What do you do with your culls?

[cashdl]

Here is what I do. I sell what I can as youngsters, I keep the rest to grow out and eat later. I also have a lady that buys my birds that are between 6 months and 1 year for eating. If I end up with too many culls, more than I can eat, I give the processed meat to friends and family. It is always appreciated. If you don't want to process them yourself you can check with local butcher shops and see if they will buy older birds.

There are lots of options.

I understand about not killing them yourself. When ever a bird has to be put down because it is sick or hurt, my brother in law steps in for me. I have a crew that comes out and process's my birds for me.

Lanae

 

[Barred Rocks forever]

you could possibly capon the roos if you dont think it takes up to much time https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=2489274 that way you could grow them out and they wont breed with your birds and the extra hens would probably go well at a livestock auction out of curiosity what breeds are you useing ?

 

[Gypsy07]

They are Marsh Daisys. It's a breed that nearly died out in the 1970s and there were so few left that to save them, different colours had to be bred together. Now they don't breed true and you have to hatch loads of them to get any half decent ones. I've been keeping them for a while but have only just started breeding them. Thanks for your ideas.

 

[Barred Rocks forever]

very cool nice that your helping out a rare breed the caponing thing may help you not sure if its legal in your area though

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

How would it not be legal? It's no different than castrating a pig. Well, except for the whole "internal" thing.

 

[Barred Rocks forever]

rod i beleve its illegal in the UK not gonna say anymore cuz i dont want to get off topic
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[phasianidae]

I raise all my culls to anywhere from 18- 30 weeks old and then I eat them.

 

[DreamcatcherAcres]

I recommend selling to a feedstore or advertize on craigslist. Dont kill them, honestly I would wait till they were older to decide who to sell off. Its just like rabbits, many dont want to take the time to raise to see what you have. Some breeders kick themselves because they get pic of their sold stock and they turned out very nice. I would wait.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

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OH. I hadn't consider the "other-side-of-the-pond" laws!

 

[6Happiness]

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I had to go back and re-read your original post because I didn't remember reading those sentiments... then I realised what your location was, and figured it out. I never heard the word "scrag", and wasn't "iffy" about what "softy" meant- but as it was followed with the option of raising them to eat for dinner... my brain assumed that killing/eating/using-as-feeders was OK, and "scrag" must have meant something the opposite there of... Like putting them up for auction or something.
I am sorry for what suggestions of mine may have upset you. I think this was a result of a translation error; British English verses American English.