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

[Flufferes]

Following

 

[Akrnaf2]

There are SO MANY poor little birds in need of adoption. As long as your not planning on doing something evil and cruel like eating them or dumping the hens when they stop laying, you should consider saving a life and adopting a bird in need! http://adoptabirdnetwork.com/

Eating chickens isn't something crul or evil.

 

[Akrnaf2]

There is nothing wrong / EVIL IMHO in eating a hen as long as they are dispatched in a humane way. To me it is completing the cycle of life.

Exactly!

 

[sylviethecochin]

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?

 

[4 Georgia Hens]

There are SO MANY poor little birds in need of adoption. As long as your not planning on doing something evil and cruel like eating them or dumping the hens when they stop laying, you should consider saving a life and adopting a bird in need! http://adoptabirdnetwork.com/

Preach it!!!

 

[peckpeckpeck]

The point is -- Adoption is an option.

People are trying to save these birds to give them a better life.

I'd love to hear what other people have to say from experience.

Are there other adoption agencies? For example, I got my dog from a no kill shelter that also offers low cost medical services so it's not as much financial hardship to adopt an animal that needs special medical attention.

Do people have experiences with problems integrating ex battery hens if they've been debeaked?

The disease concerns that someone brought up above is a helpful question. Are there any special diseases that we should worry about with rescue chickens that you wouldn't face with any new chicken integration?

I'd love to know more before we make the decision next Spring

 

[Folly's place]

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

 

[lazy gardener]

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.

 

[peckpeckpeck]

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

Thanks Mary!
That's really helpful to understand the risks.

 

[Molpet]

umm the link says there are no birds near me needing adoption.. I did check to adopt a hen from a local shelter a couple of yrs ago, they wanted $50, inspect the coop/run meet the family and a ton of paperwork

I adopted a 110lb dog from a different shelter and he was $100 minimal paperwork and no inspection

I do not like the way the factory chickens are raised and would rather humanely raise them so they can be chickens, have a good life and one bad day.