Processing Day Support Group ~ HELP us through the Emotions PLEASE!

[jajeanpierre]

I actually did rehome my Ameraucana rooster to a 'good home'. Lady had three easter eggers and wanted a man around the house for them. She works at Tractor Supply and spent two weeks building him a separate coop. Pretty sure he's not going to be eaten soon.

I have eaten two of my roosters, but this guy was too good looking and well mannered to eat.

But I totally agree..... most of those 'free to good home' just end up in a pot, unless it's an exceptional bird... anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional.

I rehomed a really nice blue Wheaten Ameraucana cockerel to my neighbor. She needed another rooster and I was happy for him to live with her well cared for flock than to end up in my pot. He was a very well bred bird and a really nice representative of the breed, bred by one of the best Ameraucana breeders in the US. I didn't want him because I decided I didn't want to work with the Wheaten color, that I wanted to work with the blue/black/splash colors. I was pretty upset to find out she gave him away to someone else because there was just a bit too much testosterone in her yard with him added. She never even offered him back to me! I would have taken him back in a heart beat and used him on my wheaten pullet, maybe even kept him. He was a really nice bird and I'm not as enamored with the splash Ameraucana cockerel I kept instead of him. Now, who knows where he ended up. I wasn't happy about that.

 

[katbriar]

I think the most upsetting advice I ever got about  what to do with my unwanted Silkie cockerels was to just set them free.  I was told that the birds will hang around for a few days and then just go away.  I couldn't believe someone who loved their cockerels too much to humanely dispatch them themselves could do that to their birds.  They deceived even themselves over what happened to their birds.

Oh, wow. That stuns me that someone both tell you that and BELIEVE it, too.

 

[jajeanpierre]

I've never obtained a single animal in this world with the thought in my mind, "Oh, well, might want to get more than I need so I'll have plenty left over in case I can't keep them from dying."

Well I buy five times the number of chicks I want just so I'll get the one pullet, but that's a little different. No, I can't abide by neglect and poor husbandry. I either take good care of them or I eat them.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Oh, wow. That stuns me that someone both tell you that and BELIEVE it, too.

Silkie people. Some are a bit out of touch with reality. They advertise their cockerels in Craig's List for $5 when the going rate for a Silkie in the grocery story is $30 to $40 and then go crazy that I slaughter my unwanted cockerels.

 

[BCMaraniac]

I think the most upsetting advice I ever got about what to do with my unwanted Silkie cockerels was to just set them free. I was told that the birds will hang around for a few days and then just go away. I couldn't believe someone who loved their cockerels too much to humanely dispatch them themselves could do that to their birds. They deceived even themselves over what happened to their birds.

A lady I know had young cockerels, and asked me if I wanted them. At the time, I did not have any chickens, and had not dispatched them. I found out after the fact that her husband had taken them to the woods and turned them loose, knowing that predators would kill them, and she was fine with that. She said she couldn't bear to butcher them.

 

[jajeanpierre]

A lady I know had young cockerels, and asked me if I wanted them. At the time, I did not have any chickens, and had not dispatched them. I found out after the fact that her husband had taken them to the woods and turned them loose, knowing that predators would kill them, and she was fine with that. She said she couldn't bear to butcher them.

Nice, ripped to bits, maybe even eaten while alive. All because she couldn't stomach making the decision, instead letting Mother Nature make it for her. You know, I really detest people who think like that.

 

[Beekissed]

Yep...like in this vid. The rooster is still very much alive, though in shock....it's a brief picture of what happens but still very much real life.

And another little clip to show how easy it is to catch a chicken when they are in a coop and run situation...and I've seen many, many fences just like this one being used in this area.

And how free range chickens can escape....but if cornered in a pen or run are dead meat....

And a hawk killing a chicken.....seems to be free ranging without any guardian animal and the people seem pretty okay with watching their bird get killed in front of them.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Yep...like in this vid. The rooster is still very much alive, though in shock....it's a brief picture of what happens but still very much real life.



And another little clip to show how easy it is to catch a chicken when they are in a coop and run situation...and I've seen many, many fences just like this one being used in this area.



And how free range chickens can escape....but if cornered in a pen or run are dead meat....



And a hawk killing a chicken.....seems to be free ranging without any guardian animal and the people seem pretty okay with watching their bird get killed in front of them.

Bee, I was having a nice day until those videos!!!!

Who in their right mind would just sit there calmly filming one of their chickens being killed by a hawk. I believe that was a Coopers hawk. They way they kill is to just sink their talons into the bird's body and hopefully puncture an air sac. They hold the bird away from them so they don't get hurt. A falcon is a lot kinder. They have a special notch and they bite the bird's spinal cord just behind the head.

The first video was also disturbing. Who the heck would video a rooster getting killed by a fox and not do something about it, but be able to find a camera to film it. What kind of person does that? I'm all for not interfering with wildlife making a living off other WILDLIFE, but a chicken is livestock and not part of the natural food chain of foxes.

 

[Beekissed]

I know...tough to watch. I don't know what I would do at that point seeing as how both animals were pretty damaged already. I'd be conflicted about it...do I stop the kill and then the bird goes to waste and I have to kill it to put it out of its misery...or do I let nature happen because it's already started? Tough, tough call. I've never been in that situation before so I don't know what I would do.

 

[Tomtommom]

Silkies are so fluffy, they quickly fall into 'adorable fluffy animal' territory and get all the bleeding heart animal keepers. Too soft to do what is required when keeping chickens.

When I get chicks I get a few extra to account for roosters. I never account for 'possible deaths'.. that's just craziness. That said, I have never lost a bird *knock on wood*. I've had two attacked by a hawk.

First attack I heard, but did not witness. Came outside to find an explosion of white feathers. I surely thought she was gone, but found her all shook up, hiding. Took me 2-3 months to get her patched up, but she's back to laying even. At the time I thought I had to cull her, but for a bird to survive an attack and then for me to turn around and kill her anyway... kind of felt like betrayal. Glad neither me or her gave up. She's my tamest bird now.



Second time around I was in my kitchen, heard something, look out the backdoor and saw the hawk wrestling with the chicken. Ran out, scared him off. He had gone for my biggest bird and was unable to pick her up

There was a trail of feathers, where he had tried to lift her, but she had kept running, hawk on her back.... I tried to patch her up myself, but she's not very tame and would put up a fight every time. Eventually we gave up, returned her to the flock and figured we'd just observe and see if it healed. Suprisingly she healed just fine, very quickly... went through a molt, still growing her feathers back though... she had more trouble with the social aspect as she got bumped down in ranks. She was one of the top birds, now she's bottom bird. Funny enough, my first hawk attacked bird is looking after her... she would roost next to her, and be real gentle with her, while the others were ugly to her.

Chickens are fascinating to me. I could ramble on for hours!