My Chickens are not Pets!

[WalkingOnSunshine]

i love my chickens i am a vegetarian! my chickens are not my pets they are my freinds more like my family i love them soooo much! i think u people are cruel dopes to eat your chickens what did they ever do to u! i love chickens!!!! i love rooster! i love hens!!


see those chicks that is what you will be eating! is that not sad to u it makes me wanna cry that u people kill your chickens

I don't mean to be rude, but you seem to be very immature. I say that based on the spelling, grammar, name-calling and sentiment of your statement.

The question is not "what did they ever do to you?" The question is, "what have I done for them?"
I purchased them
I brooded them
I treat them gently and kindly
I feed them
I give them a place to live
I carry their water
I protect them from predators
I provide them with pasture
I provide them with treats
I give them things to entertain them
I keep their house clean
I provide for their preventative medical care
I do research to make sure I continue to give them the best of care

And when it's time, or if I have an aggressive rooster, I eat them. I also take their eggs each and every day. That's what they do for me in return for what I do for them.

Don't eat your hens. That's completely your choice. But don't do a drive-by name-calling in a thread that you knew by its title would not be in agreement with your beliefs.

 

[roostersandhens]

I don't mean to be rude, but you seem to be very immature. I say that based on the spelling, grammar, name-calling and sentiment of your statement.

The question is not "what did they ever do to you?" The question is, "what have I done for them?"
I purchased them
I brooded them
I treat them gently and kindly
I feed them
I give them a place to live
I carry their water
I protect them from predators
I provide them with pasture
I provide them with treats
I give them things to entertain them
I keep their house clean
I provide for their preventative medical care
I do research to make sure I continue to give them the best of care

And when it's time, or if I have an aggressive rooster, I eat them. I also take their eggs each and every day. That's what they do for me in return for what I do for them.

Don't eat your hens. That's completely your choice. But don't do a drive-by name-calling in a thread that you knew by its title would not be in agreement with your beliefs.hi

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

ok i am aloud to say my opinion though just saying!

You have the right to your opinion. You do not have the right to be rude to others when you express your opinion. We are a polite community here at BYC, and if you can't be polite and respectful, then you will hear from the mods.

 

[darkmatter]

this is a example of a jerk! only a jerk would write this! because if you eat your chickens or say they are not pets you are a JERK!!! i love chickens they are my freinds more like my family!

I am not a jerk, I am a Curmudgeon, now get off my lawn!

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I am not a jerk, I am a Curmudgeon, now get off my lawn!

Bwa ha ha ha ha!

 

[roostersandhens]

sorry i was rude! SORRY!

 

[farmtotable]

This is just my opinion here, but raising your own livestock lovingly, humanely, and with empathy at the end is so much more respectful to the creature than going to the store, buying a battery raised, mistreated, miserable while it was alive chicken breast and eating that. People are so disconnected to the food they eat that some children have no idea what a real chicken looks like or how a potato grows, and they definitely have no idea what horrible conditions most commercially produced animals live in. I have nothing but respect for people who raise animals as a food source (as I do), that's what everyone should be doing! There is nothing wrong with eating animals (since I noticed you went out of your way to proclaim your vegetarianism) if that's what people choose to do. If people choose to buy their meat rather than grow it themselves, I would only ask that they consider buying locally and responsibly raised products rather than supporting the commercial growers that mistreat their animals. I agree with WalkingonSunshine that you seem to be a bit immature; there are much more effective ways to get your views across than what your posts reflect. Your judgmental attitude is undermining your sentiments.

 

[Chambertin]

Kinda late to chime in on this one, but here's my opinion and experience.

I really think its up to the owner. You can have pets, you can have livestock, it really doesnt matter.
However when you have chickens you have CHICKENS.
Chickens are a livestock breed and must be kept and cared for accordingly, even if thought of as pets.

If you let cuteness distract you, or try to intergrate them into enviroments they arent suited for then there will be huge trouble and all your cute little flufflies will die.
By all means keep chickens as pets, but you had better err to the farmers wisdom on major decisions.
No ammount of whining or stubborness will win over diseases and mother nature.

I tried to convince people in the house of this before, and they wouldnt listen. Now more than half our flock have perished because "feelings" overtook common livestock practices.
Chickens are CHICKENS. They are not bred for the domestic life of a dog or cat. They wont like the life of a dog or cat.

I have kept chickens indoors and think its ok to do so IF you remember they are Livestock at heart.
The chickens wont adjust to your life, you must adjust to theirs. (unless you spend the rest of your life breeding a "pet" chicken. Not a CUTE chicken, a domestic indoor chicken)
Adjustment doesnt mean diapers and pooper scoopers, it means caring for livestock as in your home is now a barn.
My girls were raised in the house, and are always welcome to wander back in, but they like life in the coop much better.

If you really want the chickens to have a good life treat them as such, dont do what you "feel" the chickens want.
"Oh my babies are cold, they are different from normal chcikens." Lock them up in a room with a heater and watch the respritory infections spread, yay!
"That food is so boring and plain, they should eat more fun food." Watch the nutrition drop and they become prone to illness and dont grow properly.
"The boys pick on the girls too much, I'll go buy some girls at the market to keep them busy. The farmer told me they are all clean and disease free, no need to quarentine. I mean look, they are kinda cute even." Hello laundry list of diseases, goodbye flock.
"Anything can be solved by medicine, no one can kill one of my babies!" See an incurable poultry disease spread to everyone and know that you cant have any new birds (or likely eggs)


Treating chickens as pets will kill them if you dont remember they are livestock first. Cuteness kills when not reigned in by common sense.

Please learn from this and dont let that warm heart turn the chciken world black.

 

[dreamcatcherarabians]

My hens are pets until it's time for them to be livestock. They live in their coop, they free range all over the property but they seem to prefer following me around as I do my chores. I LOVE that! They supervise while I pick my horses stalls, while I load up the new bedding, buck the hay bales and feed and they LOVE to help me clean the stock tanks. I occasionally pick one up for a few minutes cuddle, they all seem to tolerate it fairly well and a few even seem to like it. I keep their coop and run clean and make sure they always have lots of food and clean, fresh water. Of all the animals here, they are the only ones who actually do earn their keep in a fairly even ratio of MY WORK to THEIR EGG PRODUCTION. So, they're kind of equals.

And they gossip, my goodness do they tell some tales! LOL!

I find their following me around and their constant chatter to be very soothing and comforting. Today they helped me paint some panels for a new horse stall, the rooster even added some custom foot prints to one for me. I think he may have started a design trend. The hens seemed to like it, judging by the vocalizations they were making. Even the Guineas sounded approving.

At some point, they will switch from a constant source of eggs and amusement to DINNER. When the day comes, I'll dispatch them with love, respect and gentility and speed. Then they'll go in the freezer until it's time to cook them in the crock pot. By then, they won't be laying, they'll be several years old and they'll have lived a very free and, I hope, happy and healthy life. Until that day comes, I'll enjoy my pets/livestock and I'm sure I'll cry the day I have to send them on.