Hi everyone,

 

just curious, as i have been reading a bit around the forums

and this term keeps on coming up!

 

culling? what is this?

from previous knowledge of the word, it think it means to kill to reduce numbers of a species

but i doubt all these budgie lovers would dare do this! right???

 

it sounds awful, this isnt what it means is it?

 

in some forums people say im thinking of culling a few budgies?

could someone please help me out and explain?

 

thanks, grant

Nowhere near as gruesome as all that. It simply means to select for sale or give away the birds you consider of lesser quality (for show or breeding or colour) or those that are no longer required as part of the breeding/show team. ie. when space is at a premium you can't keep them all.

Daryl is correct. If we meant kill we would say euthenase and euthenasia would apply to a terminally ill bird, a severely disabled bird or one near fatally injured.

You will find even once we get to show breeding status and have hundreds of birds even one single bird counts for something.

I recently culled some birds to another BBC member ...she got 9 for free because I wanted to help her out.

I never use the word cull to mean KILL

 

Edited February 5, 201015 yr by KAZ

However, you are right .... we sometimes do use it as a euphemism for "sending to God".

 

Earlier in the year I had a vet home visit and he advised me to "cull" some chicks that were affected by French Moult in the nest.

 

I have tried to follow his advice and most have been culled, the remainder await another day when I am feeling resolute.

 

okay, quick edit! USUALLY it means we are moving on birds that do not meet our standard or serve no purpose in our breeding plans.

Edited February 5, 201015 yr by renee

I agree with Daryl and Kaz. Culling to me, is sorting out birds to sell. I have to do a huge cull soon as i have way too many birds. Want to get my numbers right down to about 50, or less. I agree that the word "cull" is not a good word to use for this, but it is what has stuck with the breeders. Same as when a breeder says: "I have put a pair of birds down" it doesnt mean they have killed them, it means they are in a cabinet to start breeding.

I agree that the word "cull" is not a good word to use for this, but it is what has stuck with the breeders. Same as when a breeder says: "I have put a pair of birds down" it doesnt mean they have killed them, it means they are in a cabinet to start breeding.

So true! I use that term all the time.

Edited February 6, 201015 yr by renee

Yes in the breeding world that's a word we use for our lesser birds that we want to sell or give away, to put down euthenasia is the right word but I have heard breeders use sayings as bin it extra

When I first joined I looked through the forum and found a culling topic. I was a little shocked at first until I read it.

This is interesting to hear what people have said re culling. I was living 'outback' prior to here and was in a Budgie Club. I had some rather tragic events occuring to some of my birds' progeny and seeking advice I was told to "cull" them! I didn't understand and when pushed for further details I was told, quite specifically, to "kill 'em .. knock 'em on the head they won't feel a thing". Apparently, I was told they would never survive. I love my birds, animals in fact, I could never live with myself "knocking something on the head". As it turns out every bird I was told to 'kill' I managed to raise and become healthy despite their 'disabilities'.

budgie terminology can be a funny t :raincloud: hing as i found when i joined my club :raincloud:

at times it can sound quiet wrong in alot of aspects but bring with it a very funny conversation to have to try and hold a straight face through

like for example

when i first joined i was asked

what i looked for in a good cock ....???

for someone like me who doesnt get out much or socialize this was rather imbaressing and quiet hard to answer with a straight face specially when i wanted to use the right wordings the answer was quiet amusing i thought .

 

a nice long thick cock with good tall stance a wide head and frontal blow

try saying that to 3 men you dont even know and holding your face

oh that is good to hear joy4me =]

nice story

where abouts did you live in the 'outback'

 

i agree i too could never kill an animal, how horrible, to whack them in the head

if they were in any terrible pain though i think i would have to think twice,

but i would never do it otherwise.

budgie terminology can be a funny t hing as i found when i joined my club

at times it can sound quiet wrong in alot of aspects but bring with it a very funny conversation to have to try and hold a straight face through

like for example

when i first joined i was asked

what i looked for in a good cock ....???

for someone like me who doesnt get out much or socialize this was rather imbaressing and quiet hard to answer with a straight face specially when i wanted to use the right wordings the answer was quiet amusing i thought .

 

a nice long thick cock with good tall stance a wide head and frontal blow

try saying that to 3 men you dont even know and holding your face

budgie terminology can be a funny t hing as i found when i joined my club

at times it can sound quiet wrong in alot of aspects but bring with it a very funny conversation to have to try and hold a straight face through

like for example

when i first joined i was asked

what i looked for in a good cock ....???

for someone like me who doesnt get out much or socialize this was rather imbaressing and quiet hard to answer with a straight face specially when i wanted to use the right wordings the answer was quiet amusing i thought .

