I don't know, I use to think that I could never cull any of my egg layers but now I am not so sure.
I have meatbirds that go to the processor when its time so if I had to get rid of any hens they would go there, I would not do it myself.
I have already sold or given away 21 roosters this year, I hatch way more roosters than hens:/
I don't ask what they do with them but after I sold some to this guy he told my husband he was going to eat them and then a woman I sold the first two roosters I ever had to just told me this week that she ate both of them.
It bothered me but I am trying to be realistic here, people are going to eat the roosters more than they are going to buy them for pets.
I cannot keep 21 roosters so what is the choice?
Some people can't believe I raise meatbirds, they think that is just awful, so how can I judge what people do with the roosters that I can't keep?
While I do have hens here that will live out their golden years here whether they ever lay another egg I am just starting to realize that I cannot do that with all of them or I will have hundreds of hens here, I have to keep buying new pullets every year to keep up my egg stock as I have a deal with a farm that buys all my eggs and sells them there.
I have a couple of egg eaters that I tried to break of it, I seperated them and changed their diet etc. I am right now giving them another chance but if I find they are back to doing it then I will drop them off at the processor.
I just cannot risk having them teach the rest of the flock to do it and losing all my eggs, it will cost me.
The eggs I sell pay for their food and supplies.
So I guess what I am saying is that when faced with a situation you never know what you are capable of doing, circumstances change.