Not to be insensitive; when babies have to be culled.

[BarnGoddess01]

I'm on my own and don't have an easy time culling. Ever. Period. Full stop. I have to admit - I thought the freezing method sounded credible for the very young so I tucked a couple of day old culls into a paper bag and into the freezer they went. They screamed for WAY longer than I thought they should. Half an hour later, all was quiet and I opened up the bag. The tiny chicks did not look like they had "passed" peacefully. I won't be trying THAT method again. I still shutter when I think about what I did.

Some weeks later I had to cull a slightly older chick. Did the axe on a board method with her. It was instant. She didn't even flail/flop like an older bird. It was truly instant.

Nothing more to say.

 

[warmfuzzies]

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I have to say, I really would have a harder time if my Dh didn't do it for me. I have done a couple and it is NOT easy.

 

[dwegg]

There's no way I would do the freezer thing...it just sounds so cruel, prolonged and painful...no way! My two cents!

 

[Lizard Lady]

Hi, I'm very new to chicken owning, and brand new to this forum. I have a question; can't we just let the chicks die? I mean, is there a reason why they have to be culled? I'm not trying to sound snotty, just very curious as my little crew is growing. I inherited a banty with the house I bought two months ago, brought in two more hens and a rooster. One of the hens was sneezing a lot, and the next die was dead. Should I have snapped the hen's neck? Did I put my other chicks at risk by letting her live with the "assumed" respitory illness?

ps. A lot of people put reptiles down by putting them in the freezer. Unlike mammals, reptiles literally go into a state of hibernation as soon as temps drop below 65, so they just go to sleep forever.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

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I had VERY young chicks that were not going to survive. To be brief and blunt, I did not want the healthy chicks learning that unhealthy birds were good to eat.

 

[zzGypsy]

haven't had to do this yet, not looking forward to it.

I'm going to describe the technique we used with adult chikens, trying not to be too graphic here, but clinically specific enough to explain it. it seems to me this would work with tiny chicks, or mid sized ones, as well as adults, but I haven't done it. if someone has, I'd be interested in your thoughts.

when I was growing up, my dad taught me to kill chickens by snapping their necks using this method...
bird goes under the left arm, wings tucked in and feet out the back, like carrying a football, firm grip across their chest.
right hand goes over their head, palm down, thumb under their head, gripping just their head only, not their neck.
stretch their neck almost to it's full length, but not quite.
with a sharp snap, pop your right hand out and down, turning your palm away from your body, thumb and index finger towards the ground, little finger towards the sky. its a snapping/ rotating motion.
the idea is to break the neck right where it joins the skull.
takes a committed action, you can't be tentative, and you need to use enough force to do the job on the first try.
the chickens never fought, and didn't really thrash around after - just some wing and leg stretching, same kind of nerve response I've seen in sheep and cows we've slaughtered with a bullet in the brain, so I don't think you can get a much faster death, or a more painless one.

anyway, interested to know if anyone has used that method, and your thoughts.

 

[zzGypsy]

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for me it's a husbandry thing... I'm responsible for the quality of life of the animals I keep. if I have one that is suffering, and I know I cannot save it, then I should prevent it from suffering any further. if I have one that will cause the others to get sick and suffer, and I cannot prevent it, then I have to make a choice... cull one, or have them all suffer.
but with babies, it's hard. haven't had to do it with birds, but I have with lambs and kids.
I have gone to some extrordinary lengths to save lambs and kids on occasion. generally though, the ones that require that effort don't get into my breeding pool, and will eventually be sold or sent to freezer camp... I need hardy genetics and propagating questionable genes doesn't help with that.

 

[humpbacks1962]

As I read this thread, I wondered about how quick some people are to cull a chick.

I have one born with a crooked neck, and a blurr in one eye. At about a week old, I took him out and noticed that he would not even move. He did not scratch the ground, did not even look around. Was crying instead. My first thought was that he was born completely blind too. At that moment, I really did not think he was going to make it, and I was nto going to be able to care for him.

I decided to give him a day or two, and just observe him. I noticed that indoors he could see his feed. He was eating and drinking on his own, so I let him live.

I am nto interested in breeding chicks. Anyone who is definitely should nto use a roo like this one as a breeder. But this guy is the sweetest bird in my little flock. While the others are skiddish and a little neurotic, this one is completely calmed. He likes to cuddle up like a baby chick against my chest. He walks to me when he sees me outside (turned out to be blind in just one eye).

It is rewarding to have a closer relationship with a bird who would otherwise be aggressive or avoiding me. I do not regret having him, even if he gives me no eggs or can't even guarantee to give me healthy chicks.

 

[Lizard Lady]

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I had VERY young chicks that were not going to survive. To be brief and blunt, I did not want the healthy chicks learning that unhealthy birds were good to eat.

OMG! Are you telling me the chickens will eat the sickly babies? I haven't had any babies, and not sure if I ever will. Like I said, I inhererited my hen, then got another hen and a roo from my girlfriend a few weeks back.

 

[NovaAman]

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If you felt I was attacking you, I really am not. Like I said, I don't think your intentions were intended to be cruel, just that the method is. I do realise you were talking baby baby chicks. I'd still do it the same way. Snap the neck. I don't think I was kicking you... I just asked that you reconsider your method of culling. Please accept my apology.