OK so I had a rooster that turned really mean. I've tried several of the tactics that people have suggested and they work great for me but not for my 3-year-old son. Two days ago my son had his hand on the run fence and the rooster attacked him and drew blood. Luckily my son wasn't hurt much, just a slice on one finger, but that was enough for me. By the way this was not the first attack on my son but the only one that made physical contact. The rooster was also starting to charge the fence at me when I would go in to feed the ducks too. So today with the help of my hubby we dispatched the rooster and we have both come to the understanding that processing a bird is not for us. I turned white and got light headed and my hubby was sweating buckets. Though we got it done, it is highly likely that neither one of will ever eat it. I know what a waste but I just can't do it. Now I'm wondering about keeping chickens at all. What am I supposed to do with old hens? I don't want to nor do I even think of my chickens as pets. They have a purpose to fill and that was for eggs and meat. I don't know of anyone in my area that can process chickens for me, so I'm stuck. I asked hubby about it and he reminded me about how much money we spent on building the coop. I just said that with some minor alteration and a very very thorough cleaning it could become a "tree house" for our son. He just shrugged his shoulder to that one. The animal welfare is 99% my job, since I'm a stay at home mom. So the final say on animals is mine but I'm so torn on the issue.
Why can't they just be for eggs? No one says you have to eat them yourself. You can advertise to get rid of them when you want. I am facing the same issue with a mean rooster. I think I will feed his meat to the dogs since I feed them a raw food diet. Eventually I would like to process some for my family....but not yet. sharon
Can you offer the birds you don't want to others on Kijiji or Craig's List? Someone may be willing to take and butcher them if you offer them for free. That's what I'll likely do. I would take the meat, but I won't process birds myself.
Processing isn't for everyone. But you can keep the hens until they quit laying and try to give them away after that. There may be someone willing to take them off your hands. Your decision entirely, of course, but I'd keep the hens for the eggs if it were me.
Im not the person that kills my chickens but if I had a crazy rooster I might kill him only cause of anger and use him as meat.. Best thing to do if you dont want to kill your roosters/chickens is just sell them to a livestock auction works for me... My dad can process any kind of animal and not feel sorry and when he want to kill a rooster that I like I just sell him to the auction to aviod it.
Don't try processing till you get hungry. If you're having a pange in the gut and the children or hungry, processing won't be so bad. It's certainly not what I would call a joyful pastime. But it's what it is to get food on the table.
I am sure it does get easier with time. Never will be completely "normal" but will be better. I would suggest trying to eat it though...hee hee who knows he might be so yummy you change your mind
Even though I am a hunter I really don't like it when I have to process one of my own birds. It was especially difficult when the thanksgiving turkey we raised, named, pardoned from t-day dinner grew so large he could not walk and had to be processed. I think I took it worse than anyone. My daughter, who I thought would be the one to really take it hard, when asked how she felt about eating "Tom" said "he would be happy because he is being served with his favorite noodles". I have another nasty rooster that is very soon getting a dinner invite. I really don't want to and have thought about giving him away, but if somebody's going to do the deed.....well it should be me. I am not one to walk away from difficult things in life. There is a lot of wisdom in the saying "what does not kill me only makes me stronger". That saying right there about sums it up.
I learned early on in my animal-raising that I can't name my food. We got a calf from a retired dairy farmer. It was the last one left on the place. My sons named him "Butch". When asked why, they said, "Well, we're going to butcher him anyway, Mom." I'll have to admit I was not sorry to see that animal go. He lived with my horses, and when I took them out he broke through every kind of fence we had him in. My aunt asked me how I could eat him, and I told her that when I think of every fence I had to fix because of that animal, he tasted better and better...
