Struggling with killing a chicken

[sdm111]

It's true. I placed the carcass outside (temporarily) where I was working on the barn, and all the hens came by to see it. They muttered some but didn't seem too upset, and moved on.

They're still a chicken. They're not that advanced they move on

 

[SourRoses]

Don't let anyone make you feel guilty. You were defending your animals and that's a normal human instinct. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to keep livestock for millennia.
The big takeaway, I think, is that once a rooster shows you who he is, believe him. He was never going to get along with others. That should make future culling decisions easier.

 

[BelovedBirds]

It wasn't in anger, but I thought (incorrectly) I might be able to teach it to stay away from the other roosters. I have 5 purebred roosters in the larger barn, and all the other hens (and a few cockerels) are in their private garage/coop. This sixth rooster, whom I spoke about in another thread, was bred by my flock last summer. I gave him to a neighbor as a chick, and for whatever circumstances, he exited that neighbor's property a few weeks ago, as an adult rooster, and I received calls from other neighbors saying they saw one of my roosters running in the street. I was able to catch him and bring him to my property, but he immediately started beating up my peaceful roosters and cockerels among the hens (yes drawing blood on their waddles). I put him in a dog crate for two weeks in the larger barn with the other adult roosters, but he beat them up too through the wire. I just didn't have enough cages for all the special needs animals (this rooster and my adolescent Anatolian shepherd).

I believe I may have read this backstory, in an earlier thread perhaps? Thats a really sad outcome if so, that sucks.
I think roosters can be trained, but I still dont think that was the way to do it- but its good that this wasnt done in anger.

I get the feeling of wanting to protect an animal from being attacked, and sometimes the instinct is to act quickly and roughly. But in my experience, the best thing you can do is take a breath and think of a way to break it up. The most relatable experience I can think of, is when my elderly dog was attacked. My initial reaction was to grab and hit the attacker, but she was huge and pure muscle. Sometimes squirting with water can work, but there isnt always a hose etc and if theyre in that kill mode it wont do much by that point.

After the ordeal (long struggle) she eventually let go and I used the rest of my strength to throw her outside. I researched like crazy after that, and found methods that work without inflicting too much pain or risk to the people trying to help.

I guess my point is, use this bad situation, research, and find better ways to break up the fight, and get any aggressive birds off. And maybe be more careful, letting the roo out with the others to start with, knowing he was aggressive, wasnt a great decision. It would have been better to move him someplace else temporarily.
I don't know the full situation, I'm just giving my 2 cents about what Ive heard. So please dont feel judged, I'm sure you know much more about this than I do. I just feel it wasnt dealt with in the best way. When these terrible accidents and losses happen, the best thing we can do is learn from it.

 

[BelovedBirds]

And I do agree with what some of the others have said, it does sound like this was the lesser evil in this situation. He was hurting the other birds, so in the scheme of things it probably worked out for the best. Since theres no telling whether or not you could have prevented this in a different way, and no one can say for sure whether or not he could have even been trained.

Please dont feel like Im trying to make you feel guilty, Im really not.

 

[goats-n-oats]

Don't let anyone make you feel guilty. You were defending your animals and that's a normal human instinct. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to keep livestock for millennia.
The big takeaway, I think, is that once a rooster shows you who he is, believe him. He was never going to get along with others. That should make future culling decisions easier.

I just wonder if I should have just left him outside. I basically killed him by bringing him into my barn.

 

[1cock2hens]

I just wonder if I should have just left him outside. I basically killed him by bringing him into my barn.

You may have honestly, I have many roosters that are part gamefowl running around 100% free range, they have the room to get away from each other so when things get heated they can always get away. They figured out there pecking order and it's peaceful here more or less

 

[Apis mellifera]

It's true. I placed the carcass outside (temporarily) where I was working on the barn, and all the hens came by to see it. They muttered some but didn't seem too upset, and moved on.

They muttered "Is it edible?'. Anytime I process extra roos free rangers look for scraps.

 

[McChooky]

Cull them soon as they show aggression for peace of mind . The broomstick method is preferred by those who can't bear the sight of blood.

 

[kodster]

This is what I needed to read today! I have 13 barely laying (not laying at all right now) chickens and I need to thin the flock so I can add more in the spring. I do not eat meat.

The 3 oldest will be 6 in the spring and they have retirement plans so I need to figure out who goes. The mean one is first.

Edited to add: looks like the bobcat made the first two decisions for me, I am down to 11. I have seen it on the cameras at night but it did not worry me, apparently it came back for a daytime feast.

Don't thin! They're not laying because they're spending their energy on staying warm, surviving the winter. The daylight hours they need, to keep laying, have shortened. It's seasonal, completely natural for them to not lay during the season where it would not be best for chicks to survive, if they were laying in the wild (chickens actually are a wild bird species that has been domesticated). The time for the chicks will be in the spring, for them to start laying again. This is completely NORMAL! Yea, they're being free-loaders for now, but this is common. So, don't thin your flock, thinking you can add later on, and then have to wait for the new chicks to come of laying age, which, again, would put you in a shortened laying season before they become free-loaders again for the winter.

 

[kodster]

It wasn't in anger, but I thought (incorrectly) I might be able to teach it to stay away from the other roosters. I have 5 purebred roosters in the larger barn, and all the other hens (and a few cockerels) are in their private garage/coop. This sixth rooster, whom I spoke about in another thread, was bred by my flock last summer. I gave him to a neighbor as a chick, and for whatever circumstances, he exited that neighbor's property a few weeks ago, as an adult rooster, and I received calls from other neighbors saying they saw one of my roosters running in the street. I was able to catch him and bring him to my property, but he immediately started beating up my peaceful roosters and cockerels among the hens (yes drawing blood on their waddles). I put him in a dog crate for two weeks in the larger barn with the other adult roosters, but he beat them up too through the wire. I just didn't have enough cages for all the special needs animals (this rooster and my adolescent Anatolian shepherd).

He was just trying to establish his place in the roo pecking order. They have a pecking order, too, like the hens do. He was new to the flock, and they already had an established pecking order, which is why they were peaceful with each other, until he came along. That's why he was being aggressive. But things happen. Let it go, move on.

When I have to cull roos because they're being too aggressive with me, or each other, they find their way into the freezer camp.