Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
half of which are part way through production. It also requires us to cull 150 hens
every six months.
Culling is no one's favorite task. However, after their second season the hens de-
cline in production enough that they cease even to pay for their feed—fine in a back-
yard flock, but threatening to the viability of our organic egg business and the quality
of management we can give to the overall flock. The hens must support their corner
of the farm.
There are several options for a hen retired from commercial production. We use all
of the following options when culling and hope to make the best decisions both mor-
ally and financially:
1. Sale to a person with a backyard flock.
2. Processing for sale as stew hens.
3. Culling and composting for unthrifty or injured birds.
We choose the option based on the breed, health, and production condition of the
hen. We initially try to sell the healthy retired hens to people with small backyard
flocks who don't require the level of production we do. Eighteen-month-old hens are
plenty productive for the small flock owner as long as the hens are healthy and well
cared for. We base our price for these hens on what we would get for that bird if we
processed it as a stew hen. Depending on breed, a dressed stew hen weighs 2½ to 3
lbs.—worth $5.63 in the freezer, but we have to process, package, freeze, and sell it.
If someone buys that bird live off the farm, we have no additional labor. Based on
those numbers we typically sell retired certified organic laying hens for $4 picked up
at the farm.
“Least Favorite” Choice
After selling as many as possible live, we look at the health and body condition of
the remaining hens to make our final cull. Hens that are obviously unthrifty or in-
jured are immediately culled and composted for their own sake and the well-being of
the flock. This is done throughout the season as well as during the major culling peri-
ods. Some breeds are very slight and never have much meat on them; these are rarely
worth processing.
Culling and composting is our least favorite method. It only requires us to kill and
properly compost the birds but sometimes feels wanton. Somehow, the killing and
dressing of a retired bird for human nourishment seems a fair choice, but composting
can feel cruel and pointless. Of course it's not cruel and pointless, especially in the
case of a sick, suffering bird. The carefully tended compost of chickens, manure, and
