What does Cull mean?

[Badchickenpun]

Ok, dumb question.
On FB, a person just said to cull mean to just remove a bird from your flock, not to necessarily kill?
I hate when terms have multiple meanings, or when people arbitrarily change meanings...
What say you?

 

[JedJackson]

It usually means kill, but it can also just mean removing the bird from the breeding flock. Depends on context.

 

[FunClucks]

IMO, it can have either meaning. But generally on this forum, it just means remove the bird from the flock. Have to look at the context to see if it means to kill. Culling (killing) is generally reserved for birds that are sick and not able/likely to recover, or for birds with severe attitude issues that make them dangerous to humans. But culling (removal from flock) can be done for any reason the flock owner deems appropriate.

Rehoming a bird with an attitude issue (culling) is generally not advised, since they could hurt the new owners. In that case, most recommend sending the bird to freezer camp (killing and eating) instead.

Chickens can be both pets and food. When an animal is culled for any reason other than illness, if I have to kill it, I'll try to eat it in order to show gratitude and respect.

 

[JedJackson]

You hear of breeders selling their culls sometimes. These birds are alive, but weren't considered suitable for breeding or showing.

Aart is right, when someone says they are culling a sick or aggressive bird, that generally means the birds are killed.

 

[Isadora]

Per the dictionary, it means a "selective slaughter", as in you are deliberately weeding out birds to kill for a specific reason.
I use it myself in that way but see many chicken keepers use it as "remove from the flock", and what the removal method actually means depends on the situation.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Per the dictionary, it means a "selective slaughter", as in you are deliberately weeding out birds to kill for a specific reason.
I use it myself in that way but see many chicken keepers use it as "remove from the flock", and what the removal method actually means depends on the situation.

(p.s. what a cute little Titmouse I haven't seen one in years...)

 

[fluffycrow]

Cull can mean many things. When referring to culled birds, we mean birds we have sold/given away, removed from the breeding program, or killed. Depending on what meaning of cull you're going for, you can cull a bird for not meeting its breeds criteria, for being overly aggressive, for not doing well in your flock, for being too sick, or for not meeting your personal criteria

 

[Isadora]

(p.s. what a cute little Titmouse I haven't seen one in years...)

One of my favorite birds.

 

[WingsysRoost]

I've heard it described as either a soft cull or a hard cull.

A soft cull just means removal from the flock. The bird is still alive.

A hard cull means the bird is killed. Usually, this can be due to illness, injury, or severe behavior issues (such as aggressive roosters), but can potentially be for other reasons depending on the person using the term.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Ok, dumb question.
On FB, a person just said to cull mean to just remove a bird from your flock, not to necessarily kill?
I hate when terms have multiple meanings, or when people arbitrarily change meanings...
What say you?

It only means to remove from a flock. Be that killing, selling or moving to a different flock.

Most people remove birds by killing them