To kill or not to kill....

[aggieterpkatie]

I raised a batch of broilers earlier this summer. I processed them in early August when they were about 10 weeks old. One little pullet was spared because she was pretty slight compared to the rest. She's been growing ever since. Now she's hefty and very meaty. She gets around great, even roosts up in the coop at night.

Question is, I'm doing more broilers this weekend and don't know if I should process her or let her live. :/ I don't want to be too sentimental, but I don't want to be a meanie either.

Seeing as how I'm pretty bored at work and I'm a very indecisive person, I figured there was only one thing to do....start a thread!

 

[journey11]

Is she a Cornish X? In that case I would. They have leg problems and heart problems if they get too old/large. They don't have much quality of life because of their heavy gain. That's amazing she will roost!

If you don't mind feeding her, whether or not she contributes to your homestead (won't be a great layer), then if you are that attached I can see it might be hard to "do the deed".

 

[justusnak]

A few years ago, I raised a batch of cornish. There was a sweet little hen that when I walked in the pen, she would RUN to me, and hop onto my foot. I tried to just "shoo" her off, but she was very persistant. When processing time came, she got a reprieve. She layed an egg about ever 3 or 4 days...and lived almost a year. She is resting now under the willow...
Sometimes there is just one chicken...that really knows how to look at ya, or act around ya...to make you want to keep it around.
I say, its your call. If she is roosting, chances are she wont get to ofat, and will be happy for several months!

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Yep, she's a cornish X. It's not that I'm particularly attached to her, but I just feel like she's made it this far and she's doing so well that maybe she deserves to live. She sure would make a nice meal (or 4) though.

I don't know that she's laying, though she's older than 20 weeks. Do Cornish Xs lay white eggs? I have brown eggs, and have seen a few small ones lately but I also have some other pullets that started laying.

 

[patandchickens]

If you like her and don't want to eat her there is absolutely no reason I can see not to let her live out whatever lifespan she may have.

CornishX lay tinted (brown but not real dark) eggs.

Pat

 

[FarmerChick]

yea if ya like her, she isn't taking up alot of space, has become some sort of mascot for you---let her live.....no big deal with that....everyone on the farm picks that one or two animals that just seem to be allowed to do their own thing and you enjoy them.

 

[patandchickens]

Yeah, my little Maudie hen is never ever going in the stockpot. She is a fairly lousy representative of her breed (speckled sussex), and not a great layer either (although she has gone broody which is of some value)... but she greets me every time I go into the chicken building with this long "brawwwwk bawk bawk bawk" monologue, even flies up onto the roost so she can speak to me face-to-face, she is sort of the official receptionist of the sussex pen and no WAY could I eat her.

All the others are fair game.

Well except my best roo Pants who has earned as much of a retirement as he wants.

It's just one chicken. It's okay to be impractical about one chicken.

Or two, in my case.

LOL


Pat

 

[FarmerChick]

yup, I have some goats that will never leave the pasture.
they get full retirement with benefits lol

no matter how much Tony wants to sell those old goats, no way lol

 

[freemotion]

Who says chickens can't be pets? What is the difference between a parrot and a chicken, anyways?

About $2998!

 

[Beekissed]

It would be interesting to see if she will lay...then breed her and see what offspring you could develop. She sounds like she is pretty hardy but still meaty...could be the start of something nice at your place!