I have a Polish rooster that has become aggressive.
It attacks people and other chickens on the property - we believe it to be responsible for the death of one of our other roosters and a chicken.
My wife has isolated in a small coop, but now we're not sure how to deal with it.
We've never had to put down a chicken before.
Any advice here is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Mike
Replies
Thanks to everyone for the advice.
It looks like we'll be doing a neck dislocation.
A friend is going to process the body for stock.
Thanks again,
Mike
Mike,
Don't feed him for a day before processing--it will be easier to eviscerate (gut) that way. Just give him water. If you put an old sock over his head he'll be easier to hold, and it can be easier for some people, too.
Also, be sure to bleed it asap. I personally prefer to cut the jugular veins because they go unconscious right away, but they bleed well. You can bleed it into a bucket for easier clean up, and hang it upside down over the bucket while plucking.
Pluck the wing & tail feathers first because they're the hardest to pull; it may help to have pair of pliers on hand for them. It depends on the bird as to whether you need them or not. If you pluck quickly enough, you won't need to scald it because the body heat will be warm enough.
When you eviscerate, be careful not to break the gal bladder or cut through the intestines. That's about all I can think of right now.
Hi Mike,
I had to cull two hens this summer who were very ill in order to protect the rest of the flock from illness. It isn't an easy decision, but one that a responsible chicken keeper has to make sometimes.
I outline some of what I did in this thread:
http://www.phoenixpermaculture.org/forum/topics/help-neighborhood-b...
I'm not sure if that is the most efficient way, but it was what I was most comfortable with. I chose to dispatch the hens through decapitation because I didn't feel confident enough to use neck dislocation based on just watching someone do it on youtube. If I had someone show me how to do it properly then that would be my preferred method as decapitation produces lots of blood, but it is humane and instant for the chicken which is what was important to me.
Just my experience. I have tried all of the kinder/gentler methods I could find, none worked. This is just the nature of some roosters. I honestly think you can find maybe one rooster out of every 50 that you'd like to keep around. A friend lost 3 hens last year before he decided he needed to get rid of the aggressive rooster. If you don't want to lose anymore hens, then he must go. You might be able to get him to be more respectful of you, but it won't do the other chickens any good. Roosters make good crockpot/stock chickens. If you are up to it, make a great meal of the food you have already healthfully and humanely raised.
I have read an aggressive rooster can be made submissive by holding it. I can't say how long or how frequently, as I haven't gotten it to work yet. We will probably have to try it on our Tom turkey soon, but he's a little heavier than the average rooster. Other things to think about, a rooster attacks humans when he thinks they are roosters come to challenge him. Holding him is something other roosters can't do, so it teaches him you aren't his competition. People often act like a chicken around aggressive roosters by rising to the challenge, and ignoring the warning signs, such as the rooster puffing up or doing the warning dance. They never attack unprovoked, but most people don't know they are provoking him.
It may be too late for this guy. That's up to you. I'd just hate to see you 'need' to cull a rooster once a year.
Farmer Goose
Mike, unfortunately a rooster like that is not good as a pet to adopt out, either. Not all roosters are good for meat, either, particularly if they've been around a while.
If you choose to put him down, there are a lot of instructions on the web, and we'll be running a processing class in mid-April, but you probably don't want to wait that long. I can post specific information if that's the way you want to go.