Culling-Still a common practice?
 

I got into a conversation today with a rabbit breeder about culling.
I was looking to see what she was going to do with the culls and I would take them off her hands for my dogs.
She said I was brave for even asking because apparently there are animal activists who would verbally and physically attack me for asking such a question!

That got me thinking, I know the word "cull" means removing something, in this case removing from the gene pool, but from what I understand (maybe I am wrong) many dogmen from the past would kill to cull rather than s/n. Is that incorrect?

My question is, is THAT form of culling still practiced today or is that a thing of the past?

Depends on the person I think, but I have had working birds and such and when they are WORKING animals they have no place as a pet IMO for someone else, I used to cull birds from my flock, and the majority were killed, because they are of no use to me for the purpose I need them, and I had no one who would want my scrap, no good birds. Its like giving away a jacked up animal lol

Now I have also hung out with many old bird men, who had scrap no good birds and would gladly give them to me because his scraps are much better than the birds most people can get easily out here, and you can sometimes get good stock off of a scrap bird.. but thats birds lol I cull them because I dont want anyone to use them for something stupid, and its just easier than worrying about what to do with the extra birds that dont make the cut.


I know its still very common in the birds..

From what I understand many dogmen would just sell their culls, lol... but I don't know of any who would s/n.

Culling via euthanasia is absolutely still practiced today, some furmommies can't handle it but most working dogs can not or should not go to pet homes so they must be PTS. If you were a dogman would you really take a dog who was bred to fight and give it to a pet owner? That's a recipe to see the dog on the news for killing the neighbor's labradoodle. For other breeds most couldn't handle a working terrier, GSD, Mali, Border Collie, or hound, or so on... too much drive and energy to be happy sitting on a couch becoming a fatass.

However many showdogs are culled based on purely aesthetic purposes; white GSDs, Dobermans whose crops won't stand, white Boxers, EBTs without parrot heads, Rhodesian Ridgebacks without a ridge, etc etc etc. Why THOSE dogs aren't speutered and given pet homes is anyone's guess, it's not as if they have too much prance-around-a-ring drive to be good pets http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/rolleyes.png

What did these working birds do exactly as work?. I've never heard of a working bird. Well, I have heard of birds flying messages to people but thats it.

I wasn't referring to anyone in specific, it was just something I came across while trying to find the answer on my own about s/n.

I also completely agree, I can't imagine someone putting a fighting dog into a pet home lol it really doesn't make sense.

Yeah I misread your post, I edited mine.

Depends on the birds, some would race, some high fly, some roll/tumble, some are just fancy show birds.

I did have my pet birds though, and they were everything from broken wing rollers, to Indian fantails and Frills.

Oops lol didn't see that!

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Pookie is talking pigeons http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/smile.png

Yep http://www.pitbull-chat.com/images/smilies/smile.png

Once I sell this place I am getting me some new birds, I miss them like nothing else lol who would have thought walking past a yard and smelling their aviary would make me get all crazy and want to go get birds lol

Culling is still used in the working dog world. When you own multiple dogs that serve a purpose it doesn't make sense to feed, house and vet a bad one when that space could be occupied by a dog that you can work.

Culling often means putting down, but in some cases one man's cull may be another man's treasure. A cur that's no good on cattle may work for hogs, or bloodtrail or tree coons or whatever. Maybe a dog that hunts too short for one man is just what another wants. In a case like that there might be a few phone calls made to others that work their dogs before any final decsions are made.

On another forum I'm on I see people sell their culls a lot, listing why they don't work for the current owner, for similar reasons as what you said. ("Don't get along with other dogs, would be a great solo hunter" etc)

Yeah you gotta watch out for that because they may just be selling a garbage dog. Some folks either don't have the heart to cull or just want to make a buck off a dog that would otherwise be a total loss.

I lucked out when I bought my hog dogs. The guy I bought them from represented them exactly as they were. He was selling his shorter range stuff, which I prefer, because he was wanting some farther ranging dogs. He wanted something else but I wouldn't trade them for all the rice in China.

Yeah, well I think most people would want to see the dog hunt before they bought the dog anyway; at least I personally wouldn't buy a dog without seeing it in action, but I'm sure there are people selling their worthless culls out there.

I know I would want to see it hunt. Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see.