Official BYC Poll: What do you do with your roosters?

[BantyChooks]

Yes I imagine it’s nicer, just like store bought eggs don’t compare to our own. Though I reckon that compared to supermarket chickens that have been specifically bred for that purpose, some of the pure breeds I hatch might be quite a small boney meal lol!

My gigantic Australorp dressed out at 3.7 lbs, I think, and he looked miniature next to the CX. Except for the legs—I started to wonder if I picked up a Langshan by accident!

 

[Joeschooks]

I

OK, I'll admit. I haven't actually done it either, but that's because... eggs! I still don't like butchering my spent hens, just in case she has one left in her!

I couldn’t ever butcher one of my layers either...They are my pets and I wouldn’t eat my cat lol. I can see my garden turning into one giant coop!

 

[bobbi-j]

I

I couldn’t ever butcher one of my layers either...They are my pets and I wouldn’t eat my cat lol. I can see my garden turning into one giant coop!

I had that same feeling, but I only have so much room. At my place, chicken math has to have subtraction if I want to do the addition.

 

[0wen]

Interesting... how do you plan on controlling appropriate CO2/Argon/whatever you use levels so as not to induce panic before insensibility? Or are quail small enough it does not matter, similar to chicks?

Mind you, this is theory because I haven't put it into use yet. But have started building a set-up similar to the one in this link. Not as pricey, pretty, or shiny - but essentially a budget model. It doesn't need to be chrome with spinners to do the job afterall.

As far as reducing stress on the birds;

First I plan on culling in batches in the evening. The quail obviously don't go to roost, but they tend to settle down quite a bit at least after dusk. Each batch I do, I'll move them into a holding cage the day prior. Building my CAK chamber to be able to hold said cage so that I can just slide the cage into the chamber.

I'll pre-load the chamber with the gas. Some will obviously escape when loading the cage, but it should still house enough that a refill should be quick. I imagine the quail to go quickly from size estimate alone. For chickens, I guess it's simple math as I won't be loading as many chickens in the chamber at a time. I expect to cull fewer than 2 dozen chickens this summer, but imagine the quail could reach many dozen.

Realistically, I don't know that the CAK system is better/easier/more efficient than wringing but I also don't know that it is less so (for the birds). It may be easier in that it's less individual work for me, and potentially less mentally taxing in that you're not extinguishing each individual bird in your hands. I hope that's the case, but obviously won't use a flawed machine if its apparent that it is prolonging the procedure. What I can do, is post about my findings here later this summer and share the designs for the system if it appears to be practical.

I came across this a while back, and was sort of a loose inspiration for the CAK system. Viewer warning, the video shows the euthanasia of a pig via inert gas, do not watch if you don't want to see it..

 

[BantyChooks]

Mind you, this is theory because I haven't put it into use yet. But have started building a set-up similar to the one in this link. Not as pricey, pretty, or shiny - but essentially a budget model. It doesn't need to be chrome with spinners to do the job afterall.

As far as reducing stress on the birds;

First I plan on culling in batches in the evening. The quail obviously don't go to roost, but they tend to settle down quite a bit at least after dusk. Each batch I do, I'll move them into a holding cage the day prior. Building my CAK chamber to be able to hold said cage so that I can just slide the cage into the chamber.

I'll pre-load the chamber with the gas. Some will obviously escape when loading the cage, but it should still house enough that a refill should be quick. I imagine the quail to go quickly from size estimate alone. For chickens, I guess it's simple math as I won't be loading as many chickens in the chamber at a time. I expect to cull fewer than 2 dozen chickens this summer, but imagine the quail could reach many dozen.

Realistically, I don't know that the CAK system is better/easier/more efficient than wringing but I also don't know that it is less so (for the birds). It may be easier in that it's less individual work for me, and potentially less mentally taxing in that you're not extinguishing each individual bird in your hands. I hope that's the case, but obviously won't use a flawed machine if its apparent that it is prolonging the procedure. What I can do, is post about my findings here later this summer and share the designs for the system if it appears to be practical.

