tracyann Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Well, poultry keeping is not without its ups and downs, thankfully more ups than downs, been a hard start to 2012. Have lost two hens, had a bad first hatch (3 chicks out of 12 eggs), an incubator with 7 eggs in down the nursing home where Dad is (Charlie in the Bupa ad) was switched off and therefore no viable eggs as they were cold. My 24 eggs in my incy have been candled and 23 out of 24 are ok. Today I had to make a decision to cull my rooster Frank who I rescued on here as he was too rampant and violent with my hens and had managed to near starve several of my hens to death and the rest of them had so many missing feathers they resembled ex-batts. It was a hard decision to make as he was a handsome chap and friendly towards me, but for the sake of my birds I had to do the horrid deed. I would have lost at least three hens had I not taken this action. He was not rehomable as he would have mullered everyone elses hens. Poultry keeping is a steep learning curve and you have to take into consideration the health and welfare of all your birds. Having said that, it has not put me off!! Bring on morehens that's what I say. Love Tracy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Now that is rough . Like you say it's the bad times that make you appreciate the good and keeping them is very much ups and downs. Your current eggs are good. Looks like things will change for you, I do hope so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracyann Posted March 10, 2012 Author Share Posted March 10, 2012 I know I made the right and proper decision, it was just hard euthanasing a perfectly healthy bird, which I didn't like doing, especially as I had become attached to Frank and he was my boy. But he would have ended up starving the girls to death and I wasn't prepared to see him become a bully. It won't be the first or last boy I have to cull, but the others won't have names and will be fattened up accordingly and won't be as old as he was. The garden is empty this morning and much quieter, I did miss the crowing at 4.30am! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindafw Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 bad times even knowing you did the right thing its still hard.. I am in a similar position having two boys..a HUGE buff orpington and a tiny Poland..the guys are great and good to the girls and lovely with me. Unfortunately it looks like the last surviving Lavender Aracana is a boy...he will stay till he crows (you would think by 10 months he would have!) because I still won't admit he is male...but then he will have to be rehomed or worse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
