Colorado

[katie5668]

I used to live in an area where there were "egg houses"...I was appalled at the conditions the hens live in . Most folks do not even realize what it is like to have fresh eggs. Admittedly places ..well large cities do not lend themselves to self reliance so store bought is all there is. I do see a trend toward free range or cage free eggs. WARNING...cage free can mean they are allowed to run on the ground in a huge house that is so crowded with hens that they barely can move! The concern for the treatment of animals that produce our table food is increasing. Yes you have to be reasonable..but does that mean you cannot be kind for the time they have here?

 

[corancher]

Hey gang, just wanted to post this link for an article of common commercial practices of starvation for profit. I was utterly disgusted!

http://www.nwedible.com/2014/02/forced-molt.html

Yes, it is very sad. The American people have somewhat disconnected from the thought of where food comes from and connect more to the cost of the product. This thought process has caused a demand for low cost foods that are always available so we are all somewhat at fault for the awful conditions that these animals live. As concerned people we need to do what you have done by making people aware of the conditions and hopefully there are enough people who care enough to make a stand to demand a change.

 

[Pozees]

Well said corancher. I agree we've allowed price and convenience to trump quality and safety as well as compassion. Every aspect of keeping poultry and other livestock, and growing fruits and vegetables, are affected. Where once federal and local government encouraged families to keep chickens and grow gardens, now sustainable living is discouraged in most areas. One cannot sustain a flock without roosters, and cities and HOAs routinely prohibit them, driving keepers to buy sexed pullets from hatcheries who treat extra males in horrific ways in some cases. We buy meat and eggs in grocery stores blissfully ignorant of the conditions in which our food animals are being kept, never mind the antobiotics they are fed to make them grow faster so they can be butchered sooner.

The way someone once helped me overcome the idea of processing something I'd raised and possibly even named was this: Your chicken has had a fantastic life, right up until the last 10 seconds; the grocery store chicken hasn't had even 10 seconds of fantastic life. It has never seen sunshine, scratched for bugs in the dirt, or run across the grass.

Very good discussion. Thanks COChix, katie5668, and corancher.

 

[COChix]

Yes, it is very sad.  The American people have somewhat disconnected from the thought of where food comes from and connect more to the cost of the product.  This thought process has caused a demand for low cost foods that are always available so we are all somewhat at fault for the awful conditions that these animals live.   As concerned people we need to do what you have done by making people aware of the conditions and hopefully there are enough people who care enough to make a stand to demand a change.

The American people have somewhat disconnected from our food sources? Boy that is an understatement. We are all to blame and it will take a movement to make sweeping changes.

Well said corancher. I agree we've allowed price and convenience to trump quality and safety as well as compassion. Every aspect of keeping poultry and other livestock, and growing fruits and vegetables, are affected. Where once federal and local government encouraged families to keep chickens and grow gardens, now sustainable living is discouraged in most areas. One cannot sustain a flock without roosters, and cities and HOAs routinely prohibit them, driving keepers to buy sexed pullets from hatcheries who treat extra males in horrific ways in some cases. We buy meat and eggs in grocery stores blissfully ignorant of the conditions in which our food animals are being kept, never mind the antobiotics they are fed to make them grow faster so they can be butchered sooner.

The way someone once helped me overcome the idea of processing something I'd raised and possibly even named was this: Your chicken has had a fantastic life, right up until the last 10 seconds; the grocery store chicken hasn't had even 10 seconds of fantastic life. It has never seen sunshine, scratched for bugs in the dirt, or run across the grass.

Very good discussion. Thanks COChix, katie5668, and corancher.

