Don't Breed or Hatch...Adopt!!

[cottontail farm]

Yep...Evil and cruel butcherer of birds. That's me. I also devour the unhatched and steal milk from calves. I'm not repentant, either.

So...would you consider culling my rooster cruel?

How about taking my broody hen from her nest and locking her in a small, wire-bottomed pen for several days? Until the partially grown embryos die and she forgets about them?

And if I don't cull--what happens then? Do I take them to the local animal shelter? (Which doesn't take chickens due to disease, BTW) Do I let my poor hens be overbred because of my sudden 1:1 rooster ratio (because my hens are still hatching eggs)?

And then I can watch rooster fights! Free entertainment, all day! Until the game-bird crosses kill each other! Doesn't that sound humane and lovely?

Thank you. The post that started this thread was inflammatory and offensive. Could not have said it better.

Used to be a vegetarian for years myself. Now I pride myself on how many birds I can put on our table. But I guess that makes me cruel and evil... because in nature they would die of old age in their sleep surrounded by chicken families. Or something.

Want to push "adoption"? Fine. Want to attack others who have birds as employees and not pets? No.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Want to attack others who have birds as employees and not pets? No.

You eat your employees?

 

[cottontail farm]

You eat your employees?

Haha. Best term I could come up with. Yes the hens here need to be productive and good mamas.. And the rooster needs to be good to people and the hens. Or they are terminated. Lol.
And yes, I love roosters too. Have two that are pretty much pets because they've earned it.

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

The following is an excerpt from an Austrailian article, concerning the spread of Marek's:

It is spread through microscopic airborne feather dander and spreads easily and quickly from one flock to another via the wind. No bird or human contact is required for Mareks to spread as it travels quickly on the wind. The virus is inhaled by the birds (predominantly newly hatched chicks are most at risk on ‘infection’) and lodges in the respiratory tract before entering the blood stream. It is often also carried onto a property by people and equipment as the dander is so fine and lodges in clothing and on equipment as a fine dust.

The Mareks Virus is able to survive in the environment for many months in temperate climates but it has been reported by some Breeders that colder climates have had a marked effect on the times of outbreaks. It would appear that the cold does not agree with the virus. And the Breeders that live in colder climates have less outbreaks of the disease than those living in temperate or tropical climates.

Here is the link if you would like to read the entire article.
http://www.thecuckoopoultrystudofaustralia.com/mareks-disease.html

I hope I never have to deal with Marek's, but realistically...it's almost impossible to control the microbial world. Just take a look at the poultry industry, Avian Flu and Newcastle disease, has yet to be eliminated. And their bio security rivals that of the CDC!

Maybe those hens you'll bring home won't even have Marek's. If your chickens contract it, there is a real possibility that you or someone else brought in the virus.

Adopting a battery hen or any hen for that matter, is always going to be a risk. But, you can lower that risk by quarantining for months not a couple of weeks. And also, by good sanitation of the coops and pens. And practicing Bio Security procedures is a must. If you can, locate the quarantine pen, down wind of your current flock. And really inspect those hens before you bring them home.

Life on the planet...it ain't easy.


God Bless!

 

[Chickassan]

Poor chickens get fired with a knife and fork, severance package is stuffing.

Thank you. The post that started this thread was inflammatory and offensive. Could not have said it better.

Used to be a vegetarian for years myself. Now I pride myself on how many birds I can put on our table. But I guess that makes me cruel and evil... because in nature they would die of old age in their sleep surrounded by chicken families. Or something.

Want to push "adoption"? Fine. Want to attack others who have birds as employees and not pets? No.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

Haha. Best term I could come up with. Yes the hens here need to be productive and good mamas.. And the rooster needs to be good to people and the hens. Or they are terminated. Lol.
And yes, I love roosters too. Have two that are pretty much pets because they've earned it.

When we had 16 chickens and were going to sell eggs at monthly local farmers market in our neighborhood, I was going to bring our rooster with me and a big sign that said "meet our supervisor"!! lol Hubby said I should bring a different hen each month with a sign, "employee of the month"!!

 

[lazy gardener]

You eat your employees?

I've had jobs like that: the company chews up it's employees and spits them out. then hires a replacement.

 

[tastyacres]

I have a soft heart when it comes to animals (I would say most of us do) and I once was in this situation...

I had a lovely flock of 8-layers, I adored them, typical chicken owner.

It was nice day when my dad brought home 2 "rescue" chickens, the lady rehoming them to dad had rescued them and made sure they were healthy.... I put them in the coop and everything fine till one day a couple months later...

I went out to the coop to check my chickens only to notice one of the "rescue birds" had her legs and wings sprawled out.... I assumed marek's. I was shocked.... We separated her and she passed a couple days later.

I kept her flock she was with for 3-more years and when they stopped laying we did the responsible thing to cull them on instead of passing them on (their was a rescue by us).

Already, first "rescues" I had taken in caused issues.... I had to change what I was doing!

It came time where we needed a healthy closed flock as we were starting a farm....

I knew I couldn't do the find chickens on FB/CL this time.... So came ordering a specific few birds and hatching our own.... This was our best chance at keeping a closed flock.

I was then faced with having more roosters than I needed.... I tried selling/rehoming every last one.... All I got was people asking if They could be used for meat.... NO!

Well then came the answer "why not?"

To tell you the truth I didn't have a good answer! But I still proceeded to think of one, a silly one!

