Tired old Rooster
Songster
Start by never giving a name to something you will one day have to kill.
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I have 6 of those RIR Roos now. The only thing that keeps them breathing is the need for fertile eggs.Just saw this thread and we had dispatched our first, an unruly (with most of us) 6 month old RIR rooster. I had never wanted a roo in the first place, but really enjoyed raising him. He was great with me up until about a week ago. But before me, he had drawn blood on my grandson, my husband and a visiting neighbor. He was still good with me and my son (who was the one who ordered him against my wishes in August.) Last night, from an upstairs window, I watched as he came after my husband, who was filling their water, and he came again and again as my husband stood his ground, even after two kicks that sent him flying he kept coming back for more. I knew the end was here and wouldn't have been surprised to find him dispensed with a baseball bat by DH last night.
I'd already bought a cone when my son had to dispatch his from the same litter a month ago. We screwed it to a tree, then we watched a nice video, and headed out with an Australian way too big "This is a knife" blade, lol. My son was able to catch him easily in the coop, I taped his legs together, then we flipped him upside down and waited for him to calm. That rascal never really calmed fully, but enough. We got him in the medium cone, which we discovered was a tad too small for him. My poor son (who was the only one who still liked the bird) had to push him further in and pull his head out more. DH sliced the side just under the wattle. There was a bit of the nerve stuff - more than I imagined - and a goodish amount of blood down the trunk of the tree. All in all, it felt humane. And he had a good life as one poster put it.
I immediately went to the coop and petted my girls, who actually enjoy that and then gave them treats. I'm looking forward to the one who he always picked on getting back her back feathers. She was actually bleeding last week. I feel nothing but relief that he is gone as beautiful as he was.
He is in the croc now - hubby defeathered and butchered quickly - in lots of wine, seasonings, vegies and broth. I'll slow cook all day, until bed, and make coq au vin tomorrow, thanking God for the gift of him and the experience. RIP Roo.
Yikes! If we ever let a chicken run around without its head, my Dad would have let us eat dinner without sitting down for a week. My Dad started started letting me help with skinning, when he slaughtered sheep and cows, when I was eight. It is not some traumatic incident when done by someone who knows what they are doing.I was 12 when I butchered my first and it never occurred to me to prepare. When mom wanted a stewing hen she wanted a stewing hen and it was just my job to do that day. I could remember way back as one of my earliest memories of my grandfather butchering chickens. And the neighbors I feel were rather barbaric wringing necks and letting them run all over hell's half acre until they finally dropped. It's been a long time but I've got stainless steel cones that need to be mounted for a few large Cornish and a few Bresse soon.
I would think hubby had some satisfaction in the process. If I had been repeatedly attacked I believe I would have.Just saw this thread and we had dispatched our first, an unruly (with most of us) 6 month old RIR rooster. I had never wanted a roo in the first place, but really enjoyed raising him. He was great with me up until about a week ago. But before me, he had drawn blood on my grandson, my husband and a visiting neighbor. He was still good with me and my son (who was the one who ordered him against my wishes in August.) Last night, from an upstairs window, I watched as he came after my husband, who was filling their water, and he came again and again as my husband stood his ground, even after two kicks that sent him flying he kept coming back for more. I knew the end was here and wouldn't have been surprised to find him dispensed with a baseball bat by DH last night.
I'd already bought a cone when my son had to dispatch his from the same litter a month ago. We screwed it to a tree, then we watched a nice video, and headed out with an Australian way too big "This is a knife" blade, lol. My son was able to catch him easily in the coop, I taped his legs together, then we flipped him upside down and waited for him to calm. That rascal never really calmed fully, but enough. We got him in the medium cone, which we discovered was a tad too small for him. My poor son (who was the only one who still liked the bird) had to push him further in and pull his head out more. DH sliced the side just under the wattle. There was a bit of the nerve stuff - more than I imagined - and a goodish amount of blood down the trunk of the tree. All in all, it felt humane. And he had a good life as one poster put it.
I immediately went to the coop and petted my girls, who actually enjoy that and then gave them treats. I'm looking forward to the one who he always picked on getting back her back feathers. She was actually bleeding last week. I feel nothing but relief that he is gone as beautiful as he was.
He is in the croc now - hubby defeathered and butchered quickly - in lots of wine, seasonings, vegies and broth. I'll slow cook all day, until bed, and make coq au vin tomorrow, thanking God for the gift of him and the experience. RIP Roo.
As someone who overthinks everything, I so appreciate this mindset!My answer to the dilemma is simple. I don't think about it. At all. I just do whatever needs to be done.
My first and only butcher was a hen that was breaking the eggs and eating them. I caught her with a beak covered in yolk.As my journey with raising laying hens progresses (including hatching my own eggs), it seems inevitable I will wind up with excess roosters. And I feel that the most logical, humane, and responsible thing is to dispatch and butcher them myself. But, I am not a farmer nor a hunter, and I don’t know if I have it in me.
To be clear- I have no qualms about the butchering process. I’m sure I can learn and would have no problems with someone else’s chicken. My concern is killing, butchering, and consuming MY chicken.
I’ve had a few thoughts about how I may better prepare myself-
#1 raise a small flock of broilers so I know without question what the outcome for those chicken will be.
#2 wait until I wind up with a really hateful aggressive rooster.
#3 just give away my cockerels/roosters and let other people dispatch them and try to shake the guilty feeling that it’s MY responsibility to make sure my birds have a peaceful and humane ending.
Folks on this forum were so supportive and helpful when I had to put down my favorite hen last year. I’d love some more advice or sharing stories of your experiences to help me work my way towards and through this next part of the journey.