I am SOOOOOO mad! I HAVE to vent this!

[mudhen]

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!!

Good for you, first for telling the idiots off and secondly for seeing an opportunity and making it a win-win!!
Huzzah!

 

[4H kids and mom]

PurpleChicken...the differences between you and the sort of people that called me today are obvious. YOU have done your research. YOUR ready, got things set up, and asking questions in advance of getting your peeps. The sort of person I am venting about are impulse buyers who have NO knowledge of chickens, or the proper care they need. They only see them as cute little fuzz balls to use in sweet photos while they sit in pastel Easter baskets. YOU will do fine!

 

[Queen of the Lilliputians]

Ok... I do NOT understand people who undertake the responsibility of another living thing without considering the long term care of said living thing! what. Really!!
I don't have my chickens yet, and I'll pretty much be a complete newbie at this (hubby isn't, but I haven't had any since I was a kid). Hubby and I have been talking about this for 3 YEARS! <really, I didn't even think about the Easter thing> It is only this spring that I feel like we have the time and resources for something big like chickens! I can't imagine people wanting something for a 10sec photo, and having no plans for after that! (these are the people who are glad when the thing dies, because they no longer have to worry about it anymore... and the chix would just be an IT.)

Bravo! Maybe you'll make her either a.) inform herself better. Or b.) be afraid to call without having plan in hand next time. Either way, you've made her think!!
And someone I love leaves her dogs tied out like this. We are in MAINE. I tried talking to her about it ("um, it's 10 degrees out! You brought the dogs in, right??" "No, they don't LIKE to be inside. They have their doghouses." ARG!)
And good for you, getting them to your house for some good ole' secret education!!

 

[kiaya611]

4H Mom,

I applaud you for taking a stand. I volunteered for the Maryland SPCD for 10 years and the week before Halloween they wouldn't adopt out black cats and they wouldn't adopt out any animals from a week before Christmas to the day after New Years. In my 10 years there, I can tell you I saw just how truly uneducated and thoughtless people truly can be. It is shameful.

All of the dogs and cats that I have had in my 47 years came from shelters except 1 cat and 1 dog. In those cases, I wanted certain breeds and I went to reputable hobby breeders for them wher I did much research. All of my babies I got as puppies or kittens and now my oldest is 17 and my youngest is 5. They are all indoor animals and they pretty much have the run of the house. We all even sleep together (something you can do only if you live alone). My animals are my kids and I couldn't imagine life without them. It's true, I don't have white carpets and antique couches, but having them in my life is far more important.

I am glad to see so many people here take a caring stand for animals. I wish more people would be like all of you.

Best wishes,

 

[MarkR]

Go 4H Mom! I bow to you! That's a brilliant way to deal with an ugly situation. Way to "stick to the man" as we used to say. You have my undying respect.

Mark

 

[justusnak]

4 H

Here is a shout out for you! Way to go!! Last year, I fell upon a situation, sorta like that, except mine was with 2 little ducks. My sons friend had bought her daughter 2 little ducklings...put them in a box, with a heat lamp, and no water. She was feeding them bird seed!!!

When I heard of thier situation, I just went beserk! I jumped in my car, went over there...and told her...step away from the box...and let me have them. You are cooking them poor ducks. They had NO WATER! Sadly only one made it....but, today...Waggles...our little female Mallard is alive and well...and even laying eggs...Ohhh, I need to get her a "friend" We have other ducks, just no male Mallard. Again, way to go....EDUCATE EDUCATE EDUCATE!!! All I can say!

 

[bayouchica]

WTG girl!!!! Like MarkR said stick it to the man!!

Some people

Hoppy Easter !! Miriam

 

[4H kids and mom]

My animals are my kids and I couldn't imagine life without them. It's true, I don't have white carpets and antique couches, but having them in my life is far more important.

Every animal (with the exception now of the chickens) in our home is a rescue of one form or another, too.

Our dog was sold as a 'cheap pet' by an ignorant breeder who felt he wasnt SHOW quality. One of his littermates sold for $1200. Guess what we paid for our wonderful companion? $50.

