Interesting behavior

[LaurenRitz]

I have never butchered in front of my chickens before. It just seems disrespectful, so I usually do it at night. I have no one to help, so I have to do it by myself and doing it at night in the cold was a little much the other night.

So this afternoon I fed them and then started working. Within minutes they were all standing there, silently watching. Not like they were waiting for food. This watching was different. Like they understood.

Then one of the roosters did his alarm call, the others echoed it, the hens scattered. The yard was utterly silent until I had bagged the bird and started cleaning up.

Another next weekend, and then I have two hens that need to go. It'll be interesting to see if they do the same thing, or if they just decide to ignore it.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

It will be interesting. Keep us posted.

 

[SourRoses]

Well, not in front of them visually, but we cull in close range where they can likely hear, during daylight hours when my mom is available.
I'm convinced they know what's happening. From the catching of the cockerels to the beating of the wings after (that seems the scariest part to them). I feel bad, but for us it's not practical to go further afield, there is one "good spot" and it's on the other side of the coop.

 

[Molpet]

Yeah I have been harvesting first thing in the morning before I let them out of the coops. They have been running as far away as they can. If the birds are dead I can let them out and they will stand around wanting scraps. They will grab stuff out of the gut bucket and blood under the cone.

Although @MysteryChicken has video of walking with a dead cockerel and the other birds don't seem upset.

 

[LaurenRitz]

They're more aware than we give them credit for. There have been a number of situations that lead me to believe they understand. That's why I fed them away from the coop, hoping they wouldn't have to see. It was the utterly silent deathwatch that got to me.

The bachelor pad is the old run right next to the coop, so that's where I've set up the permanent area. Since my birds free range, the run is no longer used, so I transitioned it.

Morning is a good idea. I'll have to try that.

 

[Ridgerunner]

We all have our own set-ups. When I butcher I leave mine in their 12' x 32' run, not allow them in their 2,000 sq ft pasture. I butcher on the other side of the coop/shed where they can't see. The practical reason is to make it easier to catch the ones I want but there is an element of me not seeing any benefit in their watching.

I don't know how much they actually understand. It does not seem to affect my interaction with the others afterwards. When you remove or add chickens you can affect the flock dynamics and pecking order. Maybe that is it.

 

[Amer]

My birds literally don't care at all if I kill a bird or butcher them when they're around.
I just grab the bird out of the coop and kill it outside. The birds are free to roam wherever outside and they never showed any interest in what I was doing.