Hard Questions For Me

[Homestead Woodwright]

I am not sure if this is exactly the right forum section to ask this, but it seemed like right one so here goes. I have been kicking around the idea of raising a heritage breed to help fund the homestead. As I started to research raising chickens from eggs some very hard questions presented themselves that I should have seen but didn't. I love animals and I am having a difficult time with the prospect having to cull them myself. My questions are what would you do with a weak or sickly chicken that probably will not survive? Would you let nature take them on or would you personally cull them off? Is there other alternatives to culling them or is that the best option? Thanks you for your time and your experience.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

If it is a sick bird that is going to die, the responsible thing to do is to put it out of its misery. If the tables were turned, I wouldn't want to suffer for days on end.
As poultry keepers/animal husbandrymen, it is our responsibility to do the right thing by our wards - as difficult as that may be. Otherwise, perhaps choose a different hobby.

 

[Homestead Woodwright]

And there in is the problem for me. I don't think that I can kill them, but I don't want them to suffer either. My mom laughs at me with the chickens, she calls them my feathered dogs as they will immediately get excited when they hear my heavy step on the front porch. I know that the next flock I get will most likely result in the same thing, where they get super excited and playful when they see me and I view them more as a part of the family than just a bag of feathers. So before I get another flock I was hoping someone had another method of idea of how to treat this particular problem, or maybe I just need to steel myself for what may have to be done anyway. If that is my only option then that really sucks but having them suffer needlessly sucks just as bad.

 

[Cryss]

If you have a sick bird and let it die naturally you are risking infecting your entire flock.

 

[Cryss]

Besides, watching it die a slow suffering death is more painful than knowing you can end that suffering. If the flock becomes infected you'll be culling the lot.

 

[dalasgalas]

Culling is a personal choice. If I were going to raise a large breeding flock I'd think I'd have to accept culling to keep the genes strong. I wouldn't want weak genes in the breeding stock. That said I'd have a hard time culling chicks, which I'm thinking is a necessary evil when it comes to large scale farms, or even smaller breeding programs.

I'd come to terms with culling or I wouldn't pursue that kind of venture. Which is why I have freeloaders living in my back yard.

 

[Homestead Woodwright]

I know there is risks with leaving a sick chicken in with the rest of the flock. After about the second year some of our chickens start to get sick, it was never more than one at a time. But I always paid attention to a chicken that was not acting normally. I go down to the coop about every 3 hours or so. They would be let out about 7 in the morning, checked on at around 10 in the mourning to gather the eggs, visited again at 1 in the afternoon to refill the water bowl (or make sure that it was not frozen in the winter) and feeder, around 4 pm my dad would check on the chickens after he got home from work, and finally he would put them to bed for the night around 7 to 8 at night. Any time a chicken was noticed not acting the same we took note and the moment they started to stay away from the rest of the flock or just lay on their side and not move we would block a section of the run to keep the sick chicken in. We would also lay the sick chicken in a corner of the coop blocked off from the rest of the chickens. After a bit they would usually get better and then get integrated back into the flock. If we thought that one of the chickens was passing on we would check on them about every hour, and as soon as it was confirmed that the chicken had pass on I would immediately remove it from the coop and buried the chicken out on the back side of the property far from the rest o the flock.

 

[crazy4ChickensNducks]

if then chicken is suffering and has no quality of life, you need to cull it. the hens that et the eggs or our very sick get culled here. we cull with a 12 gauge because it is the easiest and fastest method. you might need to find a friend or relative that is a good shot though because they are extremely hard to kill painlessly if you don't hit the head.
*WARNING GRUESOME STORY*
the first time we culled a hen we used a 22, Horrible mistake. we loaded the gun and didn't bring extra ammo to the coop. the first shot we hit the hen, but not in the head so we ran back to the house and got another bullet. then we hit the hen in the head and she was still suffering so we ran back to the house and grabbed the whole box of bullets, and 3 bullets later she was finally still, I felt so bad, But it was a good learning experience. we learned you need a heigher powered gun than a 22 and you need to have deadly accuracy. so now when we have to cull it is quick and painless. just remember they will keep flapping for up to 5 minutes after they pass.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi there, welcome to BYC!

The hardest part about breeding with a purpose is HAVING to make decisions that are for the good of the whole flock... which will sometimes include culling newly hatched chicks.

50% of everything that hatches will be male as well. So start preparing yourself mentally. You know what you will HAVE to do, so work your way up to it. My teenage daughter was a highly sensitive person and I thought we might be vegetarian before all was said and done. My husband does not participate in culling at all. Alas, we still enjoy eating meat but are more aware of where our food comes from and thankful for the circle of life understanding (and acceptance) that came with it making us more conscientious consumers.

Our first culling was awful with plenty of mistakes. But with practice... it is a SKILL I value greatly... now if one of the birds I hang out with daily faces an issue... I have the confidence to help them out, knowing I'm not causing anymore trauma, drama, or pain.

That being said... poultry is NO easy way to make extra money in my experience and you'd be lucky to cover your cost. ANY farming is a labor of love.

You might be able to find a neighbor, friend, uncle or something that you can prearrange any need culling. I did have someone doing the processing for me and was worth every penny. But ultimately waiting on their schedule became VERY inconvenient. Dispatching and such is not desirable but it is needed. You learn to do it as any terrible job like cleaning the toilet or changing poopy diapers.

Watching something die slowly is never an appropriate option. But once you wrap your mind around things you start to see LIFE instead of death. Everything dies eventually. But for example now instead of seeing a dead animal on the side of the road... what I see is carrion. Something dies so others can live.

Learn about humane euthanasia. And decide the difference between culling and killing. Culling is with purpose. Killing is senseless.

Hope this helps a little. It's good to have goals and that you are working on growing yourself! Hang in there and good luck, you got lots of support here to get through that first time and such!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Keeping a sick bird in close proximity to the rest of the flock is a bad idea. If you are raising chickens (or any other livestock), you need other housing options. there needs to be quarantine quarters as far from your animals as possible. Whether that be for sick, injured, new or broody birds. Once a bird gets sick or injured, it is too late to consider where to house it.

You need better options than .22 cal. or 12 gauge.
Holding the bird under your arm, grabbing the head with your other hand and a quick stretch will quickly and painlessly kill the bird. Using a gun wastes the meat. When you cull a bird, you need to honor its life by not wasting any of it.