#culling

I do love animals. I breed quail for meat and eggs, and that means that yes, I kill some of my birds, just as I kill some of my mice who are unsuitable for pet homes or unnecessary for breeding, just as I have sent overtly aggressive peafowl that would be dangerous to other birds or humans home with someone to be dinner.

Loving animals and understanding meat source animals must be killed to be eaten and that domesticated husbandry requires some amount of hard culling for the benefit of the breeding program and species as a whole are not mutually exclusive ideas. It is my job to give my animals good, proper care, enrichment, and love until their time in this world is over (for some that's sooner than others), to ensure that death is as humane as possible, and to ensure that as little as possible goes to waste after.

And almost nothing here does go to waste; offal or unusable parts goes to the crows and other scavengers I feed at the front of the house (and in turn they chase off nosy hawks and eagles), meat gets eaten, bones get used to make stock and then composted for the garden. Mouse culls and quail feeder culls (quail hatched specifically to be feeders for other animals) almost all go to reptile owners who want ethically sourced animals kept in better conditions/fed better feed (the exception is when Bug eats some of them instead). And the two times I have ever had to cull aggressive peafowl, they both went to a hunting family that made use of the meat.

Additionally, on several occasions now, I have been called upon by others to help euthanize their fowl friends. Strangers who couldn't afford a vet bill but wanted to put an end to their bird's suffering. Strangers that knew it needed to be done but couldn't do it themselves, or that didn't know how. I have taught others how to do cervical dislocation in case the need arrives ever again, so the bird doesn't have to wait. I have held sobbing owners who thanked me for being able to do what they couldn't even when they knew it was necessary. And yes, I have demonstrated the butchering process to folks who want quail meat, so that I know they're giving a quick, humane end to their birds.

Death is a part of life. When you raise purpose animals, death is going to be a part of the deal at some point.

I do have bonds with every chicken I breed. Unlike some people I name every bird and I get to know them personally. It doesn't really bother me because I know I gave them the best care and this is just another part of the cycle of life. I'm just not as removed from my food as a lot of people, to me I feel the same kind of sadness and satisfaction as I do when harvesting vegetables. It's like I helped grow this, and now it's gone and it's going to be used to feed me and my family now.

The only time I am genuinely upset when culling is when I have to do it because the chicken is suffering but then I feel relieved because they are now no longer suffering.

I got into chicken breeding because I have always been interested in animal breeding. It kind of runs in my family my grandmother bred horses for example.

posting like this as there is a bit to go over. Culling is one of those topics that can get quite heated. there pros and cons to it . and not every one will agree with what is ethical. lets start by saying that culling can be put into 2 categories.

a soft cull : simple removing an animal from the breeding lines. it may be re homed as a pet and then hard culling: euthanasia of an animal our asker is specifically talking about hard culls in this case. and I can respect their reasoning. for me as a breeder I do cull, and often. large litters can be very taxing on the mothers so I cull pinkies down to 4. and for older animals that show illness or deformities these too are removed from the breeding pool as my goal is to improve my lines, and not harbour deleterious traits. now on to C02 , this is the gas used safely euthanise rodents and other small animals. the best way to set up a Co2 system is to get a hold of the kind of set ups sold in Aquarium stores, these kits have everything needed from the gas bottle to the fittings and most importantly a regulator.

(a Co2 starter kit with regulator)

regulating your flow rate is important for a humane culling session. add the gas too fast and your intended recipient will stress out very quickly. ad the gas too slowly and you will only concuss your recipient.

(detail of a Co2 regulator) making you gas chamber is simple , you want a decent sized plastic container with a tightly fitting lid. make 2 holes in the lid at opposed ends . one hole you willl feed your gas line thru . you want it so that the line is close to the bottom of the container when the lid is closed . the other hole you will want to fit a bit of aquarium air line tube to with a gang valve on it , this line sits outside of the chamber and is your air bleed line. it is important to let the oxygenated air out whilst keeping the Co2 in, Co2 is heavier than then air of the room.

*(simplified diagram of a gas chamber setup)

I wont detail how much gas to use here again this topic is one people get funny about. there are plenty of guides online I strongly recommend using university guidlines for this over say redit posts.

when done correctly Co2 is one of the RSPCA approved methods used in my country for dispatching of rodents

☽ why is my muse hot garbage?? - accepting!!

ooh boy, this one is easy because there are many lmao

VI. ON OBSESSION

the most glaring trait is how he expresses any kind of affection or infatuation. take the latter, for example: when he falls for someone he does so in the most intense, immoderate and unhealthy way; he will not be above using the goetia arsenal at his disposal to manipulate and keep them bound to him: his power(s), social status & influence, wealth, knowledge and cunning. he may even lord something over them, like his grimoire with blitzø if he believes the other to be a particularly tough nut to crack. it is all kinds of wrong wrong wrong!

he does not relent easily and will shamelessly display obsessive behaviours such as keeping tabs on them by means of magic and connections, showing up unannounced, blowing up their phone, courting and seducing them enthusiastically, offering a contract etc. and just generally being rather pushy. he is not always subtle with it either - with blitzø, for example, he is openly scandalous, and in a way it's also because he wants to see how much he can get away with.

it's hunger, yearning, obsession, boredom and desperation all wrapped up in a terrible beast created by aeons of repression / unhealthy ways of managing his emotions, ingrained infernal behaviours, as well as no real examples of healthy relationships. that and ... he is a demon, an apex predator, and therefore indulges in skewed morals by definition. he basically behaves as if he is hunting them, and is not satisfied until they are snatched up and held fast in his claws, until he can devour them metaphorically and irrefutably own every part of them, tear their pretty mind wide open and gaze lovingly at every little detail.

it's a demonic belief that everyone has a price, that he can buy most people's loyalty and company like his own father did for him; but that isn't to say he doesn't appreciate a less transactional relationship: in fact he much prefers it when the objects of his affections willingly choose to indulge him, and he does not need to bind them through contracts or by any other means.

in time he has learnt to appreciate choice (that which he lacked when his own marriage was arranged) : there is nothing sexier than adoring loyalty but he does thoroughly enjoy the hunt.