It Did Not Go Well

[Mervin]

Quote:
Being a bit of a newbie to this forum and the world of chickens I have to agree that it is disturbing but one of the things about this forum is that it's an incredible learning tool of not only what TO do as well as what not to do. I certainly don't think it was the intention of the OP to leave that rooster to run through the woods with a headache.

I apologize to Veronica. I did not mean for it to be disturbing. It was our intention to have his death be swift and painless.

We raised this roo from a chick and it was incredibly hard to have this happen as he was a pet until nature turned him into the monster he became.

My intention in posting here was to provide info and our story for others who may have to put down their first animal. I find and have found the stories of others who have messed up a tough situation comforting.

As for providing details, I will not. It took us two hours to catch him, not dispatch him. What bothered us was the fact that after DH tried to stun him, he KNEW what was happening and that was what made it so hard.

Again, I apologize to V.

Please, for the love of Pete, don't apologize. These readers made a choice to read your posting. It's clear in the beginning of the post that it was about dispatching an animal, yet they chose to read on. Having to put down an animal is an unfortunate consequence of agriculture or even just owning a pet. As hard as it may be for some to read about, surely many folks have taken something useful away from the post. Nothing in your post was vulgar or offensive, just unfortunate. This forum is about sharing information, which you did. Feeling like you have to censor yourself to protect the "delicate" will likely make it a far less insightful and engaging site. Let the easily offended protect themselves.

 

[laughaha]

This is one of the best threads EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last fall we had wayyyyyy too many roo's getting frisky with the girls and we needed to butcher some cuz the girls were starting to look like two dollar whores. Drove the car next to the chicken pen so DH could butcher them behind it so the other chickens and geese wouldn't have to see it. We normally use my .22 pistol with the mag bullets- one shot behind the head and it's fast and easy and as painless as humanly possible. Everything was going well till I got the the last roo who was HUGE. DH tried shooting it a few times but it wasn't working so he came around the car and got his butchering knife out to slit it's throat. Unfortunately he forgot to go back around the car to do this and Archie the goose saw him kill this roo and started throwing a huge fit. She was trying to climb the fence to get at him and screamed (in a very ticked off sort of way) for days. Even now, almost a year later, DH can't go ANYWHERE near the chickens without me there to run interference. Archie tries to kick the coop door down if she sees DH in the door window, when freeranging he's not allowed out of the house. Archie is a sweetheart with me but him not so much.

Moral of the story- Do NOT butcher chickens were your chicken's bodyguards can see! Oh, and geese do make good guard dogs for THEIR chickens.

 

[Whimsy]

Quote:
After the comment about the bathrobe I half expected you to say 'with one clean snip he was gone. And I turned around and there were all of the neighbors watching'

Kinda like when I took my two new geese with their goslings down to my pond and the next morning they were all gone. I searched around and they were down by the railroad tracks. I was herding them back when Amtrak went through, and there I was, chasing geese while wearing a pink bathrobe, mudboots, and a camoflage jacket. Smile and wave...

I had one mean roo, apparently he drew blood when he attacked DH the last time. I was in a near-by building and heard a loud BANG. I went running out to find that DH had shot the roo and it was laying in the hen yard. The same hen yard that DH had recently built and didn't add a door. To get the roo I had to go into the henhouse and crawl through the little 14 1/2" door for the chickens.

Thank you for the laughs, you guys are awesome!

Now I need to give you my address so you can help me clean up!!I was laughing so hard but maintaining my coffee until I read your post now there is coffee everywhere! Thanks for the great laugh this morning

 

[Lifetime chicken lover]

Beth G. :

Quote:
OMG that is really a funny story. I promise not laughing at you but, really laughing at the situation. Especially the end part with your wife.....lol I hope your eye healed up okay!

LOL!!

I agree with others- this has got to be one of the best threads ever written!!! Thanks everyone!
I also agree that your wife's reaction was classic!!! I can just see you walking in looking like you were beaten alive! Thanks for telling us what NOT to do.

 

[CowboyColby]

.22 bird shot at the head will solve your problem and it won't go very far.

 

[Ironmaiden]

This is more interesting than any novel I have ever read. I have a nasty roo that came at me for the last time yesterday evening. He's a goner. Funny, I'm more nervous about doing this deed than my 5 meaties. Maybe cause he's a BR with attitude. Anyway, thanks for the laughs, pauses and gross-outs. Love this site!

