What do you do with your culls?

[Gypsy07]

I'm going to be doing quite a bit of selective breeding this year. From what I've hatched so far, it looks like I'll be able to discard a quarter of the chicks as soon as they hatch, and then another half or so once they get to about a month old. At the ens of the day, I think I'll probably be keeping less than one in ten to breed from. I'm going to have a LOT of excess chicks and birds. And I was just wondering what everyone else does with their culls...

I really don't think I could scrag day-old chicks. They're just too cute and I know how hard they've worked to hatch out. Call me a big softy but there it is... So I can either raise them to eat, keep them but make sure I don't breed from them, or find them nice homes in other peoples' pet flocks. What would everyone recommend?

 

[kfchickenlady]

Do whatever you feel comfortable with, but it seem culling that many before they fully feather out as adults is premature, just MO. ?

 

[ginasmarans]

If you have a local place you can set up(feed store,flea market) sell them there for whatever you can get. You can always advertize craig's list and if all else fails, go to Freecycle. You can't charge for them,but you should get rid of them quickly.

 

[syble]

i specifically picked dual purpose breeds so we wouldn't have a hard time dealing with culls, we'll just send them to freezer camp when they're big enough. Chicks are easy enough to rehome, but try rehoming 50 or so egg laying type roosters! thats a challange and not much to eating. this time round it s all dual purpose breeds!
Sib

 

[jennifersmith326]

I feel you are being a bit harsh and like the other poster said, premature. Try to sell them or if need be, give them to someone. I don't see why you need to just kill them.

I bought about 90 chickens from a guy a few weeks back. I was able to keep what I wanted and I sold all the rest and made a $350 profit from what I sold and included in the 90 was about 25 Roosters. I kept a few and the rest were sold as meat birds since they were only about 6 months old it worked out nicely.

People will take the chicks if you just give them away, I promise you that. I sold 1 week old barnyard mixed chicks for $3 each and there are still people calling me wanting some.

 

[hipeatall]

Sometimes you do know at hatch... say, for example, when you are working on breeding out feathered feet in your stock... or if you are breeding silkies and working on their toes

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I think Craigslist and online forums like this one can be a great way to sell or re-home the chicks you don't want in your breeding program.

 

[lildinkem]

Sell them as layers and not as purebreds. Or don't sell them at all. There is a reason that many breeds in the USA stink, it is those who sell off their purebred culls to people who want to make a buck and have no concern of the integrity of the breed. That brings down the levels of quality across the board in all breeds.

 

[ultasol]

You can sell off the day old chicks as straight run. When older, the girls should have no problem finding a home as laying hens.


With my older excess males that are culls I either eat them myself or I have a friend that enjoys the black boned birds (I raise silkies). After seeing one poultry auction, I wouldn't want to send them there and there aren't any near me anyhow. I get a little meat for myself and they don't go to waste. Many breeders will throw them on the burn pile, but I feel like it is my duty to make sure their life had meaning, corny but true. I would feel terribly guilty otherwise.

 

[Katy]

I sell my culls thru the local poultry auction. Most of the roos end up on somebody's table which is fine by me, I just don't like to butcher ....had enough of that as a kid and the pullets go into somebody's backyard flock.

There are many pretty birds out there.....Just because a bird doesn't meet the standard doesn't mean it's garbage. A bird from breeder's culls or a hatchery can very well be "eye candy" in someone's backyard flock. Across the board the number of people breeding to the standard is very small.

 

[jennifersmith326]

Quote:
I agree, I would never call my birds garbage just because they don't meet a certain group of people's "standards".

They might be able to provide many people with meat and eggs.