I am not sure how to address these folks. And some of their comments are downright rude.
We have 5 dogs and watch my daughters dog while she is living where she can't have her for a total of 6. Hers is a Jack Russell and we have a Sheltie, 3 Dachshunds and a Great Pyrennes pup. We have 4 cats, 2 Holland Lops (1 just had a litter of 5 purebred babies), 2 geese, 2 ducks and 17 chickens(8 are bantams).
I have 3 bantam roosters, 5 bantam hens. I have 2 standard roosters and 7 standard hens. These guys will start laying about September or so. I have a pair of ducks and a pair of geese. They will no doubt start laying next spring.
Yes, some might think it's alot but we take care of all our critters, they are all healthy and well fed.
So I get comments from some folks telling me we aren't real farmers, that we have toys not chickens and rabbits, that we are wasting our money on the dogs and that unless an animal provides food value it is a luxury not a necessity. I never claimed to be a "real" farmer. I grew up a city kid in Detroit who loved animals and the country. My mom had little critters, geese, chickens, ducks, goats, etc., when we moved to the country when I was 16. I worked on horse farms from that time on until my mid 20's. So no, I am not a farmer per say and probably have what most would call a hobby farm. We have only 3 acres, but to us it's heaven after living in either apartments or in a townhouse next to the interstate and a bypass for almost 12 years. My hubby on the other hand grew up on a farm working his butt off from the time he was a small kid setting tobacco, working with cattle and horses and chickens. He had to tend gardens, house tobacco, etc. He enjoys the critters as much as I do and is usually the person who says to go ahead and get the darn thing if I want it. He loves the dogs so he has a way of finding them. Most are rehomed critters who had owners who no longer wanted them or didn't understand the breed (all our little wiener dogs).
I have been told, the ducks and geese are unnecessary, that the bantams are toys and useless, that I need to cull all my roosters and that the breeds of hens I have don't produce enough eggs to make them worth their feeding. Seriously? So what? I am not asking them for money or to pay my bills. But for some reason they seem to think they need to comment on my lifestyle. My son raises rabbits as a hobby and it keeps him busy. He makes a little money on the side and enjoys going to swap meets and taking care of the bunnies. He isn't out getting into trouble like alot of 16 year olds. But they say since we don't eat the rabbits they are toys. He likes breeding for color and type and has very nice bunnies. His male is from a State Fair winning buck. Really nice. Not all rabbits need to be eaten. But yet we hear it time and again.
My critters keep my sane in this crazy world. I sit out there with them in a swing and enjoy watching them interact and play around. Our male rabbit likes to go "bowling for chickens". Really pretty funny because he will scatter some and then they chase him. He does the same with the dogs. Cheap entertainment I guess. But it keeps things simple and happy. So why can't others leave us be? Does anybody else deal with snide comments from acquaintances or family who don't like your lifestyle? Other than being rude in return what can I do to get them to just let me be? I know what I would like to say and it wouldn't be nice, but two wrongs don't make a right so I try to just ignore what they say, but it is getting harder to do.
Sorry for the long rant but I am tired of hearing these folks complain.
We have 5 dogs and watch my daughters dog while she is living where she can't have her for a total of 6. Hers is a Jack Russell and we have a Sheltie, 3 Dachshunds and a Great Pyrennes pup. We have 4 cats, 2 Holland Lops (1 just had a litter of 5 purebred babies), 2 geese, 2 ducks and 17 chickens(8 are bantams).
I have 3 bantam roosters, 5 bantam hens. I have 2 standard roosters and 7 standard hens. These guys will start laying about September or so. I have a pair of ducks and a pair of geese. They will no doubt start laying next spring.
Yes, some might think it's alot but we take care of all our critters, they are all healthy and well fed.
So I get comments from some folks telling me we aren't real farmers, that we have toys not chickens and rabbits, that we are wasting our money on the dogs and that unless an animal provides food value it is a luxury not a necessity. I never claimed to be a "real" farmer. I grew up a city kid in Detroit who loved animals and the country. My mom had little critters, geese, chickens, ducks, goats, etc., when we moved to the country when I was 16. I worked on horse farms from that time on until my mid 20's. So no, I am not a farmer per say and probably have what most would call a hobby farm. We have only 3 acres, but to us it's heaven after living in either apartments or in a townhouse next to the interstate and a bypass for almost 12 years. My hubby on the other hand grew up on a farm working his butt off from the time he was a small kid setting tobacco, working with cattle and horses and chickens. He had to tend gardens, house tobacco, etc. He enjoys the critters as much as I do and is usually the person who says to go ahead and get the darn thing if I want it. He loves the dogs so he has a way of finding them. Most are rehomed critters who had owners who no longer wanted them or didn't understand the breed (all our little wiener dogs).
I have been told, the ducks and geese are unnecessary, that the bantams are toys and useless, that I need to cull all my roosters and that the breeds of hens I have don't produce enough eggs to make them worth their feeding. Seriously? So what? I am not asking them for money or to pay my bills. But for some reason they seem to think they need to comment on my lifestyle. My son raises rabbits as a hobby and it keeps him busy. He makes a little money on the side and enjoys going to swap meets and taking care of the bunnies. He isn't out getting into trouble like alot of 16 year olds. But they say since we don't eat the rabbits they are toys. He likes breeding for color and type and has very nice bunnies. His male is from a State Fair winning buck. Really nice. Not all rabbits need to be eaten. But yet we hear it time and again.
My critters keep my sane in this crazy world. I sit out there with them in a swing and enjoy watching them interact and play around. Our male rabbit likes to go "bowling for chickens". Really pretty funny because he will scatter some and then they chase him. He does the same with the dogs. Cheap entertainment I guess. But it keeps things simple and happy. So why can't others leave us be? Does anybody else deal with snide comments from acquaintances or family who don't like your lifestyle? Other than being rude in return what can I do to get them to just let me be? I know what I would like to say and it wouldn't be nice, but two wrongs don't make a right so I try to just ignore what they say, but it is getting harder to do.
Sorry for the long rant but I am tired of hearing these folks complain.
