What to do with too many roos

[sonew123]

Quote:
You can do it, you are stronger than you know!

darn straight.... right??? I dont want to do it I HAVE TO DO IT!!! I have my own set up that DH made me -chopping block-hatchet-shears-knives-whizbang he made me-pot for boiling and everything-killing cones too-It would take me about 7 hours solo to do about 30 birds usually 4 an hour. I pick a day that the wind is not blowing-start a huge bonfire pit-get everything else ready and one by one I process-feathers and guts go in fire the rest get processed. I dont get covered in blood a few drops here or there. I just go out into my acreage and grab 1 roo at a time. once I do the first one its easy peasy from that point on.. I dont enjoy it at all-I say a little prayer to each roo and thank them for being awesome and apologize then do what I need to do quickly...It is very rewarding in the end. It will be this year I can tell you that much!!!

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
You can do it, you are stronger than you know!

Thanks for the vote of confidence but I am a sorry sad sack of NOTHING. Let me tell you how pitiful I am......True story..... I had a Ram sheep that I got when he was only a couple of months old. I had him for a few years. He was spoiled rotten. He would eat out of my hand, come running when I called his name, stand up on his back legs and put his front legs/hoof on my shoulders (like a large dog would), rubbed up against me when I went to feed him, etc., etc., etc.

Well................... he was so spoiled and I was so close to him, that he evidently thought that I was another ram. He started head butting me. He would do this when I was walking out in the chicken yard and he was behind me. He would head butt my legs, my stomach, my back. etc. He started to do this to my family when they would come to visit. It was getting to the point where I didn't trust him. I was afraid to walk in front of him for fear that he would head butt me and I would fall on the ground and become unconscious and he would possibly kill me. Well, I couldn't sell him or give him to anyone because I didn't want to give my problem to someone else. If I would have given him to someone and later on found out that he killed that person, I wouldn't have been able to live with myself. I reached out to so many people who had other sheep who had the same problem. I typed so many posts on different sites, begging for help because I DID NOT want to slaughter him. Everyone said the same thing. They said that because of his aggressive behavior that he would eventually KILL me or someone else.

So the final straw was when he head butted a relative into a chain link dog kennel and my relative had a knot on his head due to this ram head butting him against the metal pipe. Well unfortunately, that same day, JR Boy (that was his name) was sent to the slaughter house. I cried like a big ole baby.

I wasn't the one who took him but I still cried knowing what was going to happen to my Jr Boy. Well, a couple of days later, I had to go to the slaughter house to let the butcher know how I wanted the meat cut. As soon as they brought out his carcass, I burst out crying. So there was I - a grown woman crying in the butcher's shop. My cousin ordered me to return to my truck and to stay there until I stopped crying. So I finally stopped crying and went back inside so that the butcher could cut the meat. I started crying again but I tried my best to hold it in so that I could talk to the butcher. As soon as the cutting was over, I ran to the truck and burst out crying again. Needless to say, I learned that day, how pitiful and weak I really am when it comes to processing my own animals. I was depressed for weeks but when I realized that I had about 100lbs of lamb meat in my freezer, I felt a little better. Also I felt better, knowing that I was still alive and my aggressive ram was not able to hurt anyone again or kill anyone. So there ya go...... I'm pitiful, so I know that I couldn't personally cull a chicken.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
You can do it, you are stronger than you know!

darn straight.... right??? I dont want to do it I HAVE TO DO IT!!! I have my own set up that DH made me -chopping block-hatchet-shears-knives-whizbang he made me-pot for boiling and everything-killing cones too-It would take me about 7 hours solo to do about 30 birds usually 4 an hour. I pick a day that the wind is not blowing-start a huge bonfire pit-get everything else ready and one by one I process-feathers and guts go in fire the rest get processed. I dont get covered in blood a few drops here or there. I just go out into my acreage and grab 1 roo at a time. once I do the first one its easy peasy from that point on.. I dont enjoy it at all-I say a little prayer to each roo and thank them for being awesome and apologize then do what I need to do quickly...It is very rewarding in the end. It will be this year I can tell you that much!!!

I cried just reading your post. I imagined me processing them.

I'M PITIFUL !!!!!!

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
You can do it, you are stronger than you know!

Thanks for the vote of confidence but I am a sorry sad sack of NOTHING. Let me tell you how pitiful I am......True story..... I had a Ram sheep that I got when he was only a couple of months old. I had him for a few years. He was spoiled rotten. He would eat out of my hand, come running when I called his name, stand up on his back legs and put his front legs/hoof on my shoulders (like a large dog would), rubbed up against me when I went to feed him, etc., etc., etc.

Well................... he was so spoiled and I was so close to him, that he evidently thought that I was another ram. He started head butting me. He would do this when I was walking out in the chicken yard and he was behind me. He would head butt my legs, my stomach, my back. etc. He started to do this to my family when they would come to visit. It was getting to the point where I didn't trust him. I was afraid to walk in front of him for fear that he would head butt me and I would fall on the ground and become unconscious and he would possibly kill me. Well, I couldn't sell him or give him to anyone because I didn't want to give my problem to someone else. If I would have given him to someone and later on found out that he killed that person, I wouldn't have been able to live with myself. I reached out to so many people who had other sheep who had the same problem. I typed so many posts on different sites, begging for help because I DID NOT want to slaughter him. Everyone said the same thing. They said that because of his aggressive behavior that he would eventually KILL me or someone else.

