My Asiatic hen "Blue the Roo" finally took a soup bath tonight. She is the most vicious chicken I have ever layed eyes on(as far as behavior towards other chickens). She and the two black Asiatics I have got kicked to free ranged the other day, and all was going well. Blue gets along with the two blacks, but ONLY them.
Well, I let my two mutt roos out to free range permanently today, as I don't want them breeding with my Ameraucanas. They are gorgeous, so I'd like to keep at least one of the boys. Well, the big one went over to the 3 Asiatics to say hello, and Blue did a full on frontal attack. Claws, wings, and beak. She grabbed his comb after kicking him, and wouldn't let go(a lot like a pit bull). That was the last straw. She already had nearly killed Sugar, my lil' black cochin mix hen. I barely saved her! So I decided that I would make good on my threats. My hubby found our little camping axe and I took care of the problem.
The kids were really interested in what a "real chicken" looks like on the inside(lol), so we had a little biology lesson as I plucked and processed. All in all, I feel really good about my decision. The other 2 Asiatics don't bother anyone else, so they are safe for the time being. They are bunking with the mutt brothers, and seem happy. I can rest easy knowing that Blue was treated well in life, and very much enjoyed and appreciated in death. What a great experience for my family as well...they were able to have a tactile experience that will help them have more respect for where food actually comes from, and the effort that goes into processing an animal.
Thanks to BYC as well, where I was able to do a bit of research and make sure that I could be confident in what I was doing.
Well, I let my two mutt roos out to free range permanently today, as I don't want them breeding with my Ameraucanas. They are gorgeous, so I'd like to keep at least one of the boys. Well, the big one went over to the 3 Asiatics to say hello, and Blue did a full on frontal attack. Claws, wings, and beak. She grabbed his comb after kicking him, and wouldn't let go(a lot like a pit bull). That was the last straw. She already had nearly killed Sugar, my lil' black cochin mix hen. I barely saved her! So I decided that I would make good on my threats. My hubby found our little camping axe and I took care of the problem.
The kids were really interested in what a "real chicken" looks like on the inside(lol), so we had a little biology lesson as I plucked and processed. All in all, I feel really good about my decision. The other 2 Asiatics don't bother anyone else, so they are safe for the time being. They are bunking with the mutt brothers, and seem happy. I can rest easy knowing that Blue was treated well in life, and very much enjoyed and appreciated in death. What a great experience for my family as well...they were able to have a tactile experience that will help them have more respect for where food actually comes from, and the effort that goes into processing an animal.
Thanks to BYC as well, where I was able to do a bit of research and make sure that I could be confident in what I was doing.
