Ameraucana Breeders Club
The Official Forum of the Ameraucana Breeders Club => Housing, Health & Hatching => Topic started by: Schroeder on February 24, 2012, 10:27:26 AM
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I searched this term and couldn\'t find a related discussion. I hope it is not too sensitive. What method do you use to cull young chicks? We all realize the need to do this sometimes, and I know we all want to do it as humanely as possible. (I suspect you all hate it as much as I.)
I once read in a parrot reference book a suggestion to put the bird(s) in a plastic bag and then fill the bag with exhaust fumes from the muffler of your running car. What do you think?
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Culling chicks by coloring depends on what you know and what you are trying to accomplish. So let\'s assume you are breeding an existing variety whose chicks are of a known chick down pattern. You cull for deformities at hatch and during the first week, such as crooked toes, crossed beaks, and the like. Very weak chicks will likely cull themselves. The quickest and most humane way I know is to grasp the chick to be culled bottom side up, and give it a sharp rap or two on a hard object against the back of the head. Even if the first blow does not kill the chick, it is rendered unconscious so is likely not to feel any pain. This is the method I have used for about 35 years. Then, I have a \"burn barrel\" made of a large metal oil drum to incinerate the remains of any chicken that has been killed or died on its own.
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What method do you use to cull young chicks?
I know a lot of times culling is thought of as killing (or to \"put down\" as some like to say) the undesirable, but it means to remove them from the flock and then they may be killed, sold, raised separately for slaughter or whatever. We generally think of a cull as undesirable, but by definition you could cull the best to set them aside. Most of my culls or rejects as I call them are sold locally on Craig\'s List. I understand what you meant and Mike gave the answer...I just wanted to explain that killing doesn\'t always go with culling. :)
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When I have had to cull very young chicks in the past, I have used a sharp pair of garden shears. I put down a plastic bag with a paper towel inside, or just some newspaper, position the chick and the shears, and then cover chick and hands with a second paper towel (I don\'t want to watch myself decapitate a fluffy little chick). It\'s extremely fast, and you KNOW the deed is done. Then you can just wrap up the whole thing and dispose however you choose.
That being said, I like Mike\'s method also, I have done mice that way in the past for feeding a snake and it\'s very quick also, though can be kind of intimidating the first couple of times. AND they\'ve done studies on lab animals that have been decapitated, and there was brain activity for up to 8 minutes after decapitation....
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. . . AND they\'ve done studies on lab animals that have been decapitated, and there was brain activity for up to 8 minutes after decapitation....
Which is exactly the reason I prefer my method. The brain does not die immediately just because the head is seperated from the body. But I wouldn\'t have any problem with bringing back the guillotine for extreme cases. It worked as a deterrent then, and who knows how many kids and young women it might save today? But there would have to be irrefutable proof of course.
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. . . AND they\'ve done studies on lab animals that have been decapitated, and there was brain activity for up to 8 minutes after decapitation....
Which is exactly the reason I prefer my method. The brain does not die immediately just because the head is seperated from the body. But I wouldn\'t have any problem with bringing back the guillotine for extreme cases. It worked as a deterrent then, and who knows how many kids and young women it might save today? But there would have to be irrefutable proof of course.
I\'m with you on that one Mike!
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But I wouldn\'t have any problem with bringing back the guillotine for extreme cases. It worked as a deterrent then, and who knows how many kids and young women it might save today?
I could not agree more! Wouldn\'t oppose public hangings for some of those extreme cases, either...
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I would vote for you guys in a heartbeat. I think that the punishment should match the crime and am not a big fan of convicted fellons living in better conditions then tens of thousands of other honest. Hardworking people cannot afford...
JMO...
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How quickly a train can jump the track!
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How quickly a train can jump the track!
Squirrel!
lol
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Not taking anything away from what John wrote as he\'s absolutely correct, I think the OP is asking about killing the chicks so I will add a couple of things.
When I first started out, I would put the baby chicks in a small cottage cheese container or something and put that in the freezer. Read about that somewhere. Those who are familiar with hypothermia know how \"humane\" that would be as they basically fall asleep and then freeze to death. The brain also loses it\'s cognizant abilities so I doubt the chick even feels a thing.
Having said that, I now do something quite drastically different. When I have to put chicks down now, I just grab the body with my left hand, place my right hand around and over the head to more or less put it in darkness, and then with one very quick jerk I pull the head off.
I know that sounds terrible but believe me it is much harsher sounding that it really is. The head comes off VERY easily and I imagine there is absolutely no pain or stress involved at all.
As for the Capital Punishment, I\'m with Mike. If there is a confession or two or more eye witnesses that leave no doubt, then for certain heinous crimes, the punishment is life for life.
God Bless,
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Uh - oh! Don\'t let your kids watch this!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m__B3abMJQA&feature=youtube_gdata_player
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Uh - oh! Don\'t let your kids watch this!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m__B3abMJQA&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Too funny!
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Uh - oh! Don\'t let your kids watch this!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m__B3abMJQA&feature=youtube_gdata_player
LOL They used to play that song on one of our local radio stations!! Cracks me up every time!
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Now I\'m going to have nightmares about giant chickens w/axes!!(http://emoticons4u.com/happy/028.gif)
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Cracked me up.Thanks for the chuckle.
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Well, I culled birds. Last week I had to put down a 4 day old chick. I cried.
Today my husband and I butchered 3 cockerels. My husband killed them and I did everything else. Wow that was heavy.
I feel quite a sense of accomplishment now. I have never even seen anything killed before except for fish. I do feel more prepared for hatching and growing up lots of chicks for my blue laced project now though. If I cannot sell the culls as Easter Eggers I will be able to use them to either feed my dogs or family (depending on size of bird).
Whew....
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Well, I culled birds. Last week I had to put down a 4 day old chick. I cried.
Today my husband and I butchered 3 cockerels. My husband killed them and I did everything else. Wow that was heavy.
I feel quite a sense of accomplishment now. I have never even seen anything killed before except for fish. I do feel more prepared for hatching and growing up lots of chicks for my blue laced project now though. If I cannot sell the culls as Easter Eggers I will be able to use them to either feed my dogs or family (depending on size of bird).
Whew....
Culling is never easy, but it sounds like you have everything in pretty good perspective out there! Can\'t wait to see how the Blue Laced project evolves!!!!