Tomorrow is supposed to be his last day.....

[SueT]

@Jamie Molihan you ended up creating a support group for those of us who can't bear to kill our cockerels.... probably not what you were expecting, but anyway, thank you....

 

[Jamie Molihan]

You wouldnt be human if it didnt hurt. I was gave a couple of them as chicks and as you say , they had great personality and very friendly. I waited too long. From its weight the meat was bruised /green and not eatable. He would have died soon anyway. Thats why they are born, to die. I swore I would never accept another and I havent. There are other breeds that suit my needs fine. I have ate my own chickens plenty times But not this breed. I guess what Im saying is he is already there. I wouldnt let it be for no reason.

You are so kind, thank you. I won’t ever do it again, not these guys... thankyou for the hugs.

 

[Jamie Molihan]

You don't have to end his life. His life will be shorter, but if you cut back on his feed he may live a few years.

The other side of the coin is if you eat meat it comes from some animal. Knowing who you are eating can be hard. It's one reason I'm a vegetarian.

Do what your heart tells you to do. I know I'm no help.

You are a help.

 

[Jamie Molihan]

@Jamie Molihan you ended up creating a support group for those of us who can't bear to kill our cockerels.... probably not what you were expecting, but anyway, thank you....

Definitely not what I was expecting, but I am so glad to know that I am not alone. My husband and I are plotting on how to keep him. I am still unsure, there are so many reasons to both sides of this. Maybe I can call my uncle and have him do it....

 

[Austradork1819]

I'm sorry to be "that guy", but I think you should follow through. It will get easier with each one. The problem is you got just one. It became a pet. You have to detach from "meat animals". It is fresh, safe and healthy protien. It will be easier when you process a larger number of birds. In my opinion, it's better to provide your family with healthy protien, than to painfully extend an animal's life for your own selfish guilt.

 

[Jamie Molihan]

Thank you all so much, this means the world to me.

 

[SueT]

Definitely not what I was expecting, but I am so glad to know that I am not alone. My husband and I are plotting on how to keep him. I am still unsure, there are so many reasons to both sides of this. Maybe I can call my uncle and have him do it....

I was going to suggest you find someone to do it for you.

 

[Jamie Molihan]

I'm sorry to be "that guy", but I think you should follow through. It will get easier with each one. The problem is you got just one. It became a pet. You have to detach from "meat animals". It is fresh, safe and healthy protien. It will be easier when you process a larger number of birds. In my opinion, it's better to provide your family with healthy protien, than to painfully extend an animal's life for your own selfish guilt.

You don’t have to apologize for being that guy, you aren’t being mean or disrespectful, you are handing me the truth...which is what I asked for. Of course you are right, I did this to myself, and I made him into a pet. I know that following through with this would help me, by either growing into my own sustainability or as a hard life lesson. It’s just..well, I have killed a pet before, my son’s turtle. I accidentally boiled him (his name was Aurthur), that was over a decade ago and I still have flashbacks of trying to convince my adult son that his one year old turtle died of old age. I am afraid of feeling like that again...a dirty pet murderer.

 

[llombardo]

I wouldn't be able to do it. I would pardon this one and learn what not to do on the next one. Now this of course might not mean much from someone that couldn't even consider it to begin with....

 

[techbsmith]

It's not easy .. and it's not something that everyone can do. We raise dual purpose birds here and expect to cull the extra cockerels and pullets - tho, we made a decision to try to raise our own birds for both meat, and for eggs. The enjoyment of raising them is a bonus.

I tend to be a bit stand-offish to those I know are going into the freezer-camp. I don't treat them as pets and that makes it a bit easier. It also helps for me that I grew up with a lot of family and friends who owned farms, so I've castrated animals, slaughtered animals, and processed them.

You have to decide if it's something you can follow through with. If you feel it's going to cause more emotional distress than it's worth - you have to do what you need to do for yourself. That being said, if it's strictly a meat bird and you know it's not going to have a long life anyway - maybe you could get someone to take him and do it? If not, that's cool as well - so many people don't realize there's a very harsh reality to slaughtering animals that you have raised.