In the past decade, the popularity of backyard chicken keeping has elevated the status of chickens from expendable, barnyard livestock to valued family pets. Unfortunately, many of the earlier poultry-keeping articles and books were written with livestock in mind; frequently in those writings, culling is the proposed solution for certain injuries, behaviors and physical imperfections. "Culling" technically means to eliminate or remove from the flock, but the term is often used as a sanitized synonym for "kill." However, for most chicken-keepers, culling is considered the last resort and making a beloved pet the guest of honor at the dinner table, unthinkable.