"culls?" What to do with them?

[silkielovr]

Yes I was not speaking of real down and dirty CULLS but instead, near show quality, very nice, correct birds, just not what I wanted or too many or something that makes me not want to keep them.

The problem is they are NOT culls, and I don't want to give away or sell cheap, I work hard to get these and it costs money and I invest in breeder stock and spend time working on "the Plan"

I know this might not make sense but I just needed some other thoughts, and need them BEFORE I get too deep and have too many I need to move out of here.

I hate to say it but there is such a thing as too many GOOD birds floating around real cheap, how can you keep a good market price if you are going to give them away or sell on craigslist like they were just any old unwanted birds?

Not breeding for $$$??? Me either but it COSTS and it costs time too, I'm not raising them to farther some lazy persons breeding program.
EEEWWW I'm UGLY!

 

[TimG]

My dogs love fresh chicken. And, it's good for them.

 

[thecochincoop]

Quote:
Well said. That is the problem that I am facing now, what am I going to do with these birds. I have almost started over with a lot better birds and my culls are going to be very nice quality birds and I don't want someone else reaping the benefits of my time and investment. I am not in it for the money, but it is nice to at least break even. If I keep extra birds the full time they will at the very least cost feed and if I can't get that back in the end there is no sense in paying for someone else to have nice birds. That is where the question comes in - do I cull? If I give them away I have just spent a lot of time and money to make someone else some money and better their stock. I only want to raise birds that I have no problems with keeping myself that way I am not pressured to sell them when fall comes. I am setting a number to breed for, but there are going to be undesirables along the way, sq birds but undesirable to my breeding program. If I sell cheap I know that someone will just take them to a swap and sell them and that is NOT what I am breeding for.

 

[Megs]

my "culls" were extra roos, not because there was anything wrong with them, they were out of nice stock, but because i dont need 5 roos!! (just one) i sold them by pairing them up with hens (purebred pairs, id never have even given them away as single roos, mind you i only charged what i would have charged for one hen so the roos were essentially given away free with purchase of hen), i prefered to sell them in pairs (even though i then sold 4 of my next years laying hens, as i was going to keep all the pullets) than have to kill the roos. besides i kept my 3 nicest pullets

next year for my breeding programme i think i will kill some of the males young (as soon as im relativly sure they are males), and sell some in pairs/trios later in the summer/fall so i dont have to "off" all of them.

i still have some of the young birds i had intended to have sold by now, im not going to flogg them off cheap to get rid of them, rather keep them until spring when chickens are more in demand and advertise them again. they will sell, its just not the best time right now (where i am at least, weather is getting crappy) to be selling.

 

[thecochincoop]

Quote:
I think that is where I am at, mainly because of space limitations. Almost no one wants any males so I am going to be shooting to finish out trios that way I can sell some females and some pairs. It breaks my heart to kill the babies, but I can't be overcrowding either and it takes a LOT of birds just to get a few REALLY nice ones.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

thecochincoop, I just wanted to let you know that I understand exactly where you're coming from.

 

[Funky Feathers]

I have had to kill some really nice looking Buff Silkie roos for bad toes. No one should breed them, and what else does one need a roo for? The local Vietnamese people don't want them for eating, they said they are too cute. Go figure. It makes me sick having to kill such beautiful birds, but I can't (won't) sell those and I can't possibly keep them all. Space is an issue here too.

Also I am having to sell off my gorgeous SQ Crested ducks with huge crests for food b/c no one is buying them, no one wants to pay for good birds. I refuse to sell them dirt cheap so someone else can make money off them. But this does break my heart, I wish I could sell them for breeding & show.

 

[millebantam]

I sell a lot of my culls on Craigslist and sometimes give them away to 4H kids. I also run a few through the local livestock auctions. I have enough confidence in my breeding program and the stock that I'm keeping for myself to not be bothered about what anyone else is doing with my "castoffs". If someone can turn them over for a quick profit, more power to them.

I concentrate on selling some of my best quality birds for a premium price, enough to pay the feed bills, housing, etc. I don't lose any sleep wondering about "what ifs" with what I have sold. Just knowing that what's in my barn is better than anything that I cull is good enough for me. And I also know that I can produce those same superior birds over and over again, as many times as I want to.

 

[robbdebbie]

Maybe you could get together with the local 4-h poultry leader. They could make sure that the kids were getting the birds. That way you don't have to worry about an adult taking them or making money off of them.

 

[roostercruiser]

When you know you have something you don't want (color, or any other defect) as a breeder you should destroy them. Breeders for show quality that are breeding for the standard should not let birds out that make the breed worse. With cochins that would be crow headed, weak wing...etc. As a breeder you should breed for a standard not a #. I know one breeder who hatch over 200 of one color and out of those only 20 of them he kept. As for mottleds it does take about a year to know if your color is going to be correct so you are really fighting a battle if your space is that limited.