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

[KettermanHillCoop]

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

if it were natural then you wouldn't need to take it to your kitchen to make it edible enough to not kill you.

Yes, it is natural. It's part of the evolution of homo sapiens...

My thoughts on this thread.... Knowing what BYC site is all about yet come here and call folks evil for eating chickens is gosh down rude...and quite frankly, evil.

 

[MageofMist]

I brought my two silkies from a person who wanted to make more space for her new pullets, and well... Now I have 12 from them hatching their own in two separate batches as I let her go broody twice.

I do however adopt pets whenever I can, I recently adopted Bambi and King Tut/Scrappy Doo, two male Japanese Quail from a friend who couldn't keep them due to them fighting with their already paired up quail and refusing to get along at her place. She couldn't sell them to the local pet store as the store declined them, and no one else showed interest in them, so I was literally their last chance or else they'd be forced to be culled, which my friend really didn't want to do.


They are such sweet yet quirky little birds.

 

[Molpet]

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

Umm have you ever seen chickens find a nest of baby birds,mice or rabbits? 6wk chicks ripping babies apart fighting over the parts... Adults swallow full grown mice whole.. if they find a dead animal they peck it until they can rip off some thing to eat...even if it is a dead chicken... if a chicken gets injured they'll peck the wound and eat the poor bird... something out of Jurassic Park... don't fall in the run LOL even with a full feeder

 

[Akrnaf2]

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

Kiling an animal IS NOT murder! Murder is only when a person kills intentionally another Human being.
According to this logic a blue whale that eat in one gulp milions of Krill shrimps is mass murder.

 

[shawthorne44]

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?

The comparison shouldn't be to the age a chicken can reach in a very protected environment with medical care and unlimited food, as I think vast majority, if not all, of BYC chickens get. It should be to the expected age of a chicken in the wild. Three years seems on the high end.

 

[speckledhen]

Adopting chickens is not as safe or simple as adopting many other species, because of the serious disease risk to your existing flock. Carefully selected birds, maybe. Introducing an incurable 'forever' disease to the healthy birds at home isn't right! And eating chickens that have had a good life isn't either 'evil' or 'cruel' IMO. Mary

Ex 'battery hens' are likely to have lived in an indoor environment that reduces the risk or exposure to some of the problem diseases, and may have been vaccinated for a long list of others. They may be less risky than 'random source' birds from stranger places.
Marek's disease lasts for years in the environment, and MG requires total bird culling to eliminate it from the property. Including house birds!!!
I think that risking my healthy flock is not something that works for me, no matter how sad it is for the 'rescues'.
Mary

There is an other side to this issue: I keep a closed flock. I choose not to expose my flock to the risk of disease brought in from "rescued" birds. Many such diseases are "forever". Once a flock is infected, that disease can persist in the flock and in the environment forever. Consider it "the gift that keeps on giving". I will breed my own birds, and occasionally bring in hatchery chicks to change up my gene pool.

ALL of the above are excellent posts.

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?

Natural lifespan? You cannot gauge the average lifespan of a chicken. Too many factors. I have hens who are almost 11 years old. My very oldest has crippling arthritis, yet she still lays at least in one weeks-long spurt every year. Over Nov 2016-April 2017, she laid 17 eggs. But, I've had hens with internal issues die at just over a year old.
Currently about half of my entire number, 20 or so hens, are 7,8,9,10 and almost 11 years old, some still lay occasionally, though many quit years ago.
I know of at least one hen on BYC who lived 17 years, one in particular named Goldie, I believe the owner was Banty Mom? Sorry, can't reliably recall her screen name. A Barnevelder hen of a friend of mine on BYC was almost 14 years old when she was killed by a predator.

So, there is no average or natural lifespan of a chicken, too many factors play into that. They can live to around 20 years old, but those would definitely be the exception. Not sure a 20 year old hen would be worth eating.


I never bring birds onto my property because of the disease risk to my existing flock, period. No way. Sorry for the battery hens and the dumped birds, but no way will I do that. I don't even buy chicks from people here on BYC.

I do believe the original post borders on violating BYC rules. People eat chickens. This is not a vegan/vegetarian site. Even if I don't butcher mine, I will not criticize those who do.

 

[birdofhermes]

ALL of the above are excellent posts.



Natural lifespan? You cannot gauge the average lifespan of a chicken. Too many factors. I have hens who are almost 11 years old. My very oldest has crippling arthritis, yet she still lays at least in one weeks-long spurt every year. Over Nov 2016-April 2017, she laid 17 eggs. But, I've had hens with internal issues die at just over a year old.
Currently about half of my entire number, 20 or so hens, are 7,8,9,10 and almost 11 years old, some still lay occasionally, though many quit years ago.
I know of at least one hen on BYC who lived 17 years, one in particular named Goldie, I believe the owner was Banty Mom? Sorry, can't reliably recall her screen name. A Barnevelder hen of a friend of mine on BYC was almost 14 years old when she was killed by a predator.

So, there is no average or natural lifespan of a chicken, too many factors play into that. They can live to around 20 years old, but those would definitely be the exception. Not sure a 20 year old hen would be worth eating.


I never bring birds onto my property because of the disease risk to my existing flock, period. No way. Sorry for the battery hens and the dumped birds, but no way will I do that. I don't even buy chicks from people here on BYC.

ty! do you think they would be worth making into a stock for flavouring dishes? i like the taste of chicken and boiling old chickens to get the flavour out seems pretty ethical if they lived good lives

 

[speckledhen]

@birdofhermes,
I have no idea. Those are really two questions. I've never butchered an old hen so I'm not the best person to ask about that. Ethics have nothing to do with whether they make good stock or not. Ethics belong to the individual. The stock question, I cannot answer for you.

 

[DuckLady]

Thank you for your participation.