Chicken Owning Criticism Vent

[OC Chick]

Okay, this is a vent session (I hope those are allowed on here). Ever since I got my chicks I am constantly fending off criticism from family & friends about owning backyard chickens. While I honestly don't care what others opinions of my choice to raise chickens are, I'm getting pretty tired of being ridiculed, and constantly having to defend & explain (especially when the explaining isn't because someone wants to LEARN about chickens and raising them, it's a response to the criticism). Does it ever stop? Once my girls start to lay, will people lay off??????? Please tell me I'm not the only one who is experiencing this.

 

[Adalida]

Well, it seems like people are opinionated about everything pretty much. I haven't gotten it regarding chickens, because I live in a place where it's more common to have them than not have them it seems. I hate to say it, but the criticism will probably continue once they start laying. There's a thread on here called "dumbest things people have said about your chickens" and quite a lot of people said that they were told their homegrown eggs were gross, weird, different, not as good as grocery store eggs.

But that's the great thing about this forum, there's lots of us here quite happy to ooh and aah over pics of chickens, enjoy stories of chickens, sympathize over a loss of a chicken, and all the other things that your friends may not understand.

 

[OC Chick]

Thanks, Adalida! Your post is greatly appreciated! I feel your chicken love from Montana to Southern California!

 

[BYC910]

Welcome to the world of raising chickens .It comes and goes in my case mostly over money . As in the cost is high and they smell bad . But I hatch and raise hundreds . Ignore the criticism and enjoy your chickens . Alaida is so right folks here love pictures . They also are eveready when it comes to helping with illness hatching and support with our chicken obsessions . Drop in on any chat thread in social or random ramblings or incubating and hatching eggs . make some new friends with the same feelings about chickens you have . WARNING some of these threads are so old and so long it would take many hours to read them through . Go to the last page and introduce your self and start chatting . At the bottom left side of this page is the Recent discussions that is the quickest way to jump around on the BYC.

 

[OC Chick]

Thanks, BYC910!

 

[ShrekDawg]

Why would they criticize that? Fresh eggs are the best!

 

[drumstick diva]

Hater's gotta hate! I would just ignore them.

 

[Beekissed]

Oh, just wait! If you ever decide to EAT your chickens, you'll have the wrath poured down upon you...I've been called a murderer(by family, mind you), I've been harassed in the work place, and basically treated like my heart dropped out on the road somewhere by folks right here on good ol' BYC.

And I've lived in agricultural communities all this time, where you'd think that raising and eating chickens would be common place, but that's a thing of the past....chickens now come from a big ol' building that stinks like death when you drive by it and are killed by Oompah Loompahs somewhere out of sight of the masses, arriving to the market under cellophane looking vaguely like some kind of pale, pink meat.

Anyone NOT getting their chickens from that source are just heartless and horrible murderers who delight in killing little fluffy butts as they laugh maniacally from the joy of it all.

Enjoy your chickens, delight in the wonderful eggs, and have a little fun with the haters....egg them on a bit!

 

[Louise Waffles]

I don't eat my chickens, just let them live their lives. And guess what? That gets criticized too! Someone always feels the need to challenge my way (I'm vegetarian) with questions like "What if your children were starving? What would you do THEN?"
Also challenged is my keeping of non laying hens. I love my birds. Even if they aren't laying, they're eating bugs, scratching up weeds, and producing garden fertilizer. Also, they are fine company.

Those people who raise their birds and eat them? That's not my way and I don't ever want to do it. But a good life and humane slaughter is far better than running to the grocery store to buy a bird that lived a sad, miserable life followed by a terrifying slaughter.
They'll call you a murderer for raising your own food, and then stop an McDonald's for a burger. It makes me sad and angry.
I get crap from vegans for even keeping chickens in the first place, from people who eat meat for NOT eating my chickens when they quit laying, from people who think taking a chicken to the vet is ridiculous, because why don't I just eat it?!

@OC Chick, people will not stop, someone will always tell you what you are doing is silly, a waste of money or time (Why don't you just go to the GROCERY STORE?!) I have to deal with a lot of criticism from people who don't get it, and I've gotten so tired of it. I had to grow a nice thick skin, and practice my "areyouf*ckingkiddingme" face.
I do what I do because I hate the way animals are treated by factory farms. I hate that produce is sprayed with pesticides. I hate that food is barely real anymore.

So I do this. Fresh eggs, grow as much food as I can, and when the stupid don't understand, I look at them with that "ayfkm" face, and go back to my garden.
Geez, kind of a rant from me, huh?

 

[ejcrist]

I don't eat my chickens, just let them live their lives. And guess what? That gets criticized too! Someone always feels the need to challenge my way (I'm vegetarian) with questions like "What if your children were starving? What would you do THEN?"
Also challenged is my keeping of non laying hens. I love my birds. Even if they aren't laying, they're eating bugs, scratching up weeds, and producing garden fertilizer. Also, they are fine company.

Those people who raise their birds and eat them? That's not my way and I don't ever want to do it. But a good life and humane slaughter is far better than running to the grocery store to buy a bird that lived a sad, miserable life followed by a terrifying slaughter.
They'll call you a murderer for raising your own food, and then stop an McDonald's for a burger. It makes me sad and angry.
I get crap from vegans for even keeping chickens in the first place, from people who eat meat for NOT eating my chickens when they quit laying, from people who think taking a chicken to the vet is ridiculous, because why don't I just eat it?!

@OC Chick, people will not stop, someone will always tell you what you are doing is silly, a waste of money or time (Why don't you just go to the GROCERY STORE?!) I have to deal with a lot of criticism from people who don't get it, and I've gotten so tired of it. I had to grow a nice thick skin, and practice my "areyouf*ckingkiddingme" face.
I do what I do because I hate the way animals are treated by factory farms. I hate that produce is sprayed with pesticides. I hate that food is barely real anymore.

So I do this. Fresh eggs, grow as much food as I can, and when the stupid don't understand, I look at them with that "ayfkm" face, and go back to my garden.
Geez, kind of a rant from me, huh?

Don't sweat it - I get the same thing all the time. And then those same people that criticize are always over to pick fresh (free) vegetables and want a bird (free) to take home after a BBQ. They're the hypocrites, not us. They won't even pull a couple of weeds when they're walking around near my seed beds. I just shake my head, laugh, and get back to my hobby farm. I actually feel sorry for them because they really don't know what they're missing. If you notice they always seem to be upset about something however minor, whereas all the vegetable gardeners and chicken ranchers I know always seem to be very happy, engaged, and quite content.