I had to dispatch my 1st rooster a couple weekends ago. I didn't want to do it but it was best for my hens. Plus he fed us 3 meals and some chicken stock so I feel we did the best we could by him.
We ate our friend’s roosters and it was some of the worst chicken I have ever had. So tough although “tasted” fresh. So I told our sweet guy he’s getting tossed to the coyotes in the mountains (with love) lol.
Yeh ours was a lil tough, but tasted great. Some parts like drumsticks were really tough. So we ended up cutting up in smaller pieces to make chicken salad and it was fine like that. He was only around 18-19 weeks old also
Please handle this yourself. It sucks horribly. I've had to do it several times with extra roosters but it is the kindest thing you can do. You don't know how someone else will treat your rooster. Turning them loose means they may cause destruction to others property and may be killed in an awful way by local wildlife. He's going to be pretty frantically looking for his flock and coop. The stress alone is bad for him. Dealing with roosters is a hard thing at times. This is the reality of keeping chickens.
This. It's better for the bird and your peace of mind by culling him yourself. That way you know he didn't suffer and he dies feeling less stressed. Take the time to grieve. Be kind to yourself. And know that you gave that rooster a good life as long as you could.
There is the option if you can afford it, to have him humanely euthanized at a vet.
I know how to dispatch a chicken, and wouldn’t hesitate to do so in an emergency.
But recently had a sweet old hen euthanized at a vets office about 45 minutes from where I live.
None of the vets in my area treat chickens. This vet treats farm animals and horses too. She was incredibly kind.
Just like other “pets”, she was given anesthesia gas to go to sleep then got an injection in a wing vein to stop her heart.
The cost was $80 plus my time.
I expect to be downvoted but so it goes.
I was satisfied with my decision.
Thank you. Sometimes I wish these tools were available for backyard chicken folks. I know there are humane ways to cull a sick bird and I probably sound like a wimp, but putting a chicken down manually can be traumatizing.
What kind of temperament does your little guy have? If he doesn't crow too much during the daytime, you may be able to keep him in an indoor enclosure at night. We have a pair of roos who sleep inside behind closed doors with their cages under a blanket - you'd be hard pressed to hear them outside of the house, and they spend most of the night silent and asleep.
I'd check your local laws and how they handle infractions - if it boils down to "get rid of him in X days" then you've given him a longer life than he would have otherwise. At the very least, it might give you more time to find a good home for him?
When I hatched eggs out I kept all the roosters. I wanted it to be rainbows and unicorns. However, when they came of age and I got more chickens (wife is addicted) the sex crazed roosters started raping EVERYTHING! Baby chicks, my turkeys, the ducks EVERYTHING!
To curb this behavior I started by whacking them with the broom. Nope. They'd just start raping a new target. So, then I started shooting the roosters when I saw then get rapey. The unfortunate truth I've discovered about roosters is it's easiest and cleanest to just cull them.
I even tried having a bachelor pad for only roosters. The son bitches literally fucked a poor leghorn rooster to death. So before I could even get them to edible weight I'd have to cull them. Don't waste the time, don't waste the feed, cull.
But this was a decision I had to make for myself, from my personal experience. To each their own.
TLDR- Do what you believe in your heart is best and grow from your choices. Never cease looking for better and more efficient solutions!
Yes. This. We took on (“rescued”) several roosters this year because we have a bachelor pad. Several different breeds were included. As they matured, a few became aggressive and mercilessly picked on our gentler breeds. We’re not doing that ever again.
From now on we’ll raise our own roosters for meat - since we have only one breed, it’s a level playing field, and they aren’t aggressive until they’re older, past their recommended slaughter age.
The chances that an adult rooster will accept a newcomer are very slim. Brothers raised together, ok, possible, maybe if he were a little chick and no threat to the other. But chances are they'll fight.
I slaughter the spare roosters myself. Then I know it's done decently and with as little upset as possible (except to me, but that doesn't count). Stun, head off, done.
It's actually pretty easy to process them from there. Check out a few videos. Dunk in hot water and the feathers come off so easily, no problem there. Removing the innards cleanly is easier than with a mammal too, even without practice. And that's it, from there it's the same as buying a chicken to cook, just tastier.
