Help -- Really struggling with culling older hens

[Morrigan]

Thanks for all your replies. I think the hardest part for me, emotionally, is making the decision as to who to cull and when. My husband actually swings the hatchet, so whether I hand my birds to a stranger or to my husband, I think it would still be hard. With the older birds, my plan was to save the fat for schmaltz, strip the meat for dog food and use the bones to make stock. None of it would go to waste and I do know the birds have had a good life.

Per one of the suggestions here, I may only cull 2 of the older birds and 2 of my two-year olds -- one who is having some on-going crop issues and a another who is a bit of a bully. I'm still evaluating the flock, and trying to select the weakest and least sociable of the birds.

Except for a couple who I've designated as "lifers" (who, luckily for me, have proven exceptionally hardy birds and great layers) I don't name my hens. I still enjoy their personalities, however, and can't help but recognize them individually.

I like the thought of culling them while their health and quality of life is still reasonable, rather then letting them slowly wither away. In wild nature, they wouldn't have all made it this far, that's for sure.

I actually raised the idea of building a second "retirement" coop for the older girls, but as my husband (very gently) pointed out, "that's going to fill up too."

 

[bobbi-j]

Thanks for all your replies. I think the hardest part for me, emotionally, is making the decision as to who to cull and when. My husband actually swings the hatchet, so whether I hand my birds to a stranger or to my husband, I think it would still be hard. With the older birds, my plan was to save the fat for schmaltz, strip the meat for dog food and use the bones to make stock. None of it would go to waste and I do know the birds have had a good life.

Per one of the suggestions here, I may only cull 2 of the older birds and 2 of my two-year olds -- one who is having some on-going crop issues and a another who is a bit of a bully. I'm still evaluating the flock, and trying to select the weakest and least sociable of the birds.

Except for a couple who I've designated as "lifers" (who, luckily for me, have proven exceptionally hardy birds and great layers) I don't name my hens. I still enjoy their personalities, however, and can't help but recognize them individually.

I like the thought of culling them while their health and quality of life is still reasonable, rather then letting them slowly wither away. In wild nature, they wouldn't have all made it this far, that's for sure.

I actually raised the idea of building a second "retirement" coop for the older girls, but as my husband (very gently) pointed out, "that's going to fill up too."

My flock got a little out of control this summer, so I decided I would cull for flock quality. I had a list. On my cull list were things like, "white hen with rose comb - small eggs", "bully hen" etc. It was a great plan and I think it would have worked. Unfortunately, while we were on vacation, my flock got hit hard by predators. There were 26 chickens when I left, with a hen sitting on a dozen eggs. I came home to 5 chickens. A rooster (the one on my cull list), a 3-year old hen, two 2-year old hens and a cockerel. Now the only decision I have to make is which male to keep. Pretty sure it will be the adult.

 

[Patinas]

Culling is why I'm not interested in raising meat birds. I am just one of those humans that if I feed it and watch over it, I can't kill it and eat it. I get way too attached.

My husband did cull 3 roosters early on but they were only weeks old and for some reason I didn't have an issue with that. But now, 6 months later, it would affect me unless it was because a chicken was severely injured/sick. In that case I'd be ok with it.

I've had lots of people suggest we should get a couple beef cattle or a pig but I shudder at the thought of raising them and slaughtering them. Even if we paid someone else to do it, I couldn't bring myself to eat the meat!

On the other hand, I love meat and have no problem eating meat from an anonymous animal. Weird, I know.

 

[dunnmom]

In my state we have a Mennonite meat processor. They will do the deed for some of the meat which is really the cheapest option outside of DIY processing. If you have such a service available in your state, and enough cull hens to make it a worthwhile trip for both parties involved, it might be an option worth considering.

 

[Morrigan]

My flock got a little out of control this summer, so I decided I would cull for flock quality. I had a list. On my cull list were things like, "white hen with rose comb - small eggs", "bully hen" etc. It was a great plan and I think it would have worked. Unfortunately, while we were on vacation, my flock got hit hard by predators. There were 26 chickens when I left, with a hen sitting on a dozen eggs. I came home to 5 chickens. A rooster (the one on my cull list), a 3-year old hen, two 2-year old hens and a cockerel. Now the only decision I have to make is which male to keep. Pretty sure it will be the adult.

So very sorry to hear this. Your poor chickens. What was the predator?

