After our last cull a couple of weeks ago we were down to 11 chickens; 10 very large and happy Ross/Cobb girls and one large unidentified breed, who we had previously thought to be a hen but were having suspicions he was an underdeveloped cockerel. They have all bloomed and been displaying proper chickeny behaviour, such as dustbathing. They look wonderful.
In the intervening couple of weeks, more girls have come in to to lay. We've had to make them a nesting area in their shed, and there is usually a couple of eggs in there. I find this very sad. They've shown no inclination to be broody.
Yesterday DH and OC (other chap) culled four girls. The unidentified brown chicken is definitely a cockerel, he's developed all his tackle since we culled the other cockerel ("Lumpy") last time. We've decided to leave him to the end, as he's doing a good job of keeping the Girls in order.
Anyway, DH dressed three birds yesterday at OC's house. He brought the fourth bird home and we kept it in the salad box to be dressed today. He commented that it was much easier to dress the cockerels, as with the Hens there is now oviducts to deal with, nor partially formed eggs. I saw what he meant today. I thought there were cherry tomatoes in the entrails (I gave the girls lots of tomatoes and cucumber on Sunday night before they went to bed) but they were the eggs.
It's very sad. I sort of wish we'd culled them before they got to Laying age.
In the intervening couple of weeks, more girls have come in to to lay. We've had to make them a nesting area in their shed, and there is usually a couple of eggs in there. I find this very sad. They've shown no inclination to be broody.
Yesterday DH and OC (other chap) culled four girls. The unidentified brown chicken is definitely a cockerel, he's developed all his tackle since we culled the other cockerel ("Lumpy") last time. We've decided to leave him to the end, as he's doing a good job of keeping the Girls in order.
Anyway, DH dressed three birds yesterday at OC's house. He brought the fourth bird home and we kept it in the salad box to be dressed today. He commented that it was much easier to dress the cockerels, as with the Hens there is now oviducts to deal with, nor partially formed eggs. I saw what he meant today. I thought there were cherry tomatoes in the entrails (I gave the girls lots of tomatoes and cucumber on Sunday night before they went to bed) but they were the eggs.
It's very sad. I sort of wish we'd culled them before they got to Laying age.
