chicken advocacy?

[Jster]

So...when you see chickens not quite being cared for properly, when/how do you speak up? The most frequent thing I see is imbalance of hens/roosters creating miserable lives for hens...but I don't quite know how to address it effectively. So far, I've seen this at three locations that have chickens (a nature park, a pioneer type place, and a garden center). One place was raising more hens to give to a rooster, in a 3-1 ratio, because he had worn the three previous hens to death!!!! I did speak up there, and said that a suggested ratio for hens to roosters according to what I'd read was 10-1, and that their hens might be healthier if they had more of them. But I think my words fell on deaf ears.

And today, I took the kids to a pioneer settlement place, and the poor hens were all barebacked from overbreeding. My heart broke to see it and to know that probably no one is going to do anything about it! I tried asking what their ratio is, but the people there didn't know anything about them, as it wasn't their job to take care of them.

What do other people do?

 

[Davaroo]

Just tell them what you know. Dont brow beat anyone or try to impress then with how much you know, just let them know.

Ask if you can bring hens and leave them - that is something more substantial to do than mere handwringing.

Then leave if these fall on deaf ears. Most people aren't gonna care and you can hardly change their minds. Try, if you feel compelled, but be ready for that outcome.

 

[yotetrapper]

I dont know. Everyone has there own ways of doing things. One of the most common differences amongst chicken people is feed. Another is free ranged versus penned.

If you fed your chickens a custom designed blend of food and someone came and told you "no no no you should use this food", how would you feel about that? What if you keep your hens in a pen and someone tells you how cruel and inhumane you are for not letting them free range (never mind the fact you'd lose half your flock to hawks and coyotes!).

The most I feel you should do is mention the bare spots on their backs, and if they say they dont know what it from, then tell them the reason. Anything other than that would be interfering where your opinion isn't wanted, imo.

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

Make an appt to speak to the director or manager of the place. Then go in with information and politely advise them of the proper care and ratio. But you have to remember that not everyone feels the same about chickens(animals) the same way.

 

[jjthink]

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

You are such a good person for wanting to help improve things for our fellow beings. That people have a different way of doing things does not ever mean that animals should be treated less than well.

Usually offering advice or knowledge works best if you can establish a bit of a bond first, maybe by chatting about something else or complimenting what you see that's being done especially well. Then just do your best to share what you know, including - if you can -the extra benefits that come from handling something the way you recommend. And if at any point you judge something to fall into the realm of cruelty, you needn't hesitate to call a humane socity organization for help. 24 hours of discomfort for any being can well feel like 24 long days to them. Speaking to a director is best because a staffer may not convey the info to others. If you are in a position to do so, you could even bring a treat for the birds as a calling card (a watermelon, sunflower seeds, whatever...)

Thanks for caring

JJ