I have to kill 4 cockerals NOW, within the next hour. I feel sick.

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

I've never done it before, I've been putting it off all day but need to do it before DD gets back from school. I knew I'd have to do it some time but they've started crowing and have kept us and neighbours awake for the last 2 nights. I rang the vet today to see if she would put them down and she won't. I've tried rehoming them. I've been readign what to do but am scared of messign it up.

[BennyAndJoon]

If you are anywhere near aylesbury I can send DH round (he has done it before for his parents)

Other than that all I can offer is a manly pat on the shoulder.

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

Nowhere close sorry. I've appealed for help on chicken forums and noone has replied. Sob.

[Turbomouth]

Oh how horrid for you

[littleducks]

good luck!

[littleducks]

so that sounds too cheery, i was trying to be supportive

[Bonneville]

If theyve been bothering the neighbours for only 2 nights why the hurry to do the 'deed' immediately? Can you not allow a little more time to find homes?

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

I've been trying to find them homes for 6 weeks now. I knew a while ago that they were cockerals.

[OrmIrian]

Is there anywhere you can keep them confined at night? IM v limited E of chucks they only crow when they can see the daylight returning. Don't kill them yourself unless you know what you are doing. Really. Don't It can be horrendous.

[mistlethrush]

Can't you put them away at night so that they can't be heard (as much) (we had a hen house which meant the sound was fairly contained and at least the cockerell didn't wander round and crow under your bedroom window at 4am...)

[ahundredtimes]

How are you going to do it?

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

I locked them up in the Eglu Cube last night and still got woken up at 5:00am.

[OrmIrian]

Would it help to get them done?

[Heathcliffscathy]

god orm, you're sounding like you have scarey experience.

[stressed2007]

Are you killig them just because they are noisy? surely not

[ahundredtimes]

Why wouldn't the vet do it also? Isn't there someone you can ask to come and do this? Have you ever done it before?

[whooosh]

I am notsure this is a better option but a friend of mine takes her cockerels to the local woods,with a load fo food,for Mr.Fox to desptch on her behalf.

Not condoning it,merely offering up an alternative.

[ahundredtimes]

Oh yes, that's a much better idea. Isn't it? Can't you do that?

[OrmIrian]

sophable - I have. We used to keep them when I was a child and I clearly remember mum trying to despatch one. It struggled and squawked and ended up running around with a sliced neck and blood all over the place.

[ahundredtimes]

WOODS definitely, take them to the foxes.

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

Stressed - yes I'm going to kill them because they're noisy and becasue they're no use to me and will start fighting before long. I hatched out eggs and 4 of the 5 were boys. I knew when I hatched out eggs that I was likely to have to do this.

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

I mentioned the local woods to my hubby this morning but he reckoned that was crueler.

[TrinityRhino]

the rspca would take them

we had to dispatch two out of three when we took on very young chucks and we didn't know which were which for a while
I was lucky though, I went out and came back to one left.

[ahundredtimes]

Nah. They are much better, quicker and more efficient killers than you, surely? Unless you know what you're doing, but four seems a tall order.

[PremenstrualChickens]

Have you tried the Bluelaced forum? A lot of the peeps from the Pekin Bantam site now post there. If you give a rough idea of your location, I bet someone would come around and show you the correct, most humane, method. It's a horrible, but necessary, part of breeding . Personally, I would not release them anywhere, as that's just passing on the responsibility.

[ahundredtimes]

Golly, I'd pass on that responsibility like a shot