I like how you look at processing the birds. It shouldn't be a big scary thing, it should be done with honor and dignity, paying reverence to the bird that will soon feed us. Keeping the connection between animal and human for what it was meant to be. Thanks for everyone's input, everyone has good points,

 

[corancher]

Well said corancher. I agree we've allowed price and convenience to trump quality and safety as well as compassion. Every aspect of keeping poultry and other livestock, and growing fruits and vegetables, are affected. Where once federal and local government encouraged families to keep chickens and grow gardens, now sustainable living is discouraged in most areas. One cannot sustain a flock without roosters, and cities and HOAs routinely prohibit them, driving keepers to buy sexed pullets from hatcheries who treat extra males in horrific ways in some cases. We buy meat and eggs in grocery stores blissfully ignorant of the conditions in which our food animals are being kept, never mind the antobiotics they are fed to make them grow faster so they can be butchered sooner.

The way someone once helped me overcome the idea of processing something I'd raised and possibly even named was this: Your chicken has had a fantastic life, right up until the last 10 seconds; the grocery store chicken hasn't had even 10 seconds of fantastic life. It has never seen sunshine, scratched for bugs in the dirt, or run across the grass.

Very good discussion. Thanks COChix, katie5668, and corancher.

Well said. I agree 100%.

 

[trsturself]

"So... I went to Big R to get my husband a replacement BR and ended up coming home with 7 chicks. lol! (who's surprised? no one!)
These were from a mixed bin so breeds are strictly guesses:
2 BR?, 2 EE, 1 SS?, 1 SLW, and 1 unknown chipmunk. The SLW was a freebie from the straight run bin because the lady thought they looked cool and wanted to know what it was so she wants me to report back. I had never seen one with white shoulders before so I wasn't 100% sure it was a SLW so I just said ok. Who's going to turn down a free chick!? lol Hopefully it's a girl. I'm pretty sure it is because it has a flat comb with no ridges.
I looked up the hatchery these guys came from.
Choices for barred chickens: BR, Barred Leghorn (hadn't heard of this variety before), California Grey, and cuckoo maran
Choices for chipmunks: SS, LBL, Dark Cornish, golden lakenvelder, and silver leghorn"

All such cuties!!!! What hatchery does Big R buy from?? Privet in NM?

Yes, privett.

Well said. I agree 100%.

X2!

 

[Double Kindness]

I'm sorry for your losses, and congrats on the new 7 chicks!! I'm about to get my first ever brooder box together to raise my first baby chicks ever from a local friend who has ayum cemani eggs in her incubator.

So I guess I have a few weeks still until the cemani coop and run need to be finished.

Then I read where roosters are even happier if they have 10 hens to cover, and I only hsve 9... see where this is going???

 

[Double Kindness]

My bf is soooo glad we didn't go to big r this past weekend cuz I would have gone home with chicks or chickens. We are planning on going to wardrl's swap this upcoming weekend, bringing Lenny the semi-quieted rooster salmon favorelle x wellsummer x light Brahma. He's so awesome! !

 

[Percheron chick]

Then I read where roosters are even happier if they have 10 hens to cover, and I only hsve 9... see where this is going???

It's not the roosters, it the hens.

 

[Double Kindness]

Lol I'm looking for excuses to add just one more chicken my bf isn't buying it either though.

Although the new coop/run build is for a breed of chicken he knew I was determined to get, the ayum cemani. I just spoke with my friend that has a flock, and there's more in her incubator than she knows what to do with, so sigh I GUESS we'll take them lol. More like still looking for reasons to add more chickens. Now I'm campaigning for an incubator... I want to add black french copper marans too... for a very colorful egg basket.

And my lone polish Phyllis her crest is coming in very full and getting in her way of seeing. Nell my rose comb leghorn and Phyllis are definitely my best flyers. And I started thinking... maybe I should build a bantam coop and run? Then I can get more polish, I love them so much! And I covet silkies. My bf says no silkies, but he can't say no to the cemani, as that's been in the works for quite a while now. Ever since I saw them in person. BEAUTIFUL!

But then I'm starting to think, well I have a rooster covering 9 ladies, it might be interesting to see what color eggs and what kind of chicken might happen. My roo is a favorelle x wellsummer x light brahma. Most of my current flock are easter eggers...