I need to kill my roo and i cant do it

[LilyS]

My rooster Angry Johnny is so mean I can no longer go outside to be with my birds or garden with out him running up on me and attacking or just straight up looking at me, ruffling his feathers and then charging me.
I just can't bring myself to actually physically hurt him. I feel bad wen I have to hit him with my be good stick. I'm at a loss. Any suggestions?

 

[LaFleche]

My rooster Angry Johnny is so mean I can no longer go outside to be with my birds or garden with out him running up on me and attacking or just straight up looking at me, ruffling his feathers and then charging me.
I just can't bring myself to actually physically hurt him. I feel bad wen I have to hit him with my be good stick. I'm at a loss. Any suggestions?

You can grab him from the roost at night and put him in a cage. Then put him on Craig's list or similar platform and he will be gone in no time.

 

[LilyS]

Quick update guys... I’ve had the best morning ever with my goose and the chickens without being terrorized! I’m no longer sad.
RIP Johnny

 

[ryneaeiel]

I had a huge Australorp rooster that was a sweetheart and my favorite of the chickens, but he wasn't always that way. My dad got tired of him attacking with three-inch spurs when we went to feed the chickens, and gave me an ultimatum -- either we sold him, I tamed him, or he became dinner.

I separated him from the rest of the chickens and worked on taming him down. It was much easier to build a bond with him without the hens working him up. Over the course of a week I would hand-feed him, pet him, and sit with him. He began to tame down.

The second week, I would bring a hen into his pen for an hour or so and sit with them, then after a day or two I would bring in another. He learned that I wasn't a risk to him or his hens.

I was able to reintroduce him to the flock and he never attacked me or my family again. To this day he was the sweetest and my most favorite of my chickens.

I'd recommend trying it with your rooster. It's worth a shot at least. If it doesn't work, I'd go with cervical dislocation through the broomstick method. It's less messy.

 

[LadyLaurelin]

Or you could place a “if you can catch him you can have him” ad on Craigslist so someone else can take care of him...

 

[arwoon]

Or you could place a “if you can catch him you can have him” ad on Craigslist so someone else can take care of him...

That's a good idea. He would probably be eaten, but Save you the trouble and that's probably about what he deserves anyway.

 

[SueT]

You can kill him quickly using the broomstick method. I have done it twice on aggressive roosters. This is how it works—I grabbed him off the roost at night and held him upside down by his feet. This immediately quiets the bird. I had the broomstick laying on the ground nearby, next to a 5 gallon bucket w lid. Still holding the feet, I quickly laid him on the ground, belly down, tail toward me, put the broomstick over the back of his neck and stepped on the stick on either side of the neck and jerked the feet upwards. I felt the neck break. They say this kills the bird instantly but the wings will flap after he is dead (even if you chop off the head.). So I dropped him into the bucket, put the lid on and walked away. It was all done in a minute.
Good luck, it’s never easy.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You are new to the area and you do not want to kill him. Craigslist can work. Maybe chat at the feed store and see if they know anybody. Many feed stores have a bulletin board where you can post an ad. Call your county extension office, they may be able to help. Talk to a minister. They get a lot of requests for help. Odds are they know someone who could really use the meat and would be glad to take him. It does not have to be your minister.

If you decide to kill him yourself, to me the most humane way is how you can. You want it to be fast and sure. You do not want to injure him or yourself. If you try a method where you close your eyes or flinch at the wrong time it is not safe for him or you.

With practically any method the chicken will flop and jump around. If the spine is broken or the head severed the chicken is not feeling anything, that's just muscle reflexes. It can be very disturbing to watch.

I use the hatchet and stump method. I grew up swinging an axe and hammer a lot. I used that method to butcher chickens when I was young. I do not recommend it to other people unless they are really comfortable with it.

Many people on here use some type of method where they hang the bird by the feet or put it in a cone with the head sticking out, then use various tools or knives to cut the head off or slice the jugular where it bleeds to death. Some of those methods you may be able to do yourself, for some having somebody to help could be good.

There are different methods of cervical dislocation. Variations of the broomstick method have been mentioned. Some people set the bird on their laps and twist and snap the heads to break the neck. There has been a lot of discussion on "swinging" the bird. I did that once. You hold it by the head and vigorously snap like you would with a whip. If you just gently swing it and let it go you have not killed the bird. Just like with any of these methods you have to do it right or it won't work. My snap was vigorous enough and my grip on the head tight enough that the head came off in my hand. There was no question the bird was dead, it was not going to walk out of the wood pile later.

Of course there are other methods. No matter how I do it, this is not pleasant. I raise mine for meat so it's something I have to do if I'm going to eat them. I have done some mercy killing. To me this is really hard but I consider it part of my responsibility in caring for animals.

 

[3KillerBs]

Just curious because I can't tell, what's the difference between the two loppers?

The first is bypass -- the blades shear past each other.

The second is anvil -- one sharp blade cuts against a blunt, fixed surface (some anvil loppers ratchet).

For branch lopping each has it's specific advantages, but if you want to cut a chicken's head off you need bypass to get a clean, fast cut.

 

[Ascholten]

I generally put a radio in the coop and put NPR on. They kill themselves out of pure boredom within the hour.

Aaron