Feeling awful for culling my rooster

[sbergstrom09]

I don't do the butchering anymore, figure I'm old enough to have the right to pass it off to younger ones. But when I did I found putting them in a cone and then just cutting their head off was quicker. As soon as you hang them upside down, they get quiet. And I never just sliced their neck, but took some heavy cutters and cut the head off. No second chance. No undue suffering for the rooster.

I've had 2 roosters actually fight to the death, and the mean one won. We had 24 hens at the time, but the 2 roosters still did not want to share. So I don't keep more than 1, even with 90 hens. So I can pick the nice one. Course I'm after the eggs not the meat. I don't need a rooster at all, but my current one is such a huge gentle grey rooster, that I kept him.

Thank you, I don’t like the broomstick method and was planning on the cone with the other 3 Roos I have; for me to make sure 100% they’re gone. If I place a small cloth around their face after they’re in the cone do you think that would help keep them calm? We may have to pull the necks down for a faster cut and I don’t want to cause them extra stress but I have not done the cone method before. I want their death as quickly as possible and do NOT want them to suffer. I feel bad enough culling them for meat….this is my first year and I want it to go quicker copy and as painless as possible for the Roos

 

[McChooky]

Thank you, I don’t like the broomstick method and was planning on the cone with the other 3 Roos I have; for me to make sure 100% they’re gone. If I place a small cloth around their face after they’re in the cone do you think that would help keep them calm? We may have to pull the necks down for a faster cut and I don’t want to cause them extra stress but I have not done the cone method before. I want their death as quickly as possible and do NOT want them to suffer. I feel bad enough culling them for meat….this is my first year and I want it to go quicker copy and as painless as possible for the Roos

Hold them long enough to calm them down and do the deed quickly.They don't have a clue what's going on unless you do it in front of them before their turn comes

 

[Altairsky]

At least your roosters were jerks.
Mine are the most gentlemen things in this world. And I have to cull them because I can only have 1 roo. I have no idea how to chose 1 to keep out of the bunch.

 

[SnackMeat]

At least your roosters were jerks.
Mine are the most gentlemen things in this world. And I have to cull them because I can only have 1 roo. I have no idea how to chose 1 to keep out of the bunch.

If you have the time and space, it can be worth it to either isolate them one by one to watch flock dynamics, or remove all by one and each one gets a day to show their stuff.


But if they really are that good, you might find a taker online. I had the sweetest cockerel who was really growing up to be quite gorgeous and I practically had to beg someone to take him, but naturally they also wanted to take my two nasty bully sex pests because they had the patterns they wanted for their flock. At least all of your's are nice.

 

[MrsNorthie]

Last night I made a decision to cull my first rooster. He was about 2 1/2 years old and I hatched them from eggs to start my first flock. I made the decision because he wasn’t backing down from fighting with his brother (same age) and another rooster who is just over a year old.

I want to have meat birds but if it’s always this hard I don’t know if I can do it.

We had a similar situation, the original dominant of 6 males was making everyone miserable and we had to cull him. He was mean, sometimes with me, always with my husband and the rest of the tribe. Our hens were nervous and some got to the point where they rarely left the coop because he was bullying everyone. I cried like a baby but it had to be done.

As far as keeping meat birds, here is how I look at it, if I am going to eat meat (which I do.), I feel a little better knowing that the animal lived it's best life before being harvested and was harvested humanely, as opposed to the tortured lives most production animals have before ending up at the grocery store. It isn't easy but, I don't think that it should ever be emotionless. Having a little sadness shows you cared for and respected the animal that is providing you food and you made sure that they lived the best, happiest life possible for as long as they lived.

 

[SnackMeat]

^ yeah, I just culled 4 ducks yesterday, which is harder for me.

The nice part about having a mixed flock of meat and possible pets is that there are bound to be some jerks. So by culling the jerks, life gets better across the board for the good ones: time, energy, food, aside from the whole not being bullied or sex pested. It gets harder in the middle of the road bunch-- maybe not as friendly, but not problematic. But still, they go as everyone gets bigger and we get to most of our likely final group.

There have been some who were definite going to be culled, who got saved.

1 was a Cornish cross (we didn't buy) who came with 2 others someone accidentally bought. Just looked to be in horrible, overweight shape. But she can jump her fat ass 3 feet up and down onto the table we store the treats so I figured, well, she's probably in better shape than I assume so may as well give her a chance. And now she's head hen.

1 was a Cockerel who was crowing (and we can't have that. We could get away with it but we don't want the noise and our neighbors don't want it either) but once we got rid of a rooster we were testing out who was crowing, everyone else shut up. Otherwise he was on the short list.


1 was a group of hands-off chickens that we traded for for meat. We had pretty, but smaller and younger chickens and they wanted an influx of new genes. Out of 17 chickens, 3 were friendly. We'll probably keep 2 of those.

Being flexible makes it easier for me. And if someone is truly an awesome bird but maybe isn't my favorite but would be wasted as a meat bird, I try really hard to place them elsewhere. Probably one of the best favors you can do your flock is trying to meet and stay in contact with as many poultry keepers in your area as possible-- aside from sharing possible resources, and definitely information, giving a flock member who can't stay for whatever reason (so long as they aren't mean hopefully) a second chance is a great feeling.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

But she can jump her fat ass 3 feet up and down onto the table we store the treats so I figured, well, she's probably in better shape than I assume

This gave me a good laugh this morning

 

[U_Stormcrow]

You did the right thing.

"When the need arises - and it does - you must be able to shoot your own dog. Don't farm it out - that doesn't make it nicer, it makes it worse." - Robert A. Heinlein

I don't expect a chicken to act like a human, but I DO expect it to know its place in the flock. It is no kindness to allow an aggressor to live and continue abusing the innocent (or yourself) for reasons of emotion. Nor do I think it appropriate to "rehome" a rooster to someone unaware of his aggressive behaviors. As an NPIP certified breeder, I take flock security very seriously - poultry leaves my property, it doesn't re-enter.

Aggressive Roosters become meals for myself and my family.

I take no joy in it, but neither do I shirk from the duty. The bird has chosen its place in the culling line by its behaviors, I merely give motive force to its election.

Full disclosure. Both myself, and my wife ,have been flogged by an aggressive Roo. Those spurs have been in very dirty places. The tend to penetrate, quite deeply, into soft tissue areas - around the ankle, under the knee - bleed profusely, and are prone to infection. I gave my Roo one "freebie" while defending his girls while I handled them roughly for a mass weighing. When he attacked my wife while she fed the flock, I culled him THAT DAY. Even though he was my only breeding age Roo, and it set my project back a month or more. Simple risk management. My wife's and my health are worth a lot more than he is.

[Same advice I have offered many times - its a cut and paste at this point]

 

[LaFleche]

. I have no idea how to chose 1 to keep out of the bunch.

Keep the one the hens like best as they will be the ones who have to live with him day in day out.

 

[McChooky]

Keep the one the hens like best as they will be the ones who have to live with him day in day out.

Process of elimination. Pretend they've all fallen off a cliff but you can only catch one. So which one you gonna save? The only way you can save one is to let the other guys fall