# Culling?



## amandahalterman (Aug 11, 2012)

Can someone please tell me what culling means? Thanks


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## ThreeJ (Jun 28, 2012)

Thinning the flock.... getting rid of undesiralbe traits.


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## Sundancers (Jun 20, 2012)

I agree with ThreeJ but some of us also cull older hens making them stew hens. Then in the spring they will then be replace with pullets.

Waste not ... want not.


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## amandahalterman (Aug 11, 2012)

I still don't understand, lol


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## annlouise (Jul 29, 2012)

Culling is a nicer way of saying killed


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## adorson (Jul 19, 2012)

Culling can also mean selling or giving away birds you no longer need. When you cull, you are going through your flock and getting rid of chickens you do not want for one reason or another. It doesn't always mean the chickens are killed. Just thinning out your flock.


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## amandahalterman (Aug 11, 2012)

Ok thanks for the info


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## kiwicsi (Sep 24, 2012)

We cull pigeons in Cambridge because large numbers roost on our historic buildings. (Historic, by NZ standards is about 100 yrs or a bit older, nothing compared with Europe and America LOL) They poop a hell of a lot and the buildings need constant maintenance. So pigeon numbers are reduced with the help of a marksman with a rifle.


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## Roslyn (Jun 21, 2012)

I think culling is a word that describes a purposeful removal. You can purchase 24 meat birds, but you don't cull them, you just butcher them at the right weight since all of them were meant for the freezer. Culling means that you thoughtfully go through the flock and pick and choose for a reason, whether it's who is laying and who isn't, who is of breeding quality and who isn't.

Even a dog breeder will look at a litter of pups and "cull" the bloodline by spaying/neutering certain pups for pets and remove them from possible future breeding.


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## amandahalterman (Aug 11, 2012)

Roslyn said:


> I think culling is a word that describes a purposeful removal. You can purchase 24 meat birds, but you don't cull them, you just butcher them at the right weight since all of them were meant for the freezer. Culling means that you thoughtfully go through the flock and pick and choose for a reason, whether it's who is laying and who isn't, who is of breeding quality and who isn't.
> 
> Even a dog breeder will look at a litter of pups and "cull" the bloodline by spaying/neutering certain pups for pets and remove them from possible future breeding.


Thanks, I understand it better now


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## WeeLittleChicken (Aug 31, 2012)

Culling just means taking an animal out of the breeding population. In chickens that can mean you butcher them but it doesn't have to. It could be as simple as just not letting it hatch any of its eggs. Breeders of any animal tend to keep young, watch them grow, and if they don't have the desired traits they are 'culled' - or never allowed to breed the next generation.


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## daydreamer1948 (Oct 16, 2012)

I recently "culled" some of my flock. I have Bantams,and several of my newly grown birds were getting very large. I like the small chickens so I gave the 4 large chickens to a friend of mine,and now he is happy and they are getting along just fine on his place. Those particular chickens had blue legs and feet. All the others have white legs and feet. Don't know what the difference is but blue legs and feet seem to be on the larger birds.


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