Does anyone else get mad ....

[OHChick]

when you mention your chickens to someone and they go... 'eww chickens are nasty!' or 'chickens are mean'. or 'why would you want chickens?'.

i swear so many people offer me their unsolicited advice on my chickens. my chickens are not nasty, dirty, or mean. mine are smart, funny, and quite amusing. i mean their coop can get stinky when it needs cleaned out but so does a cat box. or dog poo or anything else. and no one says they're nasty.

every time someone says that to me, makes me wish i had a few eggs handy to throw at the goober who said that to me.

i don't know why people feel the need to be so hurtful. most of these people who say this to me have bratty kids/grandkids, i should point out that their kids are nasty and dirty and mean.

 

[silkiechicken]

I like to take comments like that in stride. If you can laugh about it and make fun of the topic, it will make the other person more acceptive to the good things you have to say.

"Ewww, so nasty" And just say hey, I bet they have a net lower number of bacteria than humans. Smaller volume and higher body temperatures.

"Chickens are so mean! ugh" Say: like all animals, they need to be socialized. Some are mean because they lack the human interaction required. Like how dogs can be nice and mean, and humans too, they need approperate stimulation and associations to have the correct behavior.


"why would you want chickens?" Many reasons. Fresh eggs, my part in helping provide for family, they are inquisitive creatures, manure, fresh meat. Think of all the positives and let them know respectfully. It can help change their minds.

I say take every opportunity to educate those around you and think critically so you can device a good or witty answer!

 

[rooster-red]

I don't get mad becuse I know the person is ignorant of the facts, so I try to educate them.

 

[KingsCalls]

I'm with rooster-red.........just shows their ignorance. It's a proven fact that a lot of chickens are as smart or smarter than most dogs!

 

[sunnychooks]

Yeah... I've gotten somewhat immune to the silly comments. I used to get mad or try to justify my chicken ownership, but now I just say "because I enjoy them". That usually shuts people up.

The thing that gets me now is when I mention I have chickens or goats or sheep and people start to LAUGH!!! As if it's a joke!!! I still feel as if they're making fun of ME when they do that and it bothers me. I guess I should work on growing a bit thicker skin, but... grrrr

 

[Alleyoops25]

I dont know if it is just were I live or I have been really lucky. I have never had anyone tell me that. When we shows at county fairs my duaghter gets swarm by people who have never seen a live chicken before. My duaghter made the mistake of letting one kid hold one of our chickens and all of a sudden people starded lining up. Luckily enough my duaghter has learned enough stuff about chickens that she kept people interested. I guess if someone did come to me like that , I would.....................

 

[TxChiknRanchers]

I believe that alot of people say those things because they are ignorant. We've been told "You can get eggs for .85 cents a dozen, why bother"
"Why would you eat those chickens, they are running around your yard" and then there's always "I ain't eating no egg that came out of a chickens butt" Well duh!!

It is like silkiechicken said, You have to take it in stride, you have to lead by example I guess.
randy

 

[herechickchick]

I love it when they say that because it gives me the chance to educate them. I had a lady that thought it was the weirdest thing. A 1/2 hour later she was coming to my house to meet my birds. After meeting them she came back and said she bought a playhouse and turned it into a coop and I sold her 2 chicks!

 

[WoodlandWoman]

My first reaction is to ask why they feel that way. It's usual based on either their experience or something someone told them. The "dirty" concept is usually based on a person that visited a neglectful or ignorant chicken owner with a poorly maintained, smelly coop. The "mean" concept is usually based on an aggressive rooster attacking someone, often a child.

I express sympathy to people when they tell me stories like that, because I really DO think it's too bad that someone didn't care for their chickens well or manage their roosters in a way to keep their children or visitors safe. It's a good time to let people know that a well managed chicken coop shouldn't stink and all chickens aren't mean. Most people also don't know that eggs from pastured chickens are a lot healthier for you, than store eggs from chickens fed a grain diet.

Now, if they want to go on to say rude things after that, well,

 

[hsm5grls]

I get that all the time and I mean all the time( my in-laws live behind me). I just say your dog poops bigger than my chicken poops and it is stinker too. If you put as many dogs on your property as I have chickens it would smell really bad. My girls don't stink because I take good care of them just like your dog doesnt stink because you take care of it. Same thing. As far as friendly I have never had a friendlier pet than my roo. He is a lover and sits in my lap every chance he gets. They make me happy. I wish I would have gotten chickens years ago. They are my in-laws so I tend to argue with them LOL But if it were someone in public I would probably blow it off.