Chickens: Pets Or Food?

[iluvcks]

Anyone who said pet but that they eventually or sometimes ate their chickens was put in the both catagory. I tried to be very fair.

Food 17

Pets 35

Both 41

CityChicker I can't figure out where you stand.

 

[Sjisty]

I have both. My chickens are my children (displaced mothering instinct, my own chicks have flown the coop). Most of them have names and some come in the house for a visit here and there. Yes, I have bought a chicken diaper but haven't tried it yet. I don't think I could eat them. I also buy cornish x chicks to raise for meat. They don't get names but do get the same good care as my "children," except they don't come in the house.

I also have ducks that are pets so far, but I might process a couple. I have never tried duck, so am undecided.

I had a turkey who was a pet, but he tried to kill one of my chickens and I am now awaiting a call from the butcher to let me know he is ready.

Moral of this story - watch out, you might fit nicely in my freezer if you mess with my chickens!

 

[Akane]

A little of both. Sometimes I even keep the smaller bantams in the house and a few have gained names. Overall though when they slow down laying they are sold and extra roos are butchered but generally the meat goes to friends or the dog. I don't eat much chicken. We occasionally buy boneless chicken breasts from the store to use for something or already flavored chicken wings/legs and I think there's some popcorn chicken in the freezer. I like my chicken prepared in ways that are hard to do off your own bird and then I only eat small amounts. I eat less of any meat than I do anything else in a meal. My neighbor does get really annoyed. She treats the chickens like pets and wants them to stay around forever. She's always feeding them bird seed in her yard. I know that after 2-3years it's hard to sell them and I don't want to get stuck with a hen for 10 years or end up butchering it when someone else would have enjoyed having it as a pet. The flock has to rotate and my neighbor has to accept that.

 

[kwynn's birds Alaska]

Mine are both! we eat the eggs, the old hens and extra roos go to the freezer. (or they get sold for the bosses dinner)

they are treated well, and are happy and healthy. They are great entertainment too

Once they are out of their rubbermaid brooder, they don't get to come back into the house. I actually plan on building an outdoor brooder when the snow goes away.

I would never take a chicken to the vet, unless it laid me some golden eggs

 

[Spinster_Sister]

My chickens are pets, but I do purchase chicken meat for food. My pullets are approximately 11 weeks old.

 

[bison]

Isn't this the beauty of chickens? If you want, you CAN have both. My dogs have never contributed to the family the way chickens do... eggs, meat, insect and weed control, fertilizer for garden, and oh yeah, joy and entertainment.

 

[Sasquatch]

I view my chickens as farm critters. They provide us with egg money, eggs and meat. I will be honest and admit that instead of butchering my 2 year old layers, I sold them for 7.50 per bird on craigslist. The new owner is happy to be getting them.

 

[ChickenToes]

A few years ago when I had a large flock, they were both. The ones that were friendly were pets, and the others were either food or profit, I had no problem selling them. I would find it difficult to bond with 30 + chickens, so we really only had a few favorites.

 

[allmypeeps]

I always had chickens growing up- parents raised them for eggs and food.

I currently live in the city and accidentally got a silkie that was a rooster. (Silkies in general are more for looks and 'pet purposes') But since I live in the city I can't have a roo...so, he has a hutch in our living room he lives in and during the day I let him out to roam with the dogs/cats and he will pretty much sit on the dog bed or in a sun ray on the floor and thats that.

I let him (Monkie) roam certain times of the day when he can go like 4 hours w/out pooping on the floor, if he does I have hardwood floors so just clean it up and put him back in his hutch bedded with wood chips.

I have had company come over in amazement on how clean he smells and interactive he is with the other critters and people.

The ONLY annoying thing is I can't control his 'alarm clock' he will err,err,err,er,errrrrrr whenever he feels like it. So we keep his hutch covered with a blanket until late morning!...if i forget and turn a light on after 10 pm he will announce the flash dawning of the 'sun'...lol

Our house is for sale and we DO plan on moving to the country where he will be an outside bird eventually though!

 

[bmelanco]

Quote:
Of course I remember you – you are my inspiration for this post. As you can see the “pet” chicken people at least equal the food chicken people. I’ll never understand the pet side but to each their own…