Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Perris]

I like their Cleopatraesque eyeliner!

yes it's very fetching isn't it? - unlike Erddig's, which made him look like a clown at one point in his growth (terrible photo but best one I've got to show this feature)

 

[fuzzi]

Good thing you could move the boys before any serious fighting started, and don’t have to deal with culling this time.

Im still waiting for a buyer for Whiskey. But since I don’t have another rooster, he doesn’t crow yet and sunrise is reasonably late from now on, I have time to wait.
View attachment 3959741
whiskey a few weeks ago.

Handsome boy!

The August chicks were 8 weeks old yesterday, and still none of them are colouring up. Could it really be that all 4 are pullets? Wouldn't that be nice!

The twins now look very like Aberglasny; it maybe difficult to tell them apart when they're all grown up
View attachment 3959915
Aberglasny at the same age
View attachment 3959916

Pretty girls!

I can tell my Sussex apart, but the Dominiques are harder to distinguish. My Lydia was the talkative one and I didn't need to look at the color leg band to know it was her. For the other three I have to peek at their legs!

 

[Shadrach]

Are those raised bed gardens? They look well-constructed, but the soil level is a little low.

Nobody knows quite what they are supposed to be.

 

[Shadrach]

and don’t have to deal with culling this time.

I don't understand. The two male juveniles have been culled.

 

[Shadrach]

Two hours today. Rain on and off all day.
No signs of the boys being missed.
@Ladies-Eight These are the compost heaps. The raised beds will have their fronts removed and be turned into hopefully better organised compost bays. The plot holders are having a lot of problems understanding a three bay system and just chuck stuff everywhere.

Going to roost was a much quieter affair without the boys who had started to harrass the hens at roosting time. It was also noticble that the two female juveniles got more to eat due to not being bullied away from the food trays.

 

[fuzzi]

I don't understand. The two male juveniles have been culled.

I read between the lines, and understood.

 

[BDutch]

I don't understand. The two male juveniles have been culled.

I understood you sold or gave them to someone else and didn't need to cull the boys yourself.
For me this would make it easier to deal with. I assumed you preferred not doing the deed yourself too.

 

[Perris]

@BDutch cull means remove from the flock, method unspecified. It is not semantically equivalent to kill.

 

[BDutch]

@BDutch cull means remove from the flock, method unspecified. It is not semantically equivalent to kill.

Thanks for reminding me. Unfortunately my English is not perfect. In the Netherlands we usually use the word ‘elimineren’ (eliminate). Google is unable to translate the word to Dutch. I know now I should have said killing instead of culling.

But killing maybe a bit harsh to say if I miss the finesse of the word killing too. It reminds me of 007s licence to kill (with a purpose).

Is it normal to use the word culling if you make an effort to rehome a rooster?

In my understanding there is a little difference between culling, killing (not the murdering kind) and eliminate when it comes to maintaining a flock. In practice it often seems to have the same result.

Spoiler: Ai explanation of culling

The term "cull" is often used instead of "kill" in various contexts, particularly in wildlife management, agriculture, and animal husbandry, for several reasons:

1. Connotation: "Cull" has a more neutral or even positive connotation compared to "kill." It implies a selective process aimed at improving the health or quality of a population, rather than simply ending life.
2. Purpose: Culling usually refers to the removal of individuals from a population for specific reasons, such as controlling disease, managing overpopulation, or enhancing genetic diversity. This highlights a management intent rather than an act of violence.
3. Focus on Population Health: The term emphasizes the broader ecological or agricultural goals. For example, culling may involve removing sick or weak animals to ensure the overall health of a herd or ecosystem.
4. Regulatory Language: In legal and scientific contexts, "cull" is often used to describe practices sanctioned by wildlife management policies or agricultural standards, which may help in framing these actions as responsible and necessary.
5. Emotional Impact: Using "cull" can help mitigate the emotional response associated with the act of killing, making it easier for the public and stakeholders to accept certain management practices.

In summary, "cull" is preferred in many contexts because it conveys a sense of purpose and management rather than mere destruction.

 

[Perris]

Is it normal to use the word culling if you make an effort to rehome a rooster?

I think a lot of people avoid using the word cull because it is so often taken to mean killed, by native English speakers (your English is better than that of many of them, btw!)

In my understanding there is a little difference between culling, killing (not the murdering kind) and eliminate when it comes to maintaining a flock. In practice it often seems to have the same result.

Indeed they do have the same result from the flock perspective, but not from the chicken's. It is possible to remove a bird from the flock and to eliminate it from the flock without killing it.