 

[igorsMistress]

I'm going to have a hard time with this same issue, even if it's the roo with the big drumsticks. I do know which of the 5 girls would be first on the list, but I don't know if I can make that decision without crying my eyes out. I feel kinda dumb, but I love animals. I know what will have to be done, but I try not to think about it.

 

[bobbi-j]

So very sorry to hear this. Your poor chickens. What was the predator?

We think the first time was coyotes. Almost a dozen of them in one afternoon without a trace. No feathers, nothing. So, my mom (who was taking care of them on our absence) locked them in their coops (with attached runs). Then a few days later, something (we are pretty sure it was a mink) got into the coop/ run and ate the three 3-day old babies, killed the mama and a couple of others. Two nights later, it got into my closed and locked coop, killing three more and ate the head off one of those. So, my mother moved the two remaining chickens into the other coop with the three survivors from the first attack. So far, so good...

I'm going to have a hard time with this same issue, even if it's the roo with the big drumsticks. I do know which of the 5 girls would be first on the list, but I don't know if I can make that decision without crying my eyes out. I feel kinda dumb, but I love animals. I know what will have to be done, but I try not to think about it.

After raising chickens for over 30 years, I have learned to step back from the ones I know will be culled. I don't make pets of my chickens anyway, but there is always one who insists on being a pet whether I want her to or not. It's never "easy", but it has gotten a bit "easier" over the years.

 

[Sara Ranch]

I know that I will have a hard time when the time comes to culling my meat birds.

The baby turkeys I had? Only one of the fourteen turkeys had a name. Yet, I cried and cried when eleven died. And they were intended for eggs, breeding, and meat.

I know that my laying hens will be culled eventually. I have a flock with very few names. I can only identify one as Half Wing and another because she has tape on her leg. When that falls off, I won't be able to tell her from the rest of her sisters! Another flock of hens that about half the hens are named. Easy to identify by breed/appearance. The other half of that flock are look alike and are hard to tell apart from a distance.

Now my adoptees? I can tell you everyone's name, even if they didn't come with names! And since this is their forever home, I don't have to worry about culling them.

I hope it gets easier for you.

If you can't do it, is there someone who would do it for you? For a fee? Or for some chicken?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Well, it's OK to cry!

The more I hear people have a hard time come processing day, the happier I am to know them! If it becomes easy to take a life then I will cry EVEN harder.

My flock hangs around 60 birds and every single one of them gets a name, usually. Sometimes we even label their names in the freezer. Fact is something died for us to eat and it's OK that we cared about it while it had a great life.

Sorry to be disgusting... but my family does talk what if's when we discuss history and the future. Currently hiking is high on our hobbies so we have discussed the Donner party being trapped in the mountain pass and cannibalism. Honestly, I hope if my family is in a situation like them that I will be tasty,should they have to eat me... I after all am probably graded prime! Well, I hope we are never in that situation.. but my family knows where I stand. Despite the pain that comes from the truth, I have no guilt.

And the pain that comes from processing my own birds NOWHERE compares to the disgust and hurt I feel when seeing chicken/cow or any other industry video about the atrocities that take place.

The thing that made me cry the hardest our first time processing was that my then 17 year old daughter made me SOOOO proud at her mature handling of the situation, compared to my childish behavior. Pride for her, shame in self. She is an amazing kid! I will say... having an outbreak of cockerels before the pen was ready.. going after, holding down and taking turns on your most docile hen will give you some motivation to do it NOW! And I don't recommend that route.

To the OP... I understand now that you just meant you're having a hard time deciding who stays or goes for flock dynamics and not actually culling since your hubby does it. It is OFTEN flock dynamics that dictates who stays or goes at my place. And that suggestion by another poster to keep some older and some younger instead of the mids... was out of the box thinking, that makes sense! I love participating in threads because you just never know what you might learn, or in this case new ideas and ways of thinking. Thanks for sharing!

@bobbi-j OUCH! That's a huge predator loss. Sorry you experienced it. Really stinks as well to have had your list but now still not even get to chooses the best of the best but just the best of the rest. Makes achieving goals a little harder and slower. Sounds like you've got lot's of experience to share with us. Hang in there! (I mean I already know you are, but still needed to say it.)

 

[Chaerie]

I'm sure I'll have a hard time with this. I already know when and who is gonna go, but I just recently started my birds, and this was the game plan all along, but when the time comes I know it's gonna be tough.