Do you get the same reaction when you tell *why* you have chickens?

[THunter]

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Makes me think of a friend's wife. She has got to be the goofiest human being I have ever met. Another friend of mine has a neighbor that has broiler houses. A few months ago he called and said the neighbor had told him the catchers had come and caught the chickens to take to slaughter and that there were a couple dozen out running around that they didn't catch. He called me wanting to know if me and my other friend wanted them. Why not? We jump in the truck and go over there and catch 16. When we get back to my friend's house his wife asked what we were going to do with them. I said we were going to knock them in the head and put them in the freezer (actually we were planning to sell them to some local Hispanics we know). She goes into this deal about how she ain't gonna eat them. So, I asked, if she would eat the ones that were caught and sent to a slaughter house even though they were out of the same group these came from. Her answer? Absolutely! So, I said, as long as they are killed in some plant and put under plastic you'll eat them, but if we do it you won't? She said, yep! Idiot.

 

[Buster52]

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I get mine here:

http://www.growbiointensive.org/

 

[Davaroo]

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I've learned to avoid diatribes, speeches, evangelizing, rationale, checklists, pariah complexes, or anything resembling justification for what I do.

By now, I normally don't say much of anything about chickens unless specifically asked.

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If I am asked, I usually start by asking, "Are you sure you want to know?" Then I teach, not tell.

 

[Tam'ra of Rainbow Vortex]

Wow, I feel lucky to live here!!!
Ashland, which is where I work, is a very health-conscious, animal-rightsy town. Almost all its permanent residents who shop at stores eat meat labeled "organic" and "free range" as often as they can afford (if they eat meat at all!). So when I say I am raising chickens I usually get nice responses (and requests for eggs) or some genuinely curious individuals whom I enlighten on the eeeeevils of factory farming (and then they ask for eggs).
I often get the "I couldn't do that", but it is always said with a touch of respect.
My roomies and I, feeling we ought to be more connected to our food decided to get chickens. We feel that no one who isn't willing to (at least once) take part in what it takes to get meat from living animal to the dinner plate should have the right to cause the suffering it takes to feed them that meat.
Today, the tree of us processed our first chickens. It was horrible, as it should be, but rewarding at the same time. We raised them and gave them a good life, a humane death, and we respect what we eat more for having touched it with our own hands. Even if it weren't healthier, we'd have done it. People today are too far removed from their food. To many, the store is the source of food, which materializes magically (teleported from sunny California?) for them to buy. Veggies don't grow in dirt, meat doesn't come from animals... it all comes from Safeway! And the thought it might be bad for you... never even considered.
As they say "be the change you wish to see in the world"
Yep. Ashland is one changing place!

 

[zephyrcreek]

My reply is to ask them if they have ever watched Morgan Spurlock (sp?) 30 Days episode on sending an avid hunter from Down South to go live with a vegitarian family in CA! I come from an avid farming/hunting family so I started watching with more than a little bit of an attitude that was no longer there by the end of the episode. I wish I had a copy. It really opened my eyes to factory farming!!! I wish more people were much better informed.

 

[cassie]

You need to take these books, articles, etc. on the "ills of factory farming" with a grain of salt. Many of them are written by people with an axe to grind and zero knowlege of agriculture or animal husbandry and accuracy is not high on the authors' list of priorities. Some exaggerate, sometimes wildly, and others outright lie. My personal favorite is the writer who was incensed because, I kid you not, feedlot cattle were not given privacy to have sex. Now the fact that the cattle he was talking about were steers, and the fact that cattle don't care much about privacy was something this character knew nothing about. It would have been funny if the guy was not so passionate about his point of view.

 

[jaku]

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I watched the PETA video about the commercial chicken slaughterhouses on youtube when I was trying to learn how to process my chickens. I think they wanted me to be outraged, but I thought it was just fine- I was jealous of their speed and efficiency though. I completely agree that animals should live happy lives, free from torture, but the idea that you should be "nice" to animals in the last few minutes before you kill them is just insanity. I think that if they could talk, they would probably object more to even a quick, painless death, than to being packed too tightly for the truck ride to the slaughterhouse. But, can you take any group seriously who criticizes the president for swatting a fly rather than letting it outside? If you haven't seen that youtube video, it's awesome!

 

[1acrefarm]

I say let those ignorant people have their store bought. I prefer having more of the good stuff for me.

 

[trilyn]

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Edited-realized what it was! lol I guess I was having a moment!

 

[mrsgibber]

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Perfect! I think I may actually do this.