Naked Neck/Turken Thread

[DesertChic]

Operation Chicken Rescue tonight. I was working outside after having done chores. It was dark but i hadn't closed up the chicken hoop houses. I heard the chick screaming and looked over to see mama on top of the hoop house. The screaming stopped before I made it into the pen and I couldn't find the chick. I got a head lamp and still couldn't find him. Finally I stopped to listen and could hear him quietly fussing - under mama 6 feet up on top of the hoop house. I had to bring out a ladder to reach them and put them on a much lower roost inside the hoop house. I guess there's nothing quite like the determination of a 3 1/2 week old chick to be with his mother!



She has been a good mother but is definitely getting restless. I think this weekend I'll let them in with the other chickens and he'll be able to get up on the roost with her. I have one quite bossy hen so had been putting this off.

Now THAT is a great story! Poor little determined chick.

 

[DesertChic]

It is terribly hard when your nature is to take care of these critters. I believe Temple Grandin in one of her books says that the person who takes care of the mothers and baby animals is not the one who should make the decision and do the deed of culling. That makes sense to me in a way because that decision and act is harder for the nurturing person.

I've had to cull several chicks. The first meat chicken, I tried carbon dioxide but I wasn't happy with how it went. In retrospect, I didn't have a good method. With a Cornish X with severe ascites, I tried the broomstick method. Because of the flopping, I wasn't sure the chick was dead so ended up pulling it's head off. Not happy with that at all. Then with the last cull I did carbon dioxide following instructions on this website - http://www.alysion.org/euthanasia/2-uncategorised.html
It worked ok and I would do it again this way. I would also try a pellet gun like suggested above although I don't own one at the moment.

I know there are those rolling their eyes at this topic and I understand that. But it is hard for some of us, much as we struggle to be practical and understand the necessity of culling. That still doesn't make it easy.

I exsanguinate all the chickens I'm going to butcher for meat. Once I hang them upside down they always grow quiet and calm and as long as I'm deliberate in cutting the jugular, they die very quickly. The chick.....Yeah, I'll probably just snap it's neck. I once had to do that to a baby bird that had been mulled by a neighbor's cat but left barely alive and suffering. I know how to do it....I just dread the act.

 

[Sierra987]

I exsanguinate all the chickens I'm going to butcher for meat. Once I hang them upside down they always grow quiet and calm and as long as I'm deliberate in cutting the jugular, they die very quickly. The chick.....Yeah, I'll probably just snap it's neck. I once had to do that to a baby bird that had been mulled by a neighbor's cat but left barely alive and suffering. I know how to do it....I just dread the act.

And I think that's probably the best way. I've just been reluctant thinking I might not do it quite right. But considering my track record with other methods, that seems ummm.... a bit ridiculous.

 

[Kassaundra]

I think I'm changing Parrot's name to Judas, the little traitor that she is, she has dropped me for her brothers.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

I exsanguinate all the chickens I'm going to butcher for meat. Once I hang them upside down they always grow quiet and calm and as long as I'm deliberate in cutting the jugular, they die very quickly. The chick.....Yeah, I'll probably just snap it's neck. I once had to do that to a baby bird that had been mulled by a neighbor's cat but left barely alive and suffering. I know how to do it....I just dread the act.

You're not going to believe this, but after reading this thread yesterday, I actually had a nightmare last night that I had baby chicks (little ones <1week old) wandering around in my grandparents' basement (you know how weird dreams are - it made sense at the time). Two had wandered further and one fell into a space heater that I hadn't known was there (and on). I worked desperately to get it out, but it was in horrible shape. I was very upset, but it was very clear that it needed to be put out of its misery immediately, and I snapped its neck. At that point, I swear I must have been partially lucid dreaming, because a little voice in my head said, "See, you can do it if you have to." Then I was rounding everyone back up, thought everything was all over, and when I went back to that room, there was another chick that I had missed, not as bad as the first, that had burns over its head and neck. I was considering whether to try to treat vs. cull when I woke up.

I guess we try to work through these things when we sleep if we can't wrap our minds around it while awake...

- Ant Farm

 

[DesertChic]

You're not going to believe this, but after reading this thread yesterday, I actually had a nightmare last night that I had baby chicks (little ones <1week old) wandering around in my grandparents' basement (you know how weird dreams are - it made sense at the time). Two had wandered further and one fell into a space heater that I hadn't known was there (and on). I worked desperately to get it out, but it was in horrible shape. I was very upset, but it was very clear that it needed to be put out of its misery immediately, and I snapped its neck. At that point, I swear I must have been partially lucid dreaming, because a little voice in my head said, "See, you can do it if you have to." Then I was rounding everyone back up, thought everything was all over, and when I went back to that room, there was another chick that I had missed, not as bad as the first, that had burns over its head and neck. I was considering whether to try to treat vs. cull when I woke up.

I guess we try to work through these things when we sleep if we can't wrap our minds around it while awake...

- Ant Farm

Lucid dreaming...both a blessing and a curse.

 

[Phill98]

I think I'm changing Parrot's name to Judas, the little traitor that she is, she has dropped me for her brothers.

Wasn't she the only one that hatched?

 

[Phill98]

I don't see the problem about culling baby chicks. In that case I would pass them over to someone to do it for me. Problem solved.

At this point I just couldn't do it. I have never even culled a chicken. I think I will need some bad boys for start

 

[DesertChic]

I don't see the problem about culling baby chicks. In that case I would pass them over to someone to do it for me. Problem solved.

At this point I just couldn't do it. I have never even culled a chicken. I think I will need some bad boys for start

Bad boys definitely contribute to finding the courage to cull. No argument about that!

 

[Kassaundra]

Wasn't she the only one that hatched?

Yes, but I was able to get two chicks so she wouldn't be alone. Poco (here on byc and a near 30 mile neighbor) had a batch to hatch the same week, she was kind enough to share.