Are chickens pets or livestock??? The Great Debate!

[noodleroo]

Mine are both.

Sounds like you, in being part of 'the flock' have somehow 'sunk' in the pecking order. I suggest you take back your rightful place as the 'alpha' as soon as possible.

 

[GrandmaAnn]

I raise both. We have some that are pets. Over the years they have even had burials next to the dogs and cats. I try to think of the ones I am raising for meat as livestock, but they are treated just like the ones that are pets. After a 15 year lapse in raising chickens, our grandchildren (aged 3-9) are getting lots of lessons. They have asked why the Cornish Cross were being treated so well. I explained that, just because we were going to eat them, that didn't let us be mean to them. I have tried to teach them all that all animals are treated kindly and respectfully, even if they end up on the dinner table.

 

[PineappleMama]

When I think livestock I think SPACE NEEDED... and huge piles of poo... compared to even my small dogs (n'mind the big uns) my chickens take up no space and make no mess.

But, if the only requirement is that they're good for something other than companionship and their poop doesn't kill your garden... then yeah, guess they'd be livestock.

Maybe they should make the definition of Fowl to read any bird that fits neither the caged pet nor livestock categories. Seems like that'd make it a little easier.

 

[Coopa Cabana]

IMHO, this is actually a very important question. But not because of how we all feel about our own individual backyard flocks - it really doesn't matter whether you're keeping a few hens to feed your family or a flock of ornamental show birds or if you sell eggs to supplement your income or whether they're just pets or if they have been elevated to the status of members of your family.

What really matters is how, legally, they are perceived and defined within your own community. In some cities, chickens are strictly prohibited with no exceptions because they are legally defined as livestock or barnyard animals, and therefore only allowed to be kept in agricultural zones. However, in other cities, they are legally defined as domesticated fowl, and hence the restrictions are much more relaxed for keeping chickens in a backyard flock in residential zones.

This debate does not belong here amongst the members of the BYC community. It needs to be addressed in those towns and cities where chickens are only defined as livestock and where backyard chickens are prohibited.

 

[lurkin1]

It's not a debate. It's however you see your own flock, what you want them to be. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer here, so why debate it?



In my head, they are livestock. We have other farm animals as well. They serve a purpose or produce something we need/use. I enjoy taking care of them. I enjoy the babies in the spring. I also don't lose a whole lot of sleep if I lose one unless it's my fault through something stupid I did. Other people see their animals as pets and are attached to them. No problems.

 

[usschicago1]

There Pets Now. Someday I will Have Some for pets and ornamental purposes. And Some for livestock.

 

[matthewschickens]

I think of them as useful pets!

When I talk about them they are:

The Pets That Make Me Breakfast!

Matthew

 

[chick4chicks]

My chickens, ducks and rabbits are my Pets. It is nice to get eggs in return but they are still pets. I do mourn when any get killed or die, that is me. Love them all.

 

[shchinchillas]

Live stock. Dogs, our horses, and the 3 goats we have are "pets". They don't serve a purpose other then being companions.

Chinchillas are my "livestock" and "breeding animals". Chickens are my livestock they produce both our eggs and meat. I do have a few that are named. Sampson and Bonzo, two of our Roosters. Deliah our hen that likes to hang out with Sampson.. Our ducks produce eggs, and the peacocks are more for an ornamental purpose, i suppose(Who are also named)..

Now,just because they are livestock doesn't mean I don't enjoy them, or spend time with them. My animals livestock, or pets are fed the best brand of feed. They are kept clean, fed, and happy. They receive medication attention when needed (granted anything other then a serious problem we can't handle it's done at home). I still sit and watch the chickens roam/scratch and hunt for bugs. I'll grab a passing chicken/roo and hold them for a while. Chicks are held, etc. However they aren't my "pets".

 

[woodmort]

The question might better be: When do chickens[dogs, cats, horses, cows, pigs, sheep, et al] stop being livestock and start becoming pets?