More manageable chicken numbers

We've known for about a month that we had too many roosters.  I originally thought that we should have about 5-8 hens for each rooster, but then read that you should have about 10 hens per rooster.  We had only had about 20 hens in all, and when Clyde was still around, we had 9 boys.  While I would rather give the boys to homes that would keep them as pets, there just aren't homes for them since everyone is dealing with the same issues that we had.

Every week or so, someone would pull up our driveway and ask if we sold chickens.  I would always tell them that we had a few roosters that we needed to get rid of, and if they promised to kill them as quick and painlessly as possible, I would sell them.  It was always hard for me because I felt so guilty giving the birds to someone that was going to eat them, but I knew I couldn't keep them, and I didn't have any other options.

After a few visits from strangers, we sold our last birds yesterday.  The man came on Friday asking if we sold birds but he needed someone that would do the killing and plucking, I managed to find someone that would do it on Saturday, so he came back for them.  He asked us to lead him over to her house and since I was curious to see where the woman lived, I went along.

I've met the woman a few times and she was the one that helped to band the goats last spring, but I'd never been to her house.

While they killed and plucked the birds, I stayed pretty far away but the set up was interesting as long as I didn't think about it happening to a live animal.

I did get pictures of the equipment, but even as I write this, I feel bad to post them.

So, we are down to 4 roosters, with plans to get rid of one more to someone that wants to breed him.

We have two pure bred Buff Orpington roosters, one of the larger black and white roosters (that doesn't crow as often as the one we got rid of), and the gray rooster.

There is one more hen that I think we need to get rid of and we need to see what Silkie Sue's current chicks grow up to be, but hopefully things will go smoothly from here on out.