 

[they'reHISchickens]

OK, guess I dare tell my son's roo story Now first you must realize that son is a real softy when it comes to animals. He has rescued more kittens than any other farm boy I know and gives all except groundhogs the benefit of as good a life as he can.
For more than a month, his old roo was getting nastier and nastier and the young kids ( and his wife) were getting more and more afraid. He is lucky no damage was done to the children as they ran around the place! But he's a softy so he puts off doing the deed until one very hectic afternoon he is doing chores and gets a full ambush by the roo-huge spurs ripping right through his work boots!
Now son is furious! He has pardoned this bird so often and it has the nerve to attack him viciously! He grabs the attacking roo around the neck and the bird goes limp. Son is taken aback but still furious at the roo so he starts smacking its head back and forth saying "you aren't getting off that easy! wake up! wake up!! slap slap"
Roo revives!
Son grabs a piece of twine and binds the feet and hangs him on the nearest hook, which happens to be a truck side mirror, so he can get his ax and do a proper slaughter. Dinner!
Son returns shortly to a dangling piece of twine and, searching around, sees the roo peeking out at him from behind the nearest outbuilding. By this time he has calmed down enough to replace the ax and get his 22. Marksman 1, Roo 0 and the farm returned to peace.

 

[Qi Chicken]

Sorry to see you're not in Iowa! Now that you're an expert and all that.........Doodle is getting to big for his britches!

 

[Kismet]

they'reHISchickens :

OK, guess I dare tell my son's roo story Now first you must realize that son is a real softy when it comes to animals. He has rescued more kittens than any other farm boy I know and gives all except groundhogs the benefit of as good a life as he can.
For more than a month, his old roo was getting nastier and nastier and the young kids ( and his wife) were getting more and more afraid. He is lucky no damage was done to the children as they ran around the place! But he's a softy so he puts off doing the deed until one very hectic afternoon he is doing chores and gets a full ambush by the roo-huge spurs ripping right through his work boots!
Now son is furious! He has pardoned this bird so often and it has the nerve to attack him viciously! He grabs the attacking roo around the neck and the bird goes limp. Son is taken aback but still furious at the roo so he starts smacking its head back and forth saying "you aren't getting off that easy! wake up! wake up!! slap slap"
Roo revives!
Son grabs a piece of twine and binds the feet and hangs him on the nearest hook, which happens to be a truck side mirror, so he can get his ax and do a proper slaughter. Dinner!
Son returns shortly to a dangling piece of twine and, searching around, sees the roo peeking out at him from behind the nearest outbuilding. By this time he has calmed down enough to replace the ax and get his 22. Marksman 1, Roo 0 and the farm returned to peace.

I empathize completely! Last night, my son and I are putting up electric fence to keep the woodchucks and chickens out of my garden, when a cockerel too big for his britches and mean, I mean mean, to all, so much so that some of the birds hide in corners, whimpering, attacked a beautiful Welsumer pullet. I grabbed him so fast that I amazed myself. Tied his feet with a piece of baling twine that had providentially not been picked up, and hung him from the frame of my composter. I resumed putting up the fence. Meanwhile, it is getting dark - the way it does when you begin a project after work and time runs out. We finish, and I remember the rooster hanging there. It had become so quiet and peaceful now that he was not harassing anyone. My son and I looked at each other and came to the unspoken (words were not necessary) decision - off with his head! Which we did, speedily and with no regrets.

This morning, it is peaceful in the coop. No screams emitted by harried hens trying to escape his wrath.​

 

[Beth G.]

Well Folks, last night was the last night ever that, that Roo will ever peck me again! I went out to the coop yesterday late afternoon to collect eggs. I was sooo excited b/c 3 outta of the 4 Lav Orp's laid their eggs and I am getting ready to set the bator up. I turn to walk out and all of the sudden it felt like I was being attacked by stinging bee's on my calves. Needless to say I jumped EGGS flying everywhere, and yes you guess it they smashed!!!

I turned to see who it was and it was the orginal ROo that pecked me the other day trying to pet my Silkie. I was soo P.O.'d words cannot explain. I jumped in my golf cart, drove to DH's machine garage, and said that darn B@&^%!D pecked me bad again. I told him what happened and he saw the blood dripping from my legs and that was enough. This took place at 4:15pm. I went into the house to clean my wounds and rest from a treatment I had earlier today. At 7:30pm I sit down to a Chicken Stew dinner. My husband grabbed a fork full, winked at me, and said " Honey no worries that ROO will never ever peck you again!" "Dig in, its as fresh as it gets tonight"

that will teach those meanies to not peck me anymore right? Yeah right but, at least I don't have to worry about it for awhile.

End of story....

To those of you that find this disturbing I do truely apologize. My DH hasn't processed a bird in 8+ years and this was a unique case. I must say he was really mean and if I tried to rehome him I'd fear he would hurt others. I also knew if I put an ad craigslist he would have ended up in a pot anyhoo. All my time and work into this bird I couldn't do it. Besides my DH really gave me no warning to do so. So, now you know my dilema I hope you understand.