How do you deal with the emotional aspect of culling a rooster you're attached to?

[citychicks99]

We currently have two roosters and six hens by accident. One of the hens hatched a few chicks and two of them were roosters. My mom culled one of them but I'm emotionally attached to the other one. He's getting to be very loud though, crowing nonstop, and picks fights with our older rooster. I've had to separate the older rooster because he behaves better but it's a lot more work because I'm managing two pens. I tried giving the younger rooster away but I was told he would be butchered.

I know it's better for my sanity and the other chickens to get rid of him one way or the other but I'm having a hard time. How do you deal with the emotional aspect of going through this?

 

[fluffycrow]

You can sell him/give him away, it doesn't necessarily mean he'll get butchered. You can specify that you want him kept alive. If he's a pure breed the chances might be higher. Since you'll be doing the culling yourself anyway, why don't you want him sold for butchering? You can view the culling like this. It was a great life, and just one bad day

 

[Ridgerunner]

Culling does not necessarily mean killing although many people use "cull" that way. If you select a rooster and give him away or sell him you have culled him.

Once you no longer own a bird you are no longer in control. The new owners can do what they want with him. Some people are able to find a forever home for a cockerel or rooster but most are going to be eaten.

I know it's better for my sanity and the other chickens to get rid of him one way or the other but I'm having a hard time. How do you deal with the emotional aspect of going through this?

There is no good answer for this. For some of us it is traumatic, for some it's not a problem. Intellectually you know it is the right thing to do but you will suffer some unpleasant emotions. You are already attached so it does no good to say to not get attached.

Some of us don't have individual chickens, we have a flock and the individual parts can change. I try to solve for the peace of the flock. That means at times I have removed girls, not just boys. You probably can't look at it that way, but you know the flock will be better off without either the cockerel or the old rooster so you need to choose between them.

Through the years I've found that if I have an unpleasant task to do it is best to get it over with. Often it is not as hard as you thought. Sometimes the relief that it is over just makes you feel better. At the least you can start the healing process. It is just going to eat at you until you get it done. Don't make your life miserable any longer than you have to.

 

[bobbi-j]

As Ridgerunner said - once that bird leaves your place, you no longer have anything to say about what happens to it. It is no longer your property. If it helps, don’t ask questions and keep telling yourself he went to a nice farm in the country.

 

[Sussex19]

I never liked the idea of giving away a cockerel.
The thing is, the likelihood that he will end up in a pot is very high. I think, if he his going to end up being killed, it might as well be me, and I know I have given him the best life he can have, and a quick and painless death; if I give him away, someone might not be that kind.
Sometimes in life, there are thing that just have to be done, even if they break ones heart a bit.
Like I had to put down one of my favorite pullets because she got unwell. I loved that bird, but it was for her own good, so I just had to do it, put myself to the side, and let her go.
I did shed a tear afterwards.
With a heathy cockerel, it is a little different, but not a great deal, because instead of being in the best interest of that particular bird, it is for the well being of the whole flock, which is just as important.

 

[aart]

it is for the well being of the whole flock, which is just as important.

Yes!

 

[FunClucks]

I had to cull a one year old rooster that I liked. It was hard. I didn't want to rehome because he had attacked my son. I was quick and cried afterwards. I still miss that rooster, and have fond memories of when he was nice. But now my kids aren't afraid to go collect eggs and help with chicken chores, and that's a big deal. They're allowed to participate now, where they couldn't before. The flock is so much more peaceful and calmer without the rooster, and my hens' feathers are finally growing back on their backs.

I hatched 20 babies from that rooster, and kept the 8 hens that are gorgeous, calm, and much nicer and interested in people than he ever was. I enjoy petting them and interacting with them.

So when I get sad about it I try and remember the good things about him not being around, and try to be grateful about the time I had with him. He was an accidental rooster who had a much better life with me than anything he would have gotten commercially, and one bad moment.

To respect his sacrifice, we ate him, and used every part we could. He was delicious.

