Evaluating pullets; cull or keep?

[Sussex19]

I'm have a hard time deciding which of these pullets and one hen to cull. I'm running out of room in the coop, so really need to cut down numbers a bit.
Firstly, there is this around 2 year old hen. She had been laying a lot of thin shelled eggs, despite supplementing with calcium.
But after going broody, she is now laying good eggs again.

Then there is two white mutt pullets, and while I'm not very keen on have any more white mutts, they are just really beautiful, big, and strong.

Then the last one is this Cuckoo mutt sitting next to one of the white ones.
I think it is the daughter of one of my best hens, so am inclined to keep her.

Any thoughts here on which it would be best to cull?
And is there any good ways of telling which will be the best egg layers, and the most heathy?

 

[Meri Maura]

Why don't you give them away?

 

[Sussex19]

Why don't you give them away?

This is a thread I had on it.

 

[Harmony Fowl]

I would definitely cull the hen if she were mine, for a couple reasons. While she's now righted her production, my experience with that sort of problem is that it will recur. On top of that, there's some chance her issue is genetic. An issue with laying quality eggs isn't something I'd want to see more of in her offspring. She's already had her chance to reproduce and she isn't going to give you nearly as much in the next 12 months as these younger ones. I have a list of traits I use to help me decide who to cull, but birds posing problems like she has are always at the top of the list.

As for the others, how many of the four do you intend to keep? Or are you struggling to rationalize culling all four? It always pains me a little extra to process a very young pullet. I know she could have been a really great layer in the next year, but if there are too many and particularly if they exhibit traits you don't want to keep more of, it's better to let them go. If you have any goals for your flock, keep those in mind. Also keep in mind that overcrowding leads to stress and impacts production for everyone, not to mention the cost of feeding birds you don't want. It's okay to have and keep favorites. I'm with you on the white mutts, lol. If anything, I'd choose to cull the solid white one because I always run into the trouble with telling solid colored birds apart. But cull as many as you need to. I have a set limit for my flock of 30 hens. Anytime growing pullets put us over that limit, it's a matter of figuring who contributes the least, old or young, to the flock goals and culling those individuals. Give a thought to your goals, even if it's just an uncrowded population where you want it to be, and use that to guide you.

 

[Sussex19]

I would definitely cull the hen if she were mine, for a couple reasons. While she's now righted her production, my experience with that sort of problem is that it will recur. On top of that, there's some chance her issue is genetic. An issue with laying quality eggs isn't something I'd want to see more of in her offspring. She's already had her chance to reproduce and she isn't going to give you nearly as much in the next 12 months as these younger ones. I have a list of traits I use to help me decide who to cull, but birds posing problems like she has are always at the top of the list.

Thank you for confirming what I thought.
It had got to the point where the eggs were breaking inside her, which is definitely not something that I want to pass on.
I do already have one of her daughters, and while she hasn't had any problems yet, there is nothing outstanding about her.

As for the others, how many of the four do you intend to keep?

I need to cull at least two, and these are just the ones that I don't especially want to keep.
The trouble is I fear that I will keep the one which I should have culled, and vice versa.
But I'm probably just over thinking it.
Do any of the pullets look better than others to you?

Give a thought to your goals, even if it's just an uncrowded population where you want it to be, and use that to guide you.

The thing is I'm really not good at having goals, which doesn't help.
My only real one is to have healthy birds that I like, in both looks and personality, and all these pullets tick the boxes as far as I can tell

 

[3KillerBs]

I would definitely cull the hen if she were mine, for a couple reasons. While she's now righted her production, my experience with that sort of problem is that it will recur. On top of that, there's some chance her issue is genetic. An issue with laying quality eggs isn't something I'd want to see more of in her offspring. She's already had her chance to reproduce and she isn't going to give you nearly as much in the next 12 months as these younger ones. I have a list of traits I use to help me decide who to cull, but birds posing problems like she has are always at the top of the list.

I agree.

I would certainly cull (which can mean sell or give away as well as kill), the 2yo with the history of laying problems. And *personally* I would be inclined to eat her rather than pass her laying problems on to someone else.

The thing is I'm really not good at having goals, which doesn't help.

It's really much easier to figure this stuff out if you make a written list of things you like, things you don't like, and what the main reasons you have chickens are.

 

[The Birb King]

Can you define "cull"?

 

[Sussex19]

Can you define "cull"?

In my case, I will be butchering them.
But that was not really what the question was about, as I would ask the same question if I were to sell them.

 

[Sussex19]

And *personally* I would be inclined to eat her rather than pass her laying problems on to someone else.

I definitely agree.

It's really much easier to figure this stuff out if you make a written list of things you like, things you don't like, and what the main reasons you have chickens are.

Thats actually a very good idea!

 

[FunClucks]

In my case, I will be butchering them.
But that was not really what the question was about, as I would ask the same question if I were to sell them.

If you do have Marek's in your flock, butchering is the responsible thing to do. Kudos to you for being a responsible chicken owner.

Hopefully you'll eventually be able to actually test and confirm one way or the other.