So the final straw was when he head butted a relative into a chain link dog kennel and my relative had a knot on his head due to this ram head butting him against the metal pipe. Well unfortunately, that same day, JR Boy (that was his name) was sent to the slaughter house. I cried like a big ole baby.

I wasn't the one who took him but I still cried knowing what was going to happen to my Jr Boy. Well, a couple of days later, I had to go to the slaughter house to let the butcher know how I wanted the meat cut. As soon as they brought out his carcass, I burst out crying. So there was I - a grown woman crying in the butcher's shop. My cousin ordered me to return to my truck and to stay there until I stopped crying. So I finally stopped crying and went back inside so that the butcher could cut the meat. I started crying again but I tried my best to hold it in so that I could talk to the butcher. As soon as the cutting was over, I ran to the truck and burst out crying again. Needless to say, I learned that day, how pitiful and weak I really am when it comes to processing my own animals. I was depressed for weeks but when I realized that I had about 100lbs of lamb meat in my freezer, I felt a little better. Also I felt better, knowing that I was still alive and my aggressive ram was not able to hurt anyone again or kill anyone. So there ya go...... I'm pitiful, so I know that I couldn't personally cull a chicken.

first, Im so sorry you had to go through that!!you ARE NOT PITIFULL!!!!! you are a sweet caring Momma thats all there is too it-My favorite roo attacked me and everyone around him--not just flogged but ripped into people like a veloceraptor! I hatched him-raised him-held him-he did the dance for me and all was good-then one day I got wacked on the back of my leg-I thought what on earth was that-no blood but it stung bad!!! day by day it got worse-I kept him because everyong loved him and he was a gorgeous daddy for breeding. fast forward 2 more months to mothers day-(2 years ago?) I went down to open the coops and feed and when I wasnt expecting it, I got flogged-not just flogged but he had torn into my calves. They were bleeding profusely from deep gashes he created. I stood there is dissbelief-after I took a second to realize what happened I grabbed him by his legs and went right the never used butcher block and he was gone in about 3 minutes from flogging time. I cried and cried from the pain of both my wounds and his-I KNEW I did the right thing but it did NOT make it easy. I was so sad for days-even while I was bandaging my legs everyday and cleaning the wounds. Thats where it started for me. I do not get attached to roos anymore. The minute I figure out what sex they, are I distance myself as I dont know what the outcome will be for them:-( That is what works for me-this is just me though-I dont know how others typically do it. I feel sorry for them but at the same time I know how they were raised and they had a great life while here. That makes me happy and it makes things alot easier when the time comes to process. you can do it-if you need to have someone who isnt emotionally or physically involved with your birds to do the "deed" and you process. Then eventually, it should get easier and you will eventually be able to do the deed yourself...

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

You can do it! You are not pitiful.



The love for you ram, I totally understand.

 

[Reg]

When your hens finish laying do you eat them too ?

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
no..thery can stay and retire with me-they've earned it to me. I have a few hens that are older and I dont think 2 of them have laid an egg in 8 months??? I would only put one down if something was seriously wrong with them that I could not fix...

 

[Reg]

Quote:
no..thery can stay and retire with me-they've earned it to me. I have a few hens that are older and I dont think 2 of them have laid an egg in 8 months??? I would only put one down if something was seriously wrong with them that I could not fix...

Thats great if you have loads of birds but if you only have 4 of the same age & eggs have all finished they have to be replaced.

Do they go in the bin or do peoples eat them ?

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Quote:
no..thery can stay and retire with me-they've earned it to me. I have a few hens that are older and I dont think 2 of them have laid an egg in 8 months??? I would only put one down if something was seriously wrong with them that I could not fix...

Thats great if you have loads of birds but if you only have 4 of the same age & eggs have all finished they have to be replaced.

Do they go in the bin or do peoples eat them ?

With a hen, I would most likely make pot pies, chicken soup and stock with her. Older hens/roosters who have actually lived a few years and run around have super flavor - much richer than a year old bird.


I have not yet eaten any of my girls, even my older girls - 4 yrs - are laying fairly well - they may take a couple weeks longer to re-start laying after a molt, but really I do not mind. They also are fantastic bug control and help me with weeds.

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
no..thery can stay and retire with me-they've earned it to me. I have a few hens that are older and I dont think 2 of them have laid an egg in 8 months??? I would only put one down if something was seriously wrong with them that I could not fix...

Thats great if you have loads of birds but if you only have 4 of the same age & eggs have all finished they have to be replaced.

Do they go in the bin or do peoples eat them ?

it's my personal choice not to eat them

I havent been in the position yet that I have 25+ biddy hens of non laying age I guess Ill see when the time comes?? I couldnt eat them though because the hens I choose to keep for their whole lives turn into true pets to me...I only have a handfull that I couldnt part with/sell so I hope I dont have that happening to me in a few years