ELI5 Why do so many ppl treat chickens expendable??

[JacinLarkwell]

Sorry too, shouldn't have been so touchy.

Re-reading your earlier post, I think you're talking about how so many male chicks are destroyed at hatch. Again, this is not an emotional thing (no hate) but an economical one. Say a hatchery has orders for 10,000 pullets and 200 cockerels. So they hatch 20,000 chicks. Half of their hatch is cockerels. What are they going to do with 10,000 baby cockerel chicks? Not practical to raise them, feed them, and hope somehow to find homes for them. They know that's not going to happen. So they (putting this delicately) arrange for them to be made immediately into something like dog food, for example. Simple economics. But it is not because anybody hates them. It may be sad and unfortunate, but it is a simple, practical fact of life.

Out of all the birds I've culled, I don't think I've ever truly hated one. Even the awful, 'would sooner kill you than breathe the same air' male's weren't hated. Was I glad and relieved when they were gone, absolutely (and so was the rest of the flock), but they weren't killed out of hate, they were killed because they were aggressive and chickens on my property cannot leave my property even if someone wanted such aggressive males

 

[JacinLarkwell]

18-20 weeks

For Cornish cross, that's way too long.

 

[WaterfowlsPoultry]

For Cornish cross, that's way too long.

Okay so I am assuming 6-7 perhaps?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Okay so I am assuming 6-7 perhaps?

6-8 is typical. Some people do pullets from 3 weeks and up to save on feed costs and for 'Cornish game chicken' sized carcasses

 

[WaterfowlsPoultry]

6-8 is typical. Some people do pullets from 3 weeks and up to save on feed costs and for 'Cornish game chicken' sized carcasses

Wow, I actually thought it would be longer than that (at least 9 weeks), People love their chicken nuggets

 

[WaterfowlsPoultry]

Sorry too, shouldn't have been so touchy.

Re-reading your earlier post, I think you're talking about how so many male chicks are destroyed at hatch. Again, this is not an emotional thing (no hate) but an economical one. Say a hatchery has orders for 10,000 pullets and 200 cockerels. So they hatch 20,000 chicks. Half of their hatch is cockerels. What are they going to do with 10,000 baby cockerel chicks? Not practical to raise them, feed them, and hope somehow to find homes for them. They know that's not going to happen. So they (putting this delicately) arrange for them to be made immediately into something like dog food, for example. Simple economics. But it is not because anybody hates them. It may be sad and unfortunate, but it is a simple, practical fact of life.

It does suck really, Its a very sad truth but you can't complain because as you said, "What are they going to do with 10,000 baby cockerel chicks?" Nothing.. You really cant do a single thing with that many baby boys.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Wow, I actually thought it would be longer than that (at least 9 weeks), People love their chicken nuggets

They get too big to survive after 8 weeks typically

 

[z3lda3]

idk if you mean the Meat Bird breed (Cornish cross I believe?)
Or chickens that are going to be TURNED into meat birds and you are asking how long until they turn into meat but typically its 18-20 weeks or some people even cull them at 6 weeks if they have a ton of them. (But take my advice like a grain of salt because this is just from some quick web research)

Good thing the Neighbor's son isn't my neighbor and its just the mother, She sounded pissed when she found out her son was wrecklessly killing poor innocent hens.

I have no idea what I mean. Up until recently I thought there were 2 types, egg layers and meat eating. Like RSLs are egg layers and leghorns are meat eating. Can you eat both of course, but aren’t certain breeds raised/bred to be meatier?

 

[WaterfowlsPoultry]

I have no idea what I mean. Up until recently I thought there were 2 types, egg layers and meat eating. Like RSLs are egg layers and leghorns are meat eating. Can you eat both of course, but aren’t certain breeds raised/bred to be meatier?

I think Plymouth Barred Rocks are usually meat birds, New Hampshire and I think Jersey giants are too.

Some are better egg layers and some are better for a good dinner.

 

[WaterfowlsPoultry]

I probably sound like a psychopath for referring meat birds as 'Chicken noodle soup' or 'Dinner' instead of like. meat Bird, Like everybody else call them as