- Nov 28, 2011
- 273
- 25
- 113
Everyone has the freedom to do as they see fit, within the confines of the law. I find it unnerving though to think of how many people are carrying weapons around "just in case." I really believe that only maybe 1% of all gun owners ACTUALLY have the knowledge and experience to handle that weapon properly in an emergency situation.
But even with chickens and protecting them with a shotgun or rifle, I have concerns. There are some instances where shooting wild animals or dogs is appropriate on a case by case situation. But just to implement a sweeping, "If it moves, shoot it" policy, is troublesome to me.
As someone else mentioned, some people do tend to think that those of us who don't free range, are cruel. People envision tiny cages that are crowded or hot or wet and dirty. We built a large enclosure so that would not be the case for my birds. I took these 2 pictures last night. (They look old due to an effect I applied with Instagram.) Anyway, the birds only get out when I'm there so I can chickensit. And I like that, because it's my stress relieving time anyway. Just sitting out under a tree watching them do their chicken things is the greatest enjoyment I can think of. The run is 24x27 feet, by 6 feet high. Their chicken house is 8 feet high and 10x12. Even the spritely little Hamburg hens can fly around in a cicle and get some good loft. They have fans running all the time when its hot, both in their chicken house, and in the run. In the winter we have panels to put up around the run to block wind and snow. The run and the house are cleaned daily. They get all kinds of vegetables and fruit in addition to their grain mix and layer crumbles.
They have a darned good life, and I like this setup so much better than being in constant fear of something coming in the yard and grabbing one. I just can't live with that kind of stress, and responsibility. I need to know that they are as protected as possible at all times .
But yes, everyone has the right to do whatever works best for them. And if that's keeping a loaded shotgun by your back door and running across the lawn in the middle of the night, then go for it.
But even with chickens and protecting them with a shotgun or rifle, I have concerns. There are some instances where shooting wild animals or dogs is appropriate on a case by case situation. But just to implement a sweeping, "If it moves, shoot it" policy, is troublesome to me.
As someone else mentioned, some people do tend to think that those of us who don't free range, are cruel. People envision tiny cages that are crowded or hot or wet and dirty. We built a large enclosure so that would not be the case for my birds. I took these 2 pictures last night. (They look old due to an effect I applied with Instagram.) Anyway, the birds only get out when I'm there so I can chickensit. And I like that, because it's my stress relieving time anyway. Just sitting out under a tree watching them do their chicken things is the greatest enjoyment I can think of. The run is 24x27 feet, by 6 feet high. Their chicken house is 8 feet high and 10x12. Even the spritely little Hamburg hens can fly around in a cicle and get some good loft. They have fans running all the time when its hot, both in their chicken house, and in the run. In the winter we have panels to put up around the run to block wind and snow. The run and the house are cleaned daily. They get all kinds of vegetables and fruit in addition to their grain mix and layer crumbles.
They have a darned good life, and I like this setup so much better than being in constant fear of something coming in the yard and grabbing one. I just can't live with that kind of stress, and responsibility. I need to know that they are as protected as possible at all times .
But yes, everyone has the right to do whatever works best for them. And if that's keeping a loaded shotgun by your back door and running across the lawn in the middle of the night, then go for it.