I came across this a while back, and was sort of a loose inspiration for the CAK system. Viewer warning, the video shows the euthanasia of a pig via inert gas, do not watch if you don't want to see it..

Fascinating. Let us know total costs, design feasibility, and whatnot.

 

[song of joy]

I've raised the cockerels for meat, but frankly it's just not cost effective. Also, it takes space (separate coop and fenced yard) to do so, as the cockerels get to the point where they have to be separated from the flock so they aren't harassing the pullets.

Last year I didn't need any additional roosters for the breeding flock, so I decided to cull the male chicks just as soon as gender could be determined, which ranged from 2 1/2 to 6 weeks. Psychologically this was not easy to do, but in the end, not having to deal with the cockerels made for a happier flock and a happier homestead.

 

[Harmony Fowl]

I used to give them away, when I did not have the plans I do and thought I would stop with just six hens and needed to be rid of their five brothers so my neighbors wouldn’t complain.

Now I sell them. I have a coworker who uses them at approximately the rate I have been raising them as snake food. It fills a niche and I would have trouble getting anyone else to pay for them. I sell the immature birds, he uses all sizes, because once they get to adult size I would need to ask more than what it would cost me to buy a chicken at the grocery store and he wouldn’t pay it. It works for us because I do have cockerels with no place to go and he needs them and is willing to pay more than others would for them. I do hope to raise enough to have some to eat, too, but I’m working on building up that pipeline of supply. I haven’t actually killed and butchered a bird, either, but I think I will be okay. I lost my first bird to illness recently. When she was alive, I worried endlessly. Once she didn’t make it, the emotion evaporated. I’m going to get the processing wrong at first and be hopelessly inefficient and probably wasteful, but that’s part of learning how to do it. I hope to sell extra pullets when I have them. I think I could get more here than the cost of a bird at the grocery store. The old layers will be tough for me, too. My partner just granted several cockerels immunity, says he’s building them their own pen. Not my feelings but his may not be the biggest concern when the time comes!

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I keep all my roosters, and all but one of them lives in a rooster-only flock.

 

[0wen]

I keep all my roosters, and all but one of them lives in a rooster-only flock.

I don't have a rooster only flock, but love roosters. I get that most in this thread are torn on killing hens because of the eggs, but from a psychological point of view, roosters - especially when young, are the most personable birds in my flock. My only current rooster in my chicken coop is by far, my favorite bird.

Not so much on the quail side - they're all equally stupid
I do keep then hens for eggs, but as they age out (it happens quick with coturnix) they'll go the the table as well.

 

[Cryss]

Do I understand you plan to eat these culled birds? I know nothing about your proposed method. Is it safe to eat after such exposure? I'd like to know more, and some safey info.

Mind you, this is theory because I haven't put it into use yet. But have started building a set-up similar to the one in this link. Not as pricey, pretty, or shiny - but essentially a budget model. It doesn't need to be chrome with spinners to do the job afterall.

As far as reducing stress on the birds;

First I plan on culling in batches in the evening. The quail obviously don't go to roost, but they tend to settle down quite a bit at least after dusk. Each batch I do, I'll move them into a holding cage the day prior. Building my CAK chamber to be able to hold said cage so that I can just slide the cage into the chamber.

I'll pre-load the chamber with the gas. Some will obviously escape when loading the cage, but it should still house enough that a refill should be quick. I imagine the quail to go quickly from size estimate alone. For chickens, I guess it's simple math as I won't be loading as many chickens in the chamber at a time. I expect to cull fewer than 2 dozen chickens this summer, but imagine the quail could reach many dozen.

Realistically, I don't know that the CAK system is better/easier/more efficient than wringing but I also don't know that it is less so (for the birds). It may be easier in that it's less individual work for me, and potentially less mentally taxing in that you're not extinguishing each individual bird in your hands. I hope that's the case, but obviously won't use a flawed machine if its apparent that it is prolonging the procedure. What I can do, is post about my findings here later this summer and share the designs for the system if it appears to be practical.

I came across this a while back, and was sort of a loose inspiration for the CAK system. Viewer warning, the video shows the euthanasia of a pig via inert gas, do not watch if you don't want to see it..