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[emchook]

I am giving serious thought to hatching some light sussex chicks ..and would love to keep two of the female chicks.

I am telling myself that it will be an education for the kids [ and myself ] .. but to be honest just for the fun of it !!

 

I dont really eat chicken that much anymore .. ever since I roasted a cheap one and the whole house smelt like fish .. truly revolting...who knows what that chicken had been fed.

 

My main worry is whether I could actually dispatch any of them .. and being in a suburban area there are not that many farmers around to take the adults.

 

I am wondering whether I should go on a course first and see if I can face it ?

http://www.chickenkeeper.co.uk/courses/kill-pluck-gut-and-bone.php

 

I did see a licensed chicken dispatcher on a river cottage programme last night .. but what are they called .?? Also he electrocuted and then slit the throat over a bucket... I DO NOT think I could watch that for real !

 

Can anyone help / offer advice ??

[Redwing]

Alisons courses (in your link) are brilliant, you should give it a go even if only to discover if you could put an ill chook out of its misery

[Lewis]

A few of us have been on the course you posted at Cotswold Chickens, the one I went to's thread is here.

 

I thought the way it was done was really good, theres no blood or electrocuting the way Alison does it (hopefully ), so its not gorey. As Tasha said, its good to know how to deal with an ill bird if it ever came to it ... I did come away and want to raise meat birds now, just Mother doesn't like the idea.

 

I have done the electrocuting way at a turkey farm and thought it was ok, but thats not realistic for someone to do at home though.

There's another one coming up in February (here) but I'm not sure if thats further away for you?

 

Would you eat them afterwards? If not you could give them to someone or do what I did and rehome the cockerels to a breeder/farm