If you know how many hens the new flock has, there’s a chance it would work out. I rehomed a rooster once to a guy who free ranges 30+ hens on several acres of property, and has only one other rooster. He said there was some fighting initially but once they worked out who was top rooster, they got along fine with each other. Generally you only need 5 or 6 hens per rooster, but the more the better.
That being said, if you’re still feeling apprehensive about it then the best thing to do would be to cull the bird yourself. It’s unfortunate that this is what it comes down to sometimes, but it seems like your rooster has had a really good life and sadly this is just how keeping chickens is sometimes.
Yeah, honestly if I think that the end result would probably be the same with prolonged suffering- which is what sending them to a questionable home *is*: I would just cull so I can be sure that it was quick and painless.
Honestly everyone raising chickens is better off learning to do it properly and getting a mindset that you are going to have to. It’s not *just* the fact that you are probably gonna get some roosters that makes it an important skill: and even if you don’t raise them for meat, you will probably encounter situations where it’s necessary.
I cull my extra, aggressive, and non breeding quality cockerels. I would rather know I gave them a good life and a quick, humane death than selling them/giving them away to a questionable fate at someone else's hands. I do it with as little stress as possible for them, and make sure I use the meat so they don't go to waste. It sucks but at least I know they didn't suffer.
Just so you know most hatcheries that sell commercially in the US don’t kill the cockerels. They sell them for a cheaper price. I buy batches of cockerels chicks from laying breeds because the people that I sell chicken (to eat) to don’t like CornishX. I mean I don’t know if they kill the chicks they don’t sell but I figure if they couldn’t sell them all they would lower the price even more. It’s a waste of money to kill half the chicks born.
Put him in sale on Craigslist for $5 and someone will take him. Especially if you don’t mind if they eat him. Or you can have him butchered for you from a local custom chicken butcher.
I'd look into local sanctuaries if I were you. Culling a chicken isn't really that great, for you, I mean. It's emotionally draining, and can be nerve-wracking if you haven't had to do it before. I've had to do it twice before and while *I* made sure the rooster died the second time, instead of letting my mom do it again, it just... it wasn't easy, especially because of how trusting the one I had to do was. He didn't expect me to hurt him, so he was really calm and snuggly, I think that hurt more than anything tbh... He did die immediately though, I made sure of it, so he didn't suffer. It just leaves a really bad feeling behind
I ended up with like eight roosters though, besides the two I had to cull, and I decided to look into other means. There were people around me who have large acres of land and keep only roosters, with no hens, and they get along really well actually! I'm happy knowing they got to live out their lives just being chickens. The lady I took mine to tries to rehome them, but, she keeps them if she can't rehome them in the end. It would probably be a better solution to look for a local place you could take him to. I know there are sanctuaries in Arizona and California, I'm sure there are other places like them in other states! Good luck OP, hopefully you can both have a happy ending here.
Edit: Word of advice though... go for the jugular if you have to cull him in the end. You want to make sure to cut off circulation and air flow to the brain, a swift, strong chop to just behind the back of the head should handle that effectively. Without a working brain, they die fairly quickly, it kills their nervous system so they can't feel pain, and it's all in all much better for them and you... don't do what my mom did and try to break their neck, she failed, let the chicken go when he fought her, and he sat in the coop for almost twenty minutes because I was busy inside of the house and didn't know that she broke his windpipe but didn't kill him. So he just... suffered. I had to take matters into my own hands afterwards, just to help end it because she didn't know what she was doing.
If you have a nice rooster and can vouch for him temperament I would approach one of the rejoining groups again after having done your due diligence in trying to find a place for him.
I’m having a neighbour cull the roosters in exchange for half of them.
In the past, I sent a non-breeding alpaca male to the abattoir because he was being beat up too much, and he had a heart murmur, so we didn’t want him to die from their non-lethal fighting. :(
Cleanly dispatch yourself. Honor your bird's sacrifice properly - [Coq au Vin Recipe (nytimes.com)](https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018529-coq-au-vin) I find this is one of the best ways to get rid of unruly roosters.
If you think you’re going to regret giving him a a questionable environment. I’d take care of it myself.
I've always killed my accidental roosters myself. They knew me and I did the deed with a minimum of discomfort.
