To Cull or not to Cull

[MetalFarm]

I have two welsummers coming up on one year old. Neither one of them had ever laid. One of them has a legg injury and limos bad (mareks?) Just to make sure they don't lay I isolated them from the flock. It's been 5 days and nothing. They're in the garage giving me a smelly headache. We're leaving town tomorrow for 5 days. I feel sorry for them at this point. Are they ever going to lay or should I just out them and myself out of our misery???

 

[MetalFarm]

That's *limps bad not limos

 

[MetalFarm]

*put them not out them sorry for the typos I'm using my phone

 

[MetalFarm]

More info on these chickens.... I got them at 20 weeks. They're now 48 or 50 weeks. The supplier said they were vaccinated for Mareks. I'm guessing the limp is just an injury. But will they ever lay?

 

[BriskRooster]

well, personally i wouldn't kill a hen because of a limp, we have a hen named stripe, one of her legs has scissored under it and she is very happy and FAT and gets around just fine, and i wouldn't kill mine when they stop laying, we have a whole paddock for them if they stop laying they can just live out their lives,i f you really don't want hens that don't lay i would sell the one that doesn't lay that is not lame as a pet to someone and keep the lame one and just let it live.

 

[BriskRooster]

i don't know if they will ever lay but i would say its just a leg injury

 

[donrae]

This is a personal decision and no one on the internet can tell you what's best to do for your situation. You'll have folks who keep birds as pets forever come on saying you absolutely can't kill one of those hens, ever....and you'll have the birds are livestock folks saying you need to cull any nonproductive or low producing bird ASAP. There's tons of ground between, also

I'm more toward the livestock camp, and I don't care to keep freeloaders. I also wouldn't want to bother with butchering two hens of that size, so I'd try to give them away first, with full disclosure on the not laying. You'd be surprised what folks want to "rescue"! That's just cause I hate butchering, though...if it's not that big a deal to you, feel free. They're your birds at this point and you'll make the best decision for your management style.