[pepsi100]

Thats it Casey76, you got it in one, I dont mind how its cooked, as long as it ends up on a plate

At the auction, cockerels go for a quid each, if lucky, I would assume these would be going for the pot, unless there was a really spectacular bird that would be used for breeding purposes

I have culled plenty of sick birds (I got one with a wonky leg at the moment, not quite sure about what to do with her, she is still laying, and sort of hobbles around, she is a survivor of a fox attack, I think she has just twisted her leg)

I could skin the bird, rather than plucking them, but I would still like to be shown rather tan a video or a book though, but I may not have any choice 

[joyfull]

there are culling, plucking and gutting courses - not sure if there is one near you though pepsi.

[pepsi100]

There was one at Farnham or Fareham, but she has moved to Sth Africa now (she showed me howto cull a bird)

Been looking for any courses, so far fruitless But I will keep looking)

I dont think I am alone in wanting something like this with more people keeping hens these days, ( unless people are taking them to a vet to be put down )

I have even put a sticker in Pets R Us, someone got upset about it and called me a murderer 

[joyfull]

unless they are true vegans then they have no right to say such a thing if you cull to eat or to stop suffering - if you cull for sport, fun or because you are cruel then that would apply. Sadly people forget where there plastic wrapped meat, milk or cheese comes from.

[pepsi100]

And there was me thinking all these were grown in a supermarket and grew up plastic wrapped 

But I know what you mean, the kids that come round to buy my eggs and then see where they come from is quite amazing, even some parents think you need a cockerel to get eggs, and they find it amazing that a cockerel will have a whole hareem of hens rather than just the one hen (or wife/girlfriend) and service them all at least once a day

I dont think anyone can be a true, hard core vegan, that is really hard work

They seem to think I should pay 15-20 quid to get a vet to put it down and end its suffering, I think I give them a pretty good, painless end (I have never seen a vet inject a hen, I think they just take it out the back and do it there using the same method we all use)

I'm off to pick some bacon from the 'Ambush' in the park 

[Elvira]

They seem to think I should pay 15-20 quid to get a vet to put it down and end its suffering, I think I give them a pretty good, painless end (I have never seen a vet inject a hen, I think they just take it out the back and do it there using the same method we all use)

I agree Pepsi - my vet has charged £30 to put a cockerel down "by injection" and in retrospect I think it would have been kinder to have spared it the additional stress of being put in a carrier and the car journey to the vets. A neighbour of mine used to keep hens and has since offered to dispatch any of mine in future - like you I would rather see how it is done (and do it quickly) before I try on my own 

Regarding rabbit meat - I have seen this in local supermarkets round here as well as the butchers - I keep rabbits but I'm afraid I couldn't eat them as they are most definitely pets!  In Brittany they once had loads of rabbit for sale in the supermarkets when we were over (and very cheap - well under 5 euros for a whole one) but someone said that they were so cheap because no-one really liked to buy them because they were imported from China - not very sustainable, no provenance and I love the Gallic loyalty to their own local produce - even in big chain supermarkets most of the produce is from the local region 

[pepsi100]

I posted a video on youtube, killing a chicken in India while I was on an overland trip there, it was relatively painless and swift, I wish I had video'd the gutting and skinning of it, but everything was over so quick, I missed it

OC-CRGU3XnAlist=UUBq9h5w2nkdWgvk-FCJfzaw

If you are sqeamish, please dont watch this

I can understand being faithful to your country or county or even home village, you are lucky to see them in supermarkets, its hard sometimes to even find offal in some (never seen offal in Halal butchers) I cant see why they have to import Chinese rabbit, we have got them over here, its just I never see them for sale

I agree, putting a bird in a box, then on a one way trip isnt the best way, (then shelling out 30 quid for what is a 2 minute exercise) I prefer to do it when they have all settled down for the night, then do it, its quick, painless, they arent stressed, nor are any of the other birds, come the morning, its just gone and they get on with it, I dont think they even notice anyone has gone missing


 

[Mum2mj]

There was one at Farnham or Fareham, but she has moved to Sth Africa now (she showed me howto cull a bird)

Been looking for any courses, so far fruitless But I will keep looking)

I dont think I am alone in wanting something like this with more people keeping hens these days, ( unless people are taking them to a vet to be put down )

I have even put a sticker in Pets R Us, someone got upset about it and called me a murderer 

I've looked for courses on this (including culling which I haven't done yet - not 100% how I'd do tbh!) but not found anything really. I'd like to try to raise table birds but would like to know what I'm doing first!

[pepsi100]

If I do find anywhere, I'll post it here, but that said, I will be speaking to a few peiople at the bird auction I will be going to on the 11 May

There are lots of people there, I am hoping there will be someone there that can help 

[hen addict]

Just a thought, have you got any allotments near you that keep poultry? my allotment site is a good source of information and advice in all aspects of poultry keeping, as the lot of the guys have been keeping various poultry for decades. I've found most poultry minded people readily offer help.

[pepsi100]

Nope, no allotments near me, I'm the only person around my way that keeps hens, others have tried but just get bored and either take them to the vets or  a pet shop

A few have offered them to me, but they have always been in a sorry state and I dont know what they have in the way of disease, I turn them down (some I cull for them)

[RubyR3d]

When mine die I put them in a bag and walk to the woods where I place it under the nearest bramble patch for the fox to find

[Mrs Bee]

Oh I agree Pepsi, waste not want not so mine usually ended up in a casserole or curry (he would see me take a bag of chopped chicken from the freezer but used to think I had bought it from the butchers lol). When we get pheasants and rabbits he would have to go out and then I would have to prepare and freeze them for a while until he had forgotten about them.
He always said he hated rabbit until I cooked it with pasta, tomatoes, onions and Madeira, after he had some he said he loved it and could he have seconds until I stupidly said I thought you didn't like rabbit and all of a sudden he didn't want seconds 
He's a great big softee at heart unlike me 

So is mine
Any sick chicken that needs the broomstick two-step is done when himself is at the lottie. I tell him that I am going to do the deed and he is off, quick as blinking.
I want to keep meat birds as well as the egg layers but he is putting up a resistance.

[pepsi100]

When mine die I put them in a bag and walk to the woods where I place it under the nearest bramble patch for the fox to find

I would only do that with anything that could pass on the disease to the fox, I have lost too many hens to foxes, I hate them with a vengence

I have 3 tails in my garden as a warning to others

[Mrs Bee]

I am with you about the foxes.
We have more of them in London than out in the country.

Luckily we haven't lost any chickens to the fox as we have the electric fence but it does upset me that we cannot let the girls out in the garden.