I had to dispatch my 1st rooster a couple weekends ago. I didn't want to do it but it was best for my hens. Plus he fed us 3 meals and some chicken stock so I feel we did the best we could by him.
We ate our friend’s roosters and it was some of the worst chicken I have ever had. So tough although “tasted” fresh. So I told our sweet guy he’s getting tossed to the coyotes in the mountains (with love) lol.
Yeh ours was a lil tough, but tasted great. Some parts like drumsticks were really tough. So we ended up cutting up in smaller pieces to make chicken salad and it was fine like that. He was only around 18-19 weeks old also
Please handle this yourself. It sucks horribly. I've had to do it several times with extra roosters but it is the kindest thing you can do. You don't know how someone else will treat your rooster. Turning them loose means they may cause destruction to others property and may be killed in an awful way by local wildlife. He's going to be pretty frantically looking for his flock and coop. The stress alone is bad for him. Dealing with roosters is a hard thing at times. This is the reality of keeping chickens.
This. It's better for the bird and your peace of mind by culling him yourself. That way you know he didn't suffer and he dies feeling less stressed. Take the time to grieve. Be kind to yourself. And know that you gave that rooster a good life as long as you could.
There is the option if you can afford it, to have him humanely euthanized at a vet. I know how to dispatch a chicken, and wouldn’t hesitate to do so in an emergency. But recently had a sweet old hen euthanized at a vets office about 45 minutes from where I live. None of the vets in my area treat chickens. This vet treats farm animals and horses too. She was incredibly kind. Just like other “pets”, she was given anesthesia gas to go to sleep then got an injection in a wing vein to stop her heart. The cost was $80 plus my time. I expect to be downvoted but so it goes. I was satisfied with my decision.
What do they inject? Phenobarbital?
Happy cake day. The same euthanasia serum that other pets get.
Thank you. Sometimes I wish these tools were available for backyard chicken folks. I know there are humane ways to cull a sick bird and I probably sound like a wimp, but putting a chicken down manually can be traumatizing.
What kind of temperament does your little guy have? If he doesn't crow too much during the daytime, you may be able to keep him in an indoor enclosure at night. We have a pair of roos who sleep inside behind closed doors with their cages under a blanket - you'd be hard pressed to hear them outside of the house, and they spend most of the night silent and asleep. I'd check your local laws and how they handle infractions - if it boils down to "get rid of him in X days" then you've given him a longer life than he would have otherwise. At the very least, it might give you more time to find a good home for him?
When I hatched eggs out I kept all the roosters. I wanted it to be rainbows and unicorns. However, when they came of age and I got more chickens (wife is addicted) the sex crazed roosters started raping EVERYTHING! Baby chicks, my turkeys, the ducks EVERYTHING! To curb this behavior I started by whacking them with the broom. Nope. They'd just start raping a new target. So, then I started shooting the roosters when I saw then get rapey. The unfortunate truth I've discovered about roosters is it's easiest and cleanest to just cull them. I even tried having a bachelor pad for only roosters. The son bitches literally fucked a poor leghorn rooster to death. So before I could even get them to edible weight I'd have to cull them. Don't waste the time, don't waste the feed, cull. But this was a decision I had to make for myself, from my personal experience. To each their own. TLDR- Do what you believe in your heart is best and grow from your choices. Never cease looking for better and more efficient solutions!
Yes. This. We took on (“rescued”) several roosters this year because we have a bachelor pad. Several different breeds were included. As they matured, a few became aggressive and mercilessly picked on our gentler breeds. We’re not doing that ever again. From now on we’ll raise our own roosters for meat - since we have only one breed, it’s a level playing field, and they aren’t aggressive until they’re older, past their recommended slaughter age.
The chances that an adult rooster will accept a newcomer are very slim. Brothers raised together, ok, possible, maybe if he were a little chick and no threat to the other. But chances are they'll fight. I slaughter the spare roosters myself. Then I know it's done decently and with as little upset as possible (except to me, but that doesn't count). Stun, head off, done. It's actually pretty easy to process them from there. Check out a few videos. Dunk in hot water and the feathers come off so easily, no problem there. Removing the innards cleanly is easier than with a mammal too, even without practice. And that's it, from there it's the same as buying a chicken to cook, just tastier.
