7th February 2014
Farewell Red Rooster
The decision about which rooster was to depart from Kookaburra Nook was not taken lightly. The family decided to watch the two boys carefully and the rooster who proved to be most caring to the hens would remain. During this time the boys fought on a daily basis and alliances were made. Swifty hung out with Red, while Darling and Mort preferred to stay with Fluffy.
In the end it was Red's increasingly heavy handed bullying of the hens that decided his fate.
Each morning the girl's would sit huddled on the perch, knowing that the minute they hopped down Red would pounce on them and grab them by the neck until they squeaked in pain.
With the decision made, the date was set for this morning and after the children were safely off to school Jamie and I headed out to the chook run.
It was all very dignified and there was no panic as Jamie picked up Red and stroked him, talking to him as he walked to the humane poultry dispatcher. I busied myself feeding the others their breakfast of mash and scraps. I could hear Jamie telling Red that he was sorry but we just had one rooster too many. Red lay quietly with his head in the device and I truly believe he didn't suspect a thing up until the handle dropped and broke his neck instantly.
For both Jamie and I it was a sombre and melancholy moment but I believe that the taking of any life should not be taken lightly and should feel that way.Â
We hung Red upside down and waited to make sure that all brain activity and nerve function had ceased before Jamie started plucking. This was the only part of the butchering that he did not do an expert job with. He unfortunately pulled the feathers downward instead of up which resulted in many of them snapping and a number of left behind quills. In the end we ended up having to skin the entire carcass before we froze it.