I look at it this way - if I'm going to hatch eggs, I have to be willing to eat the roosters. Rehoming is nice to try, but there are no guarantees. Even the sexed pullets from the feedstore or hatchery are not always a guarantee, so I have to have a plan for any unexpected roosters. It's just part of keeping chickens.

Sorry you have to rehome or process a rooster you care about. That's the hard part of chicken keeping.

 

[Morrigan]

Through the years I've found that if I have an unpleasant task to do it is best to get it over with. Often it is not as hard as you thought. Sometimes the relief that it is over just makes you feel better. At the least you can start the healing process. It is just going to eat at you until you get it done. Don't make your life miserable any longer than you have to.

This is really good advice. I've never regretted any of the hard decisions I've had to make in my flock. Once you get this behind you, you will be able to enjoy your remaining birds more fully.

I never liked the idea of giving away a cockerel.
The thing is, the likelihood that he will end up in a pot is very high. I think, if he his going to end up being killed, it might as well be me, and I know I have given him the best life he can have, and a quick and painless death; if I give him away, someone might not be that kind.

This is one of the reasons I butcher extra cockerels and older/extra hens rather than trying to sell. I don't want them subject to a traumatic, stressful move to a new location, only to then be butchered. Plus, that cockerel is high quality meat, raised with care. No reason you should not have that for you and your family to enjoy.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

I've gotten quite attached to all of my roosters, Built separate pens and extra coop. In the 14 roosters I've had, only 1 was nasty one day (1 year old) and became more aggressive, jumped up to spur me the 1st time he EVER was aggressive, nearly got my eye. It was a tough decision, but I gave him back to the man I got him from. He was a pure bred rooster and actually won at the State Fair. Because of that I'd like to think that the man found him a home where he could be appreciated, as he was quite wonderful with hens. It is very emotional and because of that I never did call back to ask the man details of where Baron was rehomed. If it's bad news I would rather not know. He knows so many people though & is into showing, his kids also show, so I'm thinking he found Baron a home where someone wants excellence in that breed, not minding his attitude towards people. Being a pure breed does increase a rooster's odds of avoiding the stew pot. Being a State Fair champ also helps. Do not beat yourself up, we can only do the best we can do in life. A mean aggressive rooster has no place living with a family, There are other homes where he could free range happily and there would be no kids or people milling about to worry for. These kinds of farms do exist so just put the word out. A photo of him will speak a thousand words, When you put the word out include a photo of how gorgeous he is. Somewhere, there is someone, that wants a Roo and doesn't have to worry if he's mean or not. I found a good home for Vagabond, another Roo, he wasn't mean, he just preferred more free range than I could provide here. He lives 45 min west & I visit him, as friends adopted him. It's good to care & want better conditions for your family, hens & the Roo. I also just found out recently...There are Rooster & retired farm animal Rescues out there! So Google or Facebook check them out, too.

 

[kmart60]

We got some fertilised eggs from a neighbour to set under our eternally broody Light Sussex, and got 5 chicks. The hubs said from the start "we cull any roosters, right?" and I agreed, having suffered childhood trauma from them in childhood. He identified 2 as roosters early on, bt I made him wait a bit, to make certain, and turns out one of them was a she, so there Mr Know It All. But the other was definitely a he, and a beautiful he, he was. The hubs decided that, having fed him thus far, he might as well biggen him up a bit more, and get a meal off him.
He just got prettier and prettier. And a more gentlemanly rooster you couldn't find. Calls the girls over to any tidbits he finds, keeps a wary eye on the sky while they eat, he will eat scratch out of our hands, but the minute one of his ladies approaches, he backs off and leaves them to it. He's never even looked a threat at us. The hubs is no softy, farm animals are food, and he can raise, slaughter and butcher any farm animal right up to a bullock. But Russ (Russell Crow) is fully grown now, and there's been no mention of chicken fricasee for several months. I think he's won a hardened old farmer's heart.