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.
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.