One of our cats was found as a 6-8 week old kitten laying behind our car tire about to be kitty smoosh, but my daughter (then only about 2) saw her and gave me that cute little kid face with the "Aw...can we keep her?" She has fleas, worms, an eye infection, and was terribly malnurished...but 6 years later, I couldnt imagine our lives without her.

Our other cat was a sudden surprize. I worked with a gal who bred Blue Russians. The female was her baby and she adored the kitties. We talked about cats all the time. She called me in a panic one night balling her eyes out. She'd come home to find the momma cat and all of the kittens, except one, laying dead on her floor. Appearantly, momma kitty had eaten a mouse that had eaten some Decon and then she laid down to nurse her kittens and they all died. My friend had no idea how to bottle feed a kitten so young (the remaining kitty wasnt even 2 weeks old yet) so she gave him to me. He is now 5 years old, and although he doesnt realize he's a cat sometimes, I love him dearly. He's by far Momma's Baby Boy.

We took a donation of pet food to our local humane society a few years ago (we do it every year) and decided to look around. My daughter came across a little baby hamster that she simply HAD to have. I worried it would be a phase, and she would loose interest, but we take her home. Cookie is now over 3 years old, having lived well beyond that of a hamster that would receive 'lesser' care.

My macaw was given to me by a family that simply had too many birds. I was told she was "unhandlable" but she came right out of the carrier to me and we've been best pals ever since. She's now almost 3 years old.

My daughters little bird was given to her by the mother of a child far less responsible than her. It had been neglected and lived in a tiny cage with no toys and no human companionship. Pippin now lives in a huge condo of a cage, has thousands of toys that my daughter changes every other week, eats only the best food, and is on my daughters hand or shoulder every moment that she's home. He's even learned to say his name! He is now almost a year old.

I have to admit that my grandfather (old time farmer that he is) abd I disagree about animals all the time. He sees a dog as "just a dog" and doesnt take them to the vet, and they live outside in the barn with the goats. Cats would NEVER be allowed in HIS home, and he can not understand why I allow my cats the run of my home. He picks his chickens up by their legs to move them, and he cant fathem why I would consider hugging a chicken or giving them a smooch on the head. So, I guess I learned about animal-ignorant people starting with him.

I hope I at least educated a few people yesterday. And the folks that come by today will get a lecture from me too!​

 

[Wolf]

I'm truly amazed! What really scares me, is the awareness that number of ignorant and self-centered people seems to be growing by the year! That's probably why I can only take other humans in small doses, and spend the rest of my time at home with my critters... who have more sense than many of these folks! un

Near the end of your post - I was thinking "Why doesn't she just rent those dumb-folks the chicks for a hour as photo-props?"
Then your last paragraph said just that!

This could be extra money for us folks just when we need it for incubator-power and starter-crumbles!

An additional idea would be to formulate an info-sheet telling about chickens' lives and how they're cared for properly... then handing that out when a "renter" shows up! A chance to spread some real education to the dim-witted! "

"

 

[4H kids and mom]

I plan on doing this every year now. I'm going to plan my hatches around it. I started making up a flyer that explains just WHY chicks, bunnies, and ducklings DO NOT make good Easter gifts for very young children, and just all the money, time, and work it takes to keep them warm, fed, happy, and healthy.

I already had two families show up. One family had 4 kids. They each got a photo alone, and then a group one. That ONE family thanked me and handed me $50!

The mother really read the flyer I handed her while I posed her kids with their pretty clothes and a few of my nicest looking chicks whom I'd made sure to clean all the poo off of (lol), put the cute little pastel bows I'd made out of hair scrunchies on them (which they didnt really seem to mind too much!) and snapped some pretty cute photos. I even went all out and used cute plastic Easter baskets and colored grass, plastic eggs, and marshmallow Peeps as props! OMG! Cuteness overload! lol The families were happy, the chicks enjoyed being held and loved on, and these families didnt buy new baby chicks that would have surely DIED from improper care a week later. I feel REALLY good right about now!