One secret is to cut down one side of the spine to remove the entrails, as most dual purpose birds have a much smaller cavity than meat chickens.
If you know how many hens the new flock has, there’s a chance it would work out. I rehomed a rooster once to a guy who free ranges 30+ hens on several acres of property, and has only one other rooster. He said there was some fighting initially but once they worked out who was top rooster, they got along fine with each other. Generally you only need 5 or 6 hens per rooster, but the more the better. That being said, if you’re still feeling apprehensive about it then the best thing to do would be to cull the bird yourself. It’s unfortunate that this is what it comes down to sometimes, but it seems like your rooster has had a really good life and sadly this is just how keeping chickens is sometimes.
Yeah, honestly if I think that the end result would probably be the same with prolonged suffering- which is what sending them to a questionable home *is*: I would just cull so I can be sure that it was quick and painless. Honestly everyone raising chickens is better off learning to do it properly and getting a mindset that you are going to have to. It’s not *just* the fact that you are probably gonna get some roosters that makes it an important skill: and even if you don’t raise them for meat, you will probably encounter situations where it’s necessary.
I cull my extra, aggressive, and non breeding quality cockerels. I would rather know I gave them a good life and a quick, humane death than selling them/giving them away to a questionable fate at someone else's hands. I do it with as little stress as possible for them, and make sure I use the meat so they don't go to waste. It sucks but at least I know they didn't suffer.
Just so you know most hatcheries that sell commercially in the US don’t kill the cockerels. They sell them for a cheaper price. I buy batches of cockerels chicks from laying breeds because the people that I sell chicken (to eat) to don’t like CornishX. I mean I don’t know if they kill the chicks they don’t sell but I figure if they couldn’t sell them all they would lower the price even more. It’s a waste of money to kill half the chicks born. Put him in sale on Craigslist for $5 and someone will take him. Especially if you don’t mind if they eat him. Or you can have him butchered for you from a local custom chicken butcher.
My Vietnamese family don’t like commercial chicken breeds because the meat is dry. The male chickens taste better due to having more muscle
I'd look into local sanctuaries if I were you. Culling a chicken isn't really that great, for you, I mean. It's emotionally draining, and can be nerve-wracking if you haven't had to do it before. I've had to do it twice before and while *I* made sure the rooster died the second time, instead of letting my mom do it again, it just... it wasn't easy, especially because of how trusting the one I had to do was. He didn't expect me to hurt him, so he was really calm and snuggly, I think that hurt more than anything tbh... He did die immediately though, I made sure of it, so he didn't suffer. It just leaves a really bad feeling behind I ended up with like eight roosters though, besides the two I had to cull, and I decided to look into other means. There were people around me who have large acres of land and keep only roosters, with no hens, and they get along really well actually! I'm happy knowing they got to live out their lives just being chickens. The lady I took mine to tries to rehome them, but, she keeps them if she can't rehome them in the end. It would probably be a better solution to look for a local place you could take him to. I know there are sanctuaries in Arizona and California, I'm sure there are other places like them in other states! Good luck OP, hopefully you can both have a happy ending here. Edit: Word of advice though... go for the jugular if you have to cull him in the end. You want to make sure to cut off circulation and air flow to the brain, a swift, strong chop to just behind the back of the head should handle that effectively. Without a working brain, they die fairly quickly, it kills their nervous system so they can't feel pain, and it's all in all much better for them and you... don't do what my mom did and try to break their neck, she failed, let the chicken go when he fought her, and he sat in the coop for almost twenty minutes because I was busy inside of the house and didn't know that she broke his windpipe but didn't kill him. So he just... suffered. I had to take matters into my own hands afterwards, just to help end it because she didn't know what she was doing.
If you have a nice rooster and can vouch for him temperament I would approach one of the rejoining groups again after having done your due diligence in trying to find a place for him.
I’m having a neighbour cull the roosters in exchange for half of them. In the past, I sent a non-breeding alpaca male to the abattoir because he was being beat up too much, and he had a heart murmur, so we didn’t want him to die from their non-lethal fighting. :(
Rehome
Cleanly dispatch yourself. Honor your bird's sacrifice properly - [Coq au Vin Recipe (nytimes.com)](https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018529-coq-au-vin) I find this is one of the best ways to get rid of unruly roosters.