What is culling?

[Alleyoops25]

I know this is something that I probably should already know but what exactly is culling?

 

[Chickee's Mom]

Well culling is where you actually have to do away with the animal.
Like older hens get culled for the stew pot, extra roosters for the fry pan etc etc.

 

[FutureChickenMan]

it's the politically correct word for executing chickens that are no longer of value in the flock. excess roos, non-laying hens, sick birds etc.

 

[paganfish]

...also means that you get rid of them by giving them away. Such as in the case if you have TOO many and can't feed them.

It doesn't *always* means to end their lives. LOL!

Or so I understand...

 

[silkiechicken]

Yep, culling is normally stated as the nice way of saying to kill a bird, but it is basically anything that removes the bird from the gene pool. Giving away or just not breeding it would be to "cull it from the flock."

 

[Alleyoops25]

Okay that makes sense. I thought that was what it meant but I thought I better make sure. I guess I am fixing on doing that by spring time. I will have a lot of mean roo's, that are also related to the rest of my flock.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
Whoa FC, you make it sound so romantic.

I use "culling" because there is an underlying explanation for the termination of
the bird. It is a lot gentler than saying "I'm gonna chop a birds head off so I can
eat it". Words like euthanize, harvest, and put down all have similiar "built in"
meanings.

You know me bro. My initials may be PC but that is the only thing about me that is.

 

[Black Feather]

Actually, I always thought of culling as thinning out my flock, but not necessarily killing the culled birds. I think selling and giving birds away can also be considered culling your own flock.

Here is the dictionary definition:

"to reduce or control the size of (as a herd) by removal of especially weaker animals; also : to hunt or kill (animals) as a means of population control."

I think most people think of culling as interchangeable as killing, but I disagree.

Urban Coyote

 

[TxChiknRanchers]

by removal of especially weaker animals

Yea you just send them to a spa and they get more excercise!

To each his own!​

 

[FutureChickenMan]

Quote:
Whoa FC, you make it sound so romantic.

I use "culling" because there is an underlying explanation for the termination of
the bird. It is a lot gentler than saying "I'm gonna chop a birds head off so I can
eat it". Words like euthanize, harvest, and put down all have similiar "built in"
meanings.

You know me bro. My initials may be PC but that is the only thing about me that is.

I'm a straight shooter.. I don't surgar coat my answers.

But I'm one of the few here that look at chickens not as pets but as sources of food.