Me- "because they need a good a life"

The buyer than proceeded to tell me had a good life and it would better to butcher than give them to someone who might not take care of them properly, cock fighting homes were an issue where I lived, etc.... It made perfect sense!

I then started butchering myself and now take huge pride in raising a bird I hatched, fed, loved, and cared for knowing I am not supporting those nasty commercial farms in anyway!

I was in that spot and even if I was able to take in "rescue" chickens I wouldn't do it.... I still have a hard time trusting myself taking in normal BYC's.

As some of you know I have my uncles flock of chickens, that are dealing with leg mites, worms, lice, etc.... I have butchered all sick ones, and won't be keeping any but I will Find homes for a few with letting new owners know everything they have gone, and illnesses I had in the flock before hand.

I would encourage people to do your research, Be prepared for illnesses to show up.

And I would Highly suggest you don't buy any chickens from people that won't tell you illnesses the chickens have had before, age, where they got them from, etc.... I know it may sound like a lot but this could be life or death for your whole flock sometimes.

A lot of people where I use to live would scoop up chickens from where ever and get them "looking" healthy then sell them for a buck.... So that is why I say ask lots of questions!

 

[birdofhermes]

A lot of people don't want to adopt out to folks who don't meet their standards. It a BIG problem in dogs too actually.
If you try to adopt, can you eat them when they get older? When they stop laying? Can you adopt meat birds to eat?
Even if you have no food intentions towards them, is your coop gonna be good enough? What ya gonna do when one gets carried off by a hawk? Can you adopt to replace that bird or is "your birds get eaten by hawks" going to put the kabosh on that? I have questions and every rescue has different answers. Unless you dare to raise chickens for food. Then it's out of the question.
I'd love to replace my hawk-decimated flock with rescued laying hens that are a few years old. Battery hens get discarded around 18 months-2 years, perfect for me and my free-range flock. But I doubt anyone would adopt to me because I'd give em a good life for a few more years and then they'd either be gone from predators or gone to my kitchen. Rescues don't look kindly on that, no matter how otherwise responsible your chicken keeping is.

Nothing cruel or evil about eating chickens. Chickens will eat each other given half a chance to do so. If a rescue thinks that it's cruel/evil to have chickens for food, they're isolating lots of potential adopters with great homes and humane ends. They just want your money to keep a bunch of birds around.

If you want some pet house hen, by all means adopt. otherwise, please, continue to buy and hatch because it's not like they gonna adopt to you anyhow!

i don't think that it's evil to do something you were raised to do but if we're honest the only reason why you think it's acceptable to murder and eat someone is because they're not human. if it were natural then you wouldn't need to take it to your kitchen to make it edible enough to not kill you. also, chickens don't hurt or eat each other unless they're living close together against their will. not unlike humans.
you may very well give animals better lives then they might otherwise have, and that are preferable to not living at all, but it's probably not a life you would choose for yourself or your children

 

[birdofhermes]

I have a soft heart when it comes to animals (I would say most of us do) and I once was in this situation...

I had a lovely flock of 8-layers, I adored them, typical chicken owner.

It was nice day when my dad brought home 2 "rescue" chickens, the lady rehoming them to dad had rescued them and made sure they were healthy.... I put them in the coop and everything fine till one day a couple months later...

I went out to the coop to check my chickens only to notice one of the "rescue birds" had her legs and wings sprawled out.... I assumed marek's. I was shocked.... We separated her and she passed a couple days later.

I kept her flock she was with for 3-more years and when they stopped laying we did the responsible thing to cull them on instead of passing them on (their was a rescue by us).

Already, first "rescues" I had taken in caused issues.... I had to change what I was doing!

It came time where we needed a healthy closed flock as we were starting a farm....

I knew I couldn't do the find chickens on FB/CL this time.... So came ordering a specific few birds and hatching our own.... This was our best chance at keeping a closed flock.

I was then faced with having more roosters than I needed.... I tried selling/rehoming every last one.... All I got was people asking if They could be used for meat.... NO!

Well then came the answer "why not?"

To tell you the truth I didn't have a good answer! But I still proceeded to think of one, a silly one!

Me- "because they need a good a life"

The buyer than proceeded to tell me had a good life and it would better to butcher than give them to someone who might not take care of them properly, cock fighting homes were an issue where I lived, etc.... It made perfect sense!

I then started butchering myself and now take huge pride in raising a bird I hatched, fed, loved, and cared for knowing I am not supporting those nasty commercial farms in anyway!

I was in that spot and even if I was able to take in "rescue" chickens I wouldn't do it.... I still have a hard time trusting myself taking in normal BYC's.

As some of you know I have my uncles flock of chickens, that are dealing with leg mites, worms, lice, etc.... I have butchered all sick ones, and won't be keeping any but I will Find homes for a few with letting new owners know everything they have gone, and illnesses I had in the flock before hand.

I would encourage people to do your research, Be prepared for illnesses to show up.

And I would Highly suggest you don't buy any chickens from people that won't tell you illnesses the chickens have had before, age, where they got them from, etc.... I know it may sound like a lot but this could be life or death for your whole flock sometimes.

A lot of people where I use to live would scoop up chickens from where ever and get them "looking" healthy then sell them for a buck.... So that is why I say ask lots of questions!

at what age do you butcher these animals? is it close to what their natural life span would be? I think that could be done in an ethical way if the animal's life isn't drastically cut short. otherwise, is it possible to make some sort of stock or processed meat product out of elderly chickens who are at the end of a long natural life?