 

a nice long thick cock with good tall stance a wide head and frontal blow

try saying that to 3 men you dont even know and holding your face

 

:hap: HAHAHAHA sorry That is highly amusing :D

budgie terminology can be a funny t :hap: hing as i found when i joined my club

at times it can sound quiet wrong in alot of aspects but bring with it a very funny conversation to have to try and hold a straight face through

like for example

when i first joined i was asked

what i looked for in a good cock ....???

for someone like me who doesnt get out much or socialize this was rather imbaressing and quiet hard to answer with a straight face specially when i wanted to use the right wordings the answer was quiet amusing i thought .

 

a nice long thick cock with good tall stance a wide head and frontal blow

try saying that to 3 men you dont even know and holding your face

 

sorry my attempt to reply went 'awol'! I was going to say when I 1st met my club members I was an only female and the fellas would huddle together talking about their 'cocks'. I was very confused I'd always called mine guys and girls! I often felt left out when they would sit around arguing about who had the best 'show cock'!

Isnt it funny that on this forum a lot of words are replaced by asterisks and the word cock isnt

 

Yet on Yahoo bird answers you cant say cock without it turning into an asterisk

If someone really did have to literally cull a bird, is there a kinder way to do it than "knocking it on the head"? I hope I am never called on to have to do this, because I don't think I could stomach doing anything violent to the poor already suffering creature.

If someone really did have to literally cull a bird, is there a kinder way to do it than "knocking it on the head"? I hope I am never called on to have to do this, because I don't think I could stomach doing anything violent to the poor already suffering creature.

 

There is many ways, but it wont get talked about out here in the " open"

I know I felt weird about referring to my 'cocks' it seemed ...? I don't know I'm old I think. But when I asked about this 'knocking on the head' business the fellas would try to tell me about how you kill sheep??? That lost me so they offered holding the bird under water and giving it a tap with a hammer on the head! Could you imagine the nightmares? I go out of my way to save sick or injured birds and when one dies I lose sleep over it - what could I have done differently?

If someone really did have to literally cull a bird, is there a kinder way to do it than "knocking it on the head"? I hope I am never called on to have to do this, because I don't think I could stomach doing anything violent to the poor already suffering creature.

 

There is many ways, but it wont get talked about out here in the " open"

 

 

I had a feeling that would be the case.

 

Unless you were passing on what you've heard other people do, like Joy4me's example.

 

I have a dog breeder friend who has had a couple of occasions when a pup was born with a congenital defect and had to be put down. She said they made a box for it with a hole to fit over the tail pipe of their car. I guess with carbon monoxide poisoning, you fall asleep first, and then die in your sleep. That sounds kinder than, say, wringing the neck.

I dont chosse any of the more violent methods to euthenase a bird.

We generally dont discuss actual euthenasia methods on here as a greater majority of people get very uset by it and it causes "issues". Been there done that

OMG! I feel terrible hearing about the box and hole thingy. I'm new should I not have mentioned what I was told to do re the 'water and hammer' scenario?

Isnt it funny that on this forum a lot of words are replaced by asterisks and the word cock isnt

 

Yet on Yahoo bird answers you cant say cock without it turning into an asterisk

 

cock cock cock cock :hap:

yet ***** cat is not allowed

 

 

my experience was quiet funny i think being female and in the bird breeding fancy you need a humor or you wont last long

i did try to relate to the birds as boy and girl birds but i was asked to please express the correct terminology

its okay because i later heard one member likes his birds loose

OMG! I feel terrible hearing about the box and hole thingy. I'm new should I not have mentioned what I was told to do re the 'water and hammer' scenario?

 

 

I see, Kaz is right, it does upset people. I'm sorry about that, joy4me.

OMG! I feel terrible hearing about the box and hole thingy. I'm new should I not have mentioned what I was told to do re the 'water and hammer' scenario?

 

 

I see, Kaz is right, it does upset people. I'm sorry about that, joy4me.

 

i actually think people should know how to put a bird down in the right way but im not about to go saying as i dont want to be the one to upset others but relly if it needs to be done their is humain way of doing it and the birds feel nothing

it does not involve knocking on the head or water car fumes or anything else of that nature if you ask your vet they will be more than happy to let you know how its done correctly with no pain or suffering to the bird

I had a bird a few years ago that broke its neck because of hawks attacking at night scaring the flock,it was terrible to see the poor thing how he was,he seemed fine but his neck was just rubber.I new right away what should be done,he had no chance.....okay..heres the part no one wants to here hold the bird as normal,put your thumb and forfinger under neck then pull and twist.And just for the i cant do that group would you prefer him to starve to death,or take him to the vet were they will charge big dollars and do the same thing.When you breed livestock you have to move on sh!t happens.