How to cull a rooster when you don't want too?

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

How do you bring yourself to cull a rooster because you have too many?

I have let my Silkies breed and produce cute little fluffy things but I know I will have too many roosters, so after trying to sell them with no response, how do you bring yourself to cull a rooster that you keep just because you can't bring yourself to do the cull?
I would never treat my chickens bad and always feed and care for every one of them, rooster or not, but I don't want to keep roosters in a seperate bachelor coop. I admit I already have a cockerel separate in another coop because he looks good so I have kept him and given him some pullets for company but I have a young 9 week old that I know I will not want to breed with and he isn't a unique colour so I have been trying to sell him. Do I give him a few more weeks up for sale or do I cull? And if cull, how do I bring myself to cull it?
I have only killed one chicken in my life when she was very sick and I tried everything to help her, she was near dead so I ended her suffering poor girl, I was so upset about doing it but knew I had to do it to end her pain. So how on earth would I kill a perfectly healthy chicken!? And just because I don't want it? I feel so bad! How can I kill him if he doesn't sell? How do I bring myself to do it!? Is it better to do it young or just allow him to grow up a little more and live out his little life?

 

[bobbi-j]

If he needs to go, I would say the sooner the better before you get more attached. I would also recommend that you don’t allow your hens to hatch out any more babies unless you have a solid plan before you let them set as to how you’re going to deal with excess males.

 

[Aunt Angus]

If you are willing, I've entertained the idea of offering to "sponsor" my rooster if I had to rehome him. If you donate money to a rescue, they may be more open to taking him.

And - this is insane - have you thought about keeping house roosters? I had to do this for a bit when we were between houses. I was staying with my mom, and her neighbors could not suffer my boy's crowing. So, while we were waiting for the paperwork to clear on our new house, we diapered our boy and brought him inside. He still crowed, but not as much, and we just kept him in a large crate at night in another part of the house, so it wasn't that bad. And he ran around the house during the day. He was quite happy. Might be able to bring just one in and see if the flock settles down.

Crazy. I know.

 

[theoldchick]

Build a bachelor pen and let them live or give them away.

 

[MissE]

You might have an easier time selling him if you also sell a couple hens with him as a small starter flock. Sometimes free works well too. I see free rooster quite frequently on Craig's list, especially in the fall. They don't last long. Some become chicken dinner, some become pets, some replace a mean rooster, and others get to be the flock protector.

 

[aart]

Is there an Asian population near you?
I hear that silkie meat is a delicacy...and they may take them 'on the hoof'.

 

[docteurshepherd]

They are your responsibility.
Pull yourself up by your bra/bootstraps and just do it.
You do it quickly and humanely.
Or look for someone who will and agree that they keep the meat.

Yeah as blunt as this may sound I have to second this. I feel like this is an issue that's becoming more common as more "city slickers" , urban/backyard farmers or people who just don't have experience with country or farm life try it out. I don't really know what to say other than what nuthatched already did. People really need to do it though if it's the best decision, as for how I do it.. quickly and humanely.

I don't enjoy it, I hate it a lot, I feel bad for even days afterwards. It's sort of funny the disconnect and how I'm inbetween these two worlds. I could tell a complete city slicker that I butchered a duck and I feel bad, and they would probably think you should feel bad! That's horrible! But if I told a local farmer that I butchered a duck and felt bad, they would probably think I'm overly sensitive. I guess my feeling on it is that you are doing something right, which is caring for the bird and trying to find it a home first.. that is as long as it's not aggressive and you're just putting a problem on somebody else, it's sick, etc. Empathy is key, I truly believe if you don't have empathy, then what are you doing keeping animals? So yes, you should take it seriously. To others it may be only a chicken, but it is a life.

I suppose something else about that I've noticed is you can go too far, in the pretense of caring for the animal. I've seen that a lot with people who don't have experience with it, they keep an animal that is suffering alive as long as they can under the false pretense of caring for its wellbeing, when in reality they're doing it just so they don't have to take a life as it would make them feel bad, which in reality is actually coming from a place of selfishness.

 

[KingD]

If you don't want to, then don't do it. Try selling it.
Do you have a local friend that can do it for you?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I’m not sure my mom will ever be fine. She freaks out every time even when I’ve had to kill sick birds. And she thinks “serial killers start on animals”

My coworkers love to remind me of that whenever I start talking about my birds.



I find it helps to spend a moment with the bird before hand, and just explain why it has to happen. They might not understand, but it helps me come to terms with it

 

[nuthatched]

I don't know if being empathetic is something you really try to do, it's just a basic human characteristic, that is unless you have a disorder of sorts. I'm sure you're empathetic enough, at least I hope so lol.

Maybe " I'm not good at expressing empathy or be open about emotions" would be more accurate in my case. I'm not a sociopath, I promise!