attached) that add a number, specific to each hen, to the electronic nestbox recievers and take a list of which birds have visited the nestbox and how often. Kind of like an electronic time-clock!!

You could combine this with a single row roll out system. That way you could review the numbers on the machine and they would be in the order of which hen laid in which order. For those of us who want to keep track of the hatching eggs. Or those who want to breed for something specific to egg production, like egg color.

-Kim

 

[lovethechickens]

Thanks for the clarification and advice. I suppose I do get a little protective of the animals. I cant help it, and if anyone felt like they got their feelings hurt.......I am sorry. It seems like when ever I say whats on my mind, a moderator quickly jumps in.....the same one every time too. Sorry moderator. To ME....its like standing around watching a dad beat his kid. You cant just not say anything. But....from now on I will TRY and not say what I feel, unless it is DIRECTLY related to the topic. Thanks.

And for what its worth, if I can change ONE persons mind, Ive done good. Its what I feel I need to do...so I am not trying to critisize anyone, rather shed a light on points of views, some may never have even thought of. It may come off as strong, but there are two extreme ends here, and Im pushing for the side I believe in. Thank you for watching out for the people an OP though.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Quote:
I love to hear other people's opinions and your's is no exception. That's why we have a forum, to hear what other people think. I really appreciate you effort in keeping the criticizing to a minimum. I know it's hard, especially when you are passionate about something.

It's just hard to shed light with comments like "it's a sad world" when a constructive idea's get better results. Like your suggestion on giving them away as pets, that was a wonderful suggestion and you were the first to offer it.

Thanks for hearing what I had to say and not taking offense. I try not to offend people, I really do love my peace.. no matter what people may think.. LOL

Do you know of any organizations that try to place them as pets? I know they have organizations that try to rehome salvageable battery hens. I know that many people around here will take chickens and just turn them loose to eat bugs or spread horse/cow manure.

-Kim