Considering butchering birds.
For the first time, I'm actually wondering if I should just kill a couple and see what they taste like. I am so frustrated. About a year ago, I picked up six Production Reds at a local feed store. Horrible birds. Two died as soon as they started laying. They are bred to lay like maniacs and are known for being cannibals in commercial settings but that's what they had and I rationalized that if they had plenty of space and plenty of food, they'd be fine.
I could not have been more wrong. A few months ago, three of them turned on the fourth. Backed her into a corner and wouldn't let her move. I left it alone for two days to see if they could work it out because this was the most aggressive bird I have ever had but she was getting bloody so I put her in a crate in the basement where she recovered and lays a really nice large egg every day. But she is vicious. I have to wear gloves and push her to the back with a pail to get into the crate. Even then she's gotten in a couple of pecks that removed whole chunks of skin. Named her EB, short for Evil Bird.
In the meantime, the other three stopped laying. Completely. Put all of my birds in the basement because of the extreme cold, each group in a separate crates. Almost immediately two of the PR's turned on the third. Today I had to pull her out. Again, not letting her eat or drink and she was getting bloody.
It's all well and good in the basement. I have a million crates from transport days but they're going back out next week and there's nowhere to put the single birds. This one I just separated out will be useless if she doesn't start to lay again. And she's probably going to get aggressive too. Just ridiculous. Never again with the Production Reds. Never.
Hope she's tasty.