01/08/2025
I can't love this post any harder. As the saying goes - "There more wrong ways than right, and more right ways than one."
I turn on my phone, and this was the first thing I read and how many times strangers I've never met have tried to BULLY me into culling, makes my head spin and my heart hurt. I've already commented in this post but felt it was something that needed a post all of its own. So here's my lengthy but hopefully worth reading response:
"A true farmer (I am from a multi generation farming family married to a multi generation farming family) (and by farming I mean hundreds to thousands of head of cattle, horses, goats, sheep, alpacas, poultry etc. AND farming is your only job, not a side hussle) has common sense. (Something that's quite rare in this last decade)
YOU CAN NOT BUILD RESISTANCE WITHOUT THE PRESENCE OF DISEASE!!!
YES, there is a time to hard cull, but it's actually quite rare, and no matter how many decades you've been tending to livestock, it's never easy, and it's never a simple decision. Culling is the last case scenario and not good for your flock. If you claim you breed for resistance but hard cull, you're fighting a losing battle because you will never build resistance. I honestly hardly ever cull, I never have to unless I had a deformity/injury/sickness pop up that would ultimately cause long-term suffering and poor quality of life, but due to learning deeper into breeding and genetics, I've learned how to avoid most of those issues. So the trend here is immersing yourself in your flock and breeding strong birds that will produce strong offspring with immune systems that can fight and win any battle with every pathogen they are exposed to!
Soft culling is the rehoming of birds that shouldn't be used as breeders. Birds with wry tail, for example, can live a full happy life, physically are capable of breeding and laying, but should not because that's not good for the longevity of the breed.
When breeding any livestock we all need to think decades ahead and only put out what will improve and keep our beloved breed what it is that makes it so beloved, while also working to improve health and vigor.
When I evaluate and assess my breeders and who I keep, I do it on a scale. I look at the standard and keep everything I feel will give me the perfect bird physically. Then I look back to records, has this bird ever been sick, did I ever medicate, etc. Then I look at my notes on its personality, is it maternal, was their mom maternal, was their mom, a good mom, was their father protective and nurturing of the hens and offspring?
Silkies have this aloof, quirky, curious, loving personality that we hold so dear to our hearts. The less we breed for all those things, the less will be on the market, and the less our precious silkies will be like our precious silkies, potentially making silkies as we know them, extinct.
Never let anyone guilt into hard culling if it doesn't feel right. It takes a lot of intelligence, common sense, time, and the ability to listen and learn to be able to properly diagnose a bird and treat it. (There's a reason vets, vet techs, doctors, and nurses all go to school for extended time. It's like RSV and hand, foot, and mouth. 2 viruses that make our children so sick and can even potentially lead to the passing of a child if severe enough! But with modern day medicine, we are able to help our children get through them, and each time they get it through childhood, the feel it a little less, and then by the time you're a grown up, if you have a proper immune system, you don't feel it at all! Even though you've actually contracted it from your child! Our immune systems are so strong because we've built resistance! It's a lifelong process for humans, as it is for livestock, too!
Not everything has as simple results or has been mastered, but there are some pretty amazing vaccinations for the more complex things!!!
Yes, in livestock, we do need to have a "strongest survive" mentality, but that is for our breeding program. Let the strongest and best survive your breeding program. Don't breed poor genetics.
Don't over crowd your animals. All livestock won't do well in over crowded poorly kept conditions. Birds have the most sensitive respiratory system of all. If you're getting a lot of sick birds, chances are it's a YOU problem and not a THEY problem!
Stop giving antibiotics w***y nilly! You're creating resistant super viruses and bacteria! No one needs that!! If you can't properly assess and diagnose *DONT MEDICATE. Quarantine and give them TLC and let their immune system work until you can get to someone with more advanced knowledge than you. It's okay to not be an expert at everything. It's okay to stop and say, "Wait, I don't know how to handle this, I need help!"
Lastly, stop preaching your way is the only way! It's like raising children. There is no way my way is the only way. There's more than one way to pluck a chicken!
Okay, I lied. This is really my last thing, and then I'm wrapping this up. Please remember that these are living, breathing, loving, and intelligent animals with complex emotions. Stop treating them like they are designer purses that you can pass around. If the passing of one doesn't make your soul ache, you're in the wrong business. Sure you can say I'm an emotional woman blah blah but my husband, who is not emotional deeply feels when something goes bad at the barn. I've seen him shed tears over his livestock. And he did not cry on our wedding day, or the birth of our children. We are connected to this earth and they were put on earth by God for us to tend and love and use for nourishment. (This is not about raising livestock to harvest and feed your family, that I stand behind 100%) this is about quality of life, proper animal husbandry, having common sense, and knowing when maybe you need to find a new hobby.
