Had to cull some roosters, how to deal with it.

[CatWhisperer]

The tractor supplies here in arkansas have all been stocked up on feed

Hey, Arkansas! Where in the state are you? Our TSC up here was sold out of chicks yesterday and running low on a lot of chicken feed. Crazy. I think a lot of inexperienced people are getting chicks and aren’t going to care for them properly. Other animal feeds appear to be fully stocked.

 

[Mvan42]

This thread is great. Thanks so much.

Thought it would help.. your welcome

 

[Ebony Rose]

It can be hard to even think of culling your healthy pet birds, but before Covid19, you'd have never thought of putting these boys down at all. You've made a good decision for the good of your flock. I am hoping that you will honor your roosters sacrifices one step further by allowing them to provide nourishment for you, your family, and your meat eating pets. My prayers are with you & yours.

 

[Shannon Robinson50]

We just culled on of our boys. We hatched 3 chicks from the final fertile eggs of our acuna rooster and hens as well as a cross with a buff. We hatched and raised these 3 to replace the hen that couldn’t handle our summer heat. It wasn’t an easy decision. i don’t mind cleaning a bird, but I really hate the killing part.
The problem was twofold. first, we can’t have roosters in city. Second, we had 2 in the coop/run with only 5 hens. It was bad enough when we thought only one was a rooster, but when we watched the tail feathers change on the second one, we knew it was going to end badly. We lost most of a flock of ducks when a young drake decided to challenge his father for mating right. Their fighting literally killed the hens who were collateral damage. ( we were out for the afternoon and returned to a horrible sight.)
First they crowed in stereo. Did I mention restriction against rooster in city. Second, 2 confined together? We worried ww3 was about to break out. We asked around.No rooster takers, so we had to decide. We woke up yesterday to double crowing and evidence that they were pecking each other’s comb.they had tiny scabs. Not pox, just peck mark.
So we caugh the loudest one, the buff cross .we put him in the chicken tractor While we tried to reach a neighbor who was more than comfortable culling and had helped in the past for. She was out of town. The wing slapping and crowing escalated as the two talked smack at each other across the yard. After 2 hours of this, knowing it would really annoy one neighbor, the decision was made. Cull. But which one. well I picked one up and he went ape, giving me huge scratches and purple bruising on my arm. We had a volunteer. 2 hours later he resides in the fridge.
The other rooster is still crowing, but not nearly as loudly, and not nearly as often. I feel wiped out emotionally. I hate culling large birds. I feel like I can’t physically control the bird, so it’s harder to accomplish the deed efficiently as I would want to. It’s fast and as painless as possible, but we don’t do it often enough for it to be second nature. it’s the hardest part of raising chickens for me.

 

[Mrs. K]

Culling so that you can feed the others is called good animal husbandry. In the past, people have come on here, asking ways to feed more cheaply. And an awkward truth is the best way to reduce your feed costs, is to reduce the flock size.

By doing so, you did not starve your birds. I know that people get attached to their birds, but starving a bird you love, is not love but irresponsible. If you can't get the feed, you can't get the feed.

I think it was a very good decision. It always amazes me that people will keep birds or other animals in less than great conditions and think they are doing them a favor.

Mrs K