09/12/2026
So this post is ruffling feathers and thats to be expected. Not everyone is comfortable with where their FOOD comes from. I run a farm, not an animal sanctuary. Yes we process extra birds for food either for us or we grind it up for the dogs.
Today I culled birds. Culling is something that happens a lot here and if this upsets you then politely just skip this post. This is the real side of farm life and im not the only breeder doing this, the others just don’t wanna talk about it.
My breeding pens are only so big and I’m not in the business of housing and feeding birds that no longer fit my program. I hatch a lot of chicks, grow them out, and decide who to keep and use and who to rehome normally around 3-4 months old. Any birds with obvious DQs are first in line for pet or food homes but sometimes the birds l cull have nothing wrong with them. They just don’t fit my program and for one reason or another they don’t move even at pet price. I culled several nice hens today. Hens that I previously used in my program. Hens who were young and productive and had no issues other than nobody wanted them. 🤷🏼♀️ Yes it’s too hot to ship right now but they could have been held until weather was cooler. I culled a lot of young roosters today. Roosters that could have benefited someone else’s program but still nobody wanted them because we are all overrun with roosters.
Nobody ever seems to make as much of a fuss about culling roosters as they do culling hens and I truly don’t get why when it’s the same thing. Yes hens are more valuable but if people have an issue with culling as a whole but only choose to throw a fit about “rescuing” hens then you aren’t really worried about the morality of culling. Others see no issue with culling them as day old chicks but take great offense to someone giving them a great cushy life for 4 months and then sending them to camp kenmore.
The funny thing is all these birds were spoken for last month and then the people ghosted on them and I don’t have the room to keep feeding them indefinitely. We all know the market is down but that doesnt change how a farm operates. Live birds need space and food. Kalmbach Henhouse Reserve is $32 a bag. I’m feeding one of the most expensive poultry feeds on the market because my birds get the best care i can give them in their time with me. I wont have my birds getting overcrowded and stressed either. It’s about quality of life here not about how many birds i could fit in a pen.
The bigger elephant in the room is the fact that not every bird deserves a spot in your coop. Period. If you run a good breeding program you will eventually outgrow your starter birds. You’ll produce better birds and they will no longer be of benefit to you. By moving subpar birds along is the only way you can better solidify a breeding program. I have goals for my program. Every good breeder does. It’s the breeders who dont that you actually have to worry about.
Is it always a sad day for me? Of course. But after knowing how other birds I have given away to “good homes” have ended up I’m not sad in the least. I’ve seen posts recently about a farm who gave a family a box full of chicks. Later that day someone messages her farm page saying they found a box of chicks thrown on the side of the road and the chicks were only tied to the original breeder because she wing bands all her babies. Imagine giving away an animal you cared for its entire life just for someone to dump it or worse? No thanks. My birds will have lots of good days and only one bad day here. ✌️
And before someone dives into my DMs, no I do not have any 🆓 chickens that you can rescue. Raising animals for meat is not a new concept and just because it’s cute doesn’t mean it’s still not a chicken. 🍗 Everything on this farm serves a purpose and I’m not sorry if you don’t find the reality of farming cute.
