A crisis of conscience

[Echolalia]

I got a coupon for a free egg laying hen with my chicken coop. I don't really want to add another chicken to the mix, but the story is tugging at my heartstrings - the hens are rescues from a factory farm. What to do?

The hens are currently at the Marin SPCA which means (I assume) that the ones that are up for adoption are healthy. But ... I have 4 chicks who are 23 days old ( but I swear one of them is at least 4 weeks) and I don't want to have them bullied by an old hen. But ... rescued from a factory farm ....

Is this the chicken math that I hear spoken of?

 

[MeowCluckBark]

I don't know anything about rescue chickens. I would call them and let them know of your concerns regarding the safety of your current young chicks. Ask them if you can try to socialize the hen to the younger babies and if it doesn't work is there a way you could bring her back to be re-homed. I'm sure they would rather help you find a way to work it out than judge you for it not working out.

 

[MarinMama]

oh that would be a hard one. I can't even go to the Marin Humane Society because I would leave with all the animals. it is a great organization though.

 

[RareBreedFancier]

Here's a thought, do you have to use the coupon now? Could you wait till your babies are older to get a hen?

I'd give the SPCA a call to find out if they have them regularly (sadly I'm guessing so) then you could get one when your babies are a few months old. 'Especially if you get only one older hen she'd be lonely and should take well to her new younger friends.

Hope that helps.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
My opinion on such things isn't all too popular here.

Such hens are rescued when they are dispatched. Over 100 million layer hens each year meet their fate, processed into food or fertilizer.

These hens were "rescued" by going out to a farm at the end of the cycle and loading up free (or very cheap) hens. They do this on a continual basis. An egg farm will be replacing 160,000 hens, so somebody calls and asks if they can have a few hundred birds. The farmer says, "Sure, come and get them". The SPCA then advertises that they have rescue hens available for adoption. People come and adopt them so they can feel good about "rescuing" a bird.

Don't let them convince you that you need to come and rescue a bird. The birds they have right now are in no special need, except for that which has been created by the SPCA's "goodwill". There are always more, millions more.

We have 2500 red hens that will go out in August. I usually sell them to a young guy that takes them down to live markets in Illinois where they are sold to be somebody's dinner. If you want to "rescue" any of them, feel free to give me a holler. I will even charge you much less than the SPCA's "adoption fee".

 

[GiddyMoon]

Quote:
My opinion on such things isn't all too popular here.

Such hens are rescued when they are dispatched. Over 100 million layer hens each year meet their fate, processed into food or fertilizer.

These hens were "rescued" by going out to a farm at the end of the cycle and loading up free (or very cheap) hens. They do this on a continual basis. An egg farm will be replacing 160,000 hens, so somebody calls and asks if they can have a few hundred birds. The farmer says, "Sure, come and get them". The SPCA then advertises that they have rescue hens available for adoption. People come and adopt them so they can feel good about "rescuing" a bird.

Don't let them convince you that you need to come and rescue a bird. The birds they have right now are in no special need, except for that which has been created by the SPCA's "goodwill". There are always more, millions more.

We have 2500 red hens that will go out in August. I usually sell them to a young guy that takes them down to live markets in Illinois where they are sold to be somebody's dinner. If you want to "rescue" any of them, feel free to give me a holler. I will even charge you much less than the SPCA's "adoption fee".

I agree 10000000% It is truly sick we keep so many animals alive and in cages when it would be in their best interest to put them down.

 

[clayb226]

I did not know at first, but all my hens were rescued. They are good hens, but I am hatching some eggs now, and then some BLRW eggs, and after they start laying, these are headed to the diner table. Their beaks have been trimmed, and they have a hard time eating from my hand. They seem to pinch my skin a lot more than the rooster, who has a full beak. One thing I did notice, is that they quit laying a lot, because the kids chasing them puts them under stress. Between the kids and my rooster fighting a stray rooster every now and again.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Don't get me wrong, if you want to re-home some commercial layers, feel free to do so. They are cheap birds and they are already laying. I don't mind if folks come out here to pick up a few birds for their backyard (I don't mind if they go to the stew pot either). Just don't let the SPCA beat you over the head with this whole "rescue" thing and make you feel that you need to do your part to help.

I've had folks show up here telling me that they would like to buy some hens from our commercial layer flock. They explain to me that they are new to chickens and would like to start keeping a flock in the backyard. I usually tell them that it would probably be more interesting to get some heritage breeds and that they should check Craigslist or the local classified to get a variety of chicks or pullets. (They usually want some hens now, are ready to load them up and go "install" them in their backyard). I tell them to do some more research into the different breeds and after that if they are still interested in some old red hens they can come back and get some. They don't come back.

 

[MeowCluckBark]

That is really good information to know. I had no idea what the process was. It seemed strange to me that they would have to rescue birds from a poultry farm. I mean, I know not everyone sees eye to eye on how to keep the birds that are used for such production, but I don't really know that they need to be rescued from being eaten unless you are a bit PETA fan.

 

[Echolalia]

So I spoke with the chicken adoption counselor at the Marin Humane Society. She advised against adopting a freebie hen until my girls are at least 4 months old - that will give me a couple of months to think it over. She also advised adopting another hen so that the freebie hen will have an age appropriate gal pal to hang with.

The girls are 2 year old retirees from a local egg farm, as mac suspected; for a while though, they were adopting out chickens that were seized from an animal hoarder in Sacramento.

I wouldn't mind being a retirement home for a older gal or two, I just don't want to let the chicken math get a toehold in my yard.