Rooster for Food

I knew that it was inevitable when raising chicks. I can't keep every single rooster I hatch and raise. Thus far, I've sold/given away a total of 9 roosters. The majority of those went to people who actually wanted to have a living rooster around. One person took three roosters, admitting that she was most likely going to eat two, but she wasn't sure WHICH two, and was going to grow them out a bit longer.

I was surprised that I had that many going to a living home, and not being dinner. I'd always said in my ads that I was ok with the roosters being dinner, as long as they were dispatched humanely, and I honestly mean it. I eat meat. I enjoy eating chicken. I'm just too squeamish to raise and slaughter my own meat. I feel like my chickens have it way better than commercially grown chickens.

I had a total of four blue laced red wyandottes roosters that I was looking to rehome. One went to a guy who answered an ad, and he claimed to want to use him to breed. He convinced me he was legit, and was choosing his rooster based on which one had the nicest feathers and body shape. Another is going to my next door neighbor who wants a new rooster, as hers is not quite right in the head. A third will go to someone looking to breed him as well.

I got a new buyer for the fourth one today. He texted me and wanted to get him today, if possible. For whatever reason, I didn't want him to come to my house, so I offered to drop him off on my travels today.

When I got there, it was a couple of young boys- late teens, early 20s. I asked him if they planned to eat him, and he admitted they did. I told him I was ok with that, as long as they slaughtered him humanely, and he said they would. I handed him over, and he was gentle enough, but he handed him to one of his friends, who started to carry him into the house. I don't know why he started freaking out, but the cockerel did start freaking out, like he was being held funny or in pain or something. It was a little upsetting to me, and left me feeling a bit squicked out. My 7 year old was in the car, and she heard the squawking, and was quite upset. I also felt like the guy was handling him like a package of meat, and not like a living creature.

The whole thing has left me feeling a bit melancholy.