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Culling hens refers to the identification and removal of the non-laying or low producing hens from a laying flock. Unless the birds are diseased, they are suitable for marketing or home cooking. The following topics will address the molting process: Sight Culling. Culling by Individual Inspection General Condition. Body Characteristics.
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Jun 9, 2017 · How to cull a chicken. When it's time to cull a chicken, you'll start by putting the chicken in the cone head first. Hold her by her feet as you lower her in. The chickens head will come out through the hole in the kill cone. Once you feel that she's all the way in the cone, let go of her feet.
Jan 25, 2024 · The most humane way to cull a chicken is by cervical dislocation or neck breaking. It is commonly recommended because of its effectiveness and swiftness, which reduces pain and distress in chickens. It’s important to note that this technique requires specific knowledge and skill.
- When to Cull Laying Hens
- First Molt
- Second Molt Or Later
- The Economy of Culling Old Hens
- How to Tell If Your Hen Is Laying Eggs
It can be difficult to decide when to cull your older laying hens. Some people like to keep their hens for a few years before culling them from the flock. Other people choose to cull at the onset of the hen’s first molt.
When laying hens are around 18 months old, they begin their first molt. This is the process where chickens lose a lot of feathers, then grow new ones. Molting requires the consumption of extra calories and protein and may take 2 1/2 months or more. During this period, the hen will slow down production and then stop laying eggs. Many chicken keepers...
You may choose to feed your hens through the first molt in anticipation of the larger eggs they will produce in their second year. Keep in mind that although the older hen will lay larger eggs, those eggs will be fewer and farther between with each molt. They will continue to molt approximately once a year for the rest of their lives. Eventually yo...
Raising your own grain may allow you to save money on your farm fresh eggs. Even if you don’t have room to plant grain, you can reduce the overall cost of keeping chickens in a number of ways. Free ranging or pasturing will allow them to rustle up some of their own grub. You can feed them table scraps and extras from the garden. It also helps a gre...
Perhaps you have a mixed flock of laying hens of different ages. It can be tricky to tell who is laying and who isn’t. Of course, the best way to tell is to put each hen into a separate coop or cage and watch to see how many eggs she produces for a few days. You can also watch them all day or set up a special nesting box that allows the hens in, bu...
The term “culling” is a sanitized way of referring to the process of removing chickens from a flock and killing them. The shocking mass killing of day-old male chicks as part of the egg production industry is perhaps one of the best-known examples of culling.
Many times we try to figure out the non-productive chickens (layer chickens that are not laying eggs) in a flock in order to cull them. Culling simply means removing the undesirable and non-performing chickens from the flock.
In a flock without a rooster, one of the hens will often assume the roll of protector and behave like a rooster. Even with no spurs, being attacked by a chicken can be startling and painful. You may want to assess if it is the right time to cull a chicken.
