To cull or not to cull?

[Buff Oreo]

I personally will never kill a chicken unless it is in an extreme amount of pain. all of my chickens will live their lives out in my coop. [even if it means expanding] what do you think? do you cull your flocks or not?

 

[mommissan]

I culled all but one rooster. I plan to keep the girls straight through retirement, to their death. I will add an occasional few to keep the egg supply going. I'll just keep adding coops.....

Dang that chicken math!

 

[BairleaFarm]

I dont have a problem culling. If they cant make me money they cant stay. If i cant give them away I eat them them. When they hens start to lay less than par I sell them. If they dont sell I turn them to stew.

 

[Buff Oreo]

i cant agree... i mean i love my chicks like i would love my kids if i had any. would you kill your grandma because she is old? shes not laying eggs!

 

[<3 N.C Chicken Chick <3]

I don't like the idea, after years of service to you for fresh eggs, and happiness, of you being sceen as part of their flock, there care giver, the FUD PERSON, I can not a perfectly healthy chicken. If my birds are in awful pain, and were dying then I would end their suffering.
If they are not suffering, no kill. You could give them to an large farm for free range if you really need the space. Or to an family who wants a pet.

To each their own

 

[donrae]

This has been discussed soooo many times.

 

[al6517]

I do cull and cull often and very hard, I start my culling process from day old chicks fresh from the incubator and that continues until they are young adults. very young birds get culled for color issues, or deformities such as spraddle leg, Hen's and roosters get culled for different reasons, but all of them are personaly selected for desirable breeding traits, any bird not having certain qualities get's culled, period no questions asked, no exceptions for any reason. It isn't fair to let inferior stock out into the general population for any reason and further degrade the bloodlines of that breed. IMHO culling preserves breeds.

 

[emvickrey]

I NEVER kill a bird because it's performing under par or it's the wrong sex. Or it don't meet my standards to keep for breeding or showing. I'll sell or give them away first. If I can't sell them here at the farm or give them away I take them to the livestock auction. That is the last resort to rehome. They get sold for either practically nothing or for lots. Doesn't really matter as long as they have a new home with somebody that wants them enough to pay for them.

I never sell chicks around Easter either. Most of those end up dead by chicken illiterate people or eaten by the family cat or dog, stepped on or sat on, lost or killed by some other mishap.

The only time I kill a chicken is as a chick if it's deformed so severly it is suffering or will live a short life and pecked to death by another chicken or chick. It may as well go to chicken heaven as a baby instead suffer any. If a bird gets injured beyond what I can repair, DH gets the honors of putting it out of it's misery.


I DO kill quail. I raise them for meat for us. They have to die to be processed to be cooked. I make it very quick. No need to torture.

 

[BairleaFarm]

Quote:
Thats the difference between people like you and people like me. We have chickens for different reasons. You like them as pets I like them for meat and eggs. Some people are hard core breeders and others are somewhere in the middle. The good thing about this is there is no right answer.

 

[bobbi-j]

To each his own. To the "I'll never cull or kill my pets" people, good for you. I'm sure your chickens will live long, happy lives. We can't all do that. For those who regularly trim their flocks by culling, killing, rehoming or whatever - good for you, too. We all need to manage our flocks in ways that suit us without being judgemental of one another. Now to address some specific statements:

would you kill your grandma because she is old? shes not laying eggs!

No I would not kill my grandma and yes, she is old (96), but she is a human being. Not a bird. My grandma's purpose in life has never been to supply my family with eggs. If she were ever to become incapacited, or "non-productive" we would still take care of her. Again, because she's a human. Not a bird.

I can not "cull" or murder an perfectly healthy chicken.

"Cull" and "murder" are two entirely different things. Look them up.

No suffer, no kill. You could give them to an large farm for free range if you really need the space. Or to an family who wants a pet.

They don't suffer if you kill them right. They never know what happened. Out here in farm country, animals serve a purpose. I couldn't pay people to take my non-productive birds out here. If someone were to take them, it would be for food. It's reality.

I DO kill quail. I raise them for meat for us. They have to die to be processed to be cooked. I make it very quick. No need to torture.

How is this different from those who kill chickens? It's very quick and pain-free for them, too. I happen to think quail are cute little birds. I'd be more likely to keep them for pets and kill the chickens. (I don't have quail because it would serve no purpose, except to have birds around to feed and look at)