Dumbest Things People Have Said About Your Chickens/Eggs/Meat

[WalkingOnSunshine]

There is a huge difference between kitchen scraps and animal by-products. Kitchen scraps were good enough to be in my kitchen in the first place.

Well, sure. And most of my customers are very glad that my hens get treats. I'm just saying that the "no animal by-products" issue is why national egg brands advertise that their hens are "vegetarian fed." I actually don't see it as a terrible thing.

 

[janinepeters]

.I got the chicken for humane reasons but never thought they had personalities and have ways to communicate with us what they want or need or even that they enjoy different kind of foods. I'm still amazed the trust they have in me ...when they feel danger they run to me and have one or two that fly to my shoulder to take shelter.

Same here!!! And I am also amazed at how they communicate with each other, the way there seems to be little friendships among them that are not always in line with a peck order (e.g., a bottom dweller befriends a dominant hen and sticks by her side for protection, if another tries to bully). And on and on...The more closely you watch them, the more you realize how complicated they are. All the more reason that those battery cages and crowded barns are cruel.

 

[GhostRider65]

Cruel is an understatement!!!!!!!!! that is down right in- human, to do that to any animal, and that barn seems to have less feeders than my 30 girls.......... I have 6 feeders for 30 birds 3 water stations and they have 3 to 6 for 3000 birds, even if they could move to get to them, that is nowhere near enough feeders for that amount of birds, surprised them hens lay anything at all, especially the ones crammed into a tiny little cage !!!!!!OMG
That is just disgusting, cruel, inhumane, and unconscionable on there part that they think they can do that and just keep getting away with it, the deaths they report are probably from starvation or cannibalism.........or disease, because with that amount of birds the litter has to be a foot high under them daily, and I will wager they not cleaned very often either. My coop and barn are cleaned 3 times a week, every other day and thats a whole trailer full of crap, bedding, spilled feed, and hay......I really don't know how they away with that........it makes me sick to think of those poor hens......

 

[janinepeters]

Cruel is an understatement!!!!!!!!! that is down right in- human, to do that to any animal, and that barn seems to have less feeders than my 30 girls.......... I have 6 feeders for 30 birds 3 water stations and they have 3 to 6 for 3000 birds, even if they could move to get to them, that is nowhere near enough feeders for that amount of birds, surprised them hens lay anything at all, especially the ones crammed into a tiny little cage !!!!!!OMG

That is just disgusting, cruel, inhumane, and unconscionable on there part that they think they can do that and just keep getting away with it, the deaths they report are probably from starvation or cannibalism.........or disease, because with that amount of birds the litter has to be a foot high under them daily, and I will wager they not cleaned very often either. My coop and barn are cleaned 3 times a week, every other day and thats a whole trailer full of crap, bedding, spilled feed, and hay......I really don't know how they away with that........it makes me sick to think of those poor hens......

This is why, if/when my own hens slow down for winter, I am perfectly willing to pay up to $7 for a dozen eggs laid by hens that I know live in clean, spacious conditions that are allowed to express natural instincts and have meaningful access to good outdoor forage (at least for most of year). And also where predator control is deterrence rather than lethal. It is well worth it, IMO. It is expensive to devote the time, resources, and effort to treat animals humanely. Can't think of a better way to spend my money.

 

[marlo1968]

Huh. Eggland's Best are the only store eggs my family can stand. To each their own, I guess.

On a side note, companies say that hens eat a vegetarian diet because the thought of animal by-products grosses people out. My hens are "vegetarian fed." To us, that means that the feed is vegetarian--but not that the birds are! They are pastured, so they get lots of bugs. And I don't count the treats they eat as their main diet, so we won't discuss the steak trimmings they got yesterday. Shhhh.

The people that buy my eggs like to hear that they are fed a feed without animal by-products......what they don't realize is of course they eat tons of eggs, get all the leftovers from going out, making meals, and cleaning out the fridge (the dogs are jealous). My hens got the carcasses from the Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys too. Today, they'll be getting some leftover ham.....bet they'll have chicken races over that.

On another note, your avatar, is he yours? He beautiful. I ask because I have 2 blue copper marens roos. One has copper only on his neck and is clean legged, the other has copper on the neck, back, wings and most of his breast and has feathers down his legs and toe. They were given to me a few months ago. My two boys are huge birds. Just had to ask because I haven't seen pics of other blue copper marens around much. I know they aren't a recognized standard, but I hthink they are beautiful anyway

 

[appps]

All this battery stuff just reminded me of the dumbest thing. It confused me when I was a kid even.

I had cousins that lived in a semi rural area. They had acres of land beside them though I think only the first horse paddock was theirs.

I remember being totally confused the first time we were wandering around down the shed and I discovered my uncle had three chooks with cut beaks hanging on the wall in 3 battery cages. Vaguely recall them having naked necks where they put them through the wire for the food too. It was horrid.

I remember even as a young kid going home and asking my mum why the poor things were caged like that when they had more room for chooks to wander than we did. Think her reply was something like because he was ignorant and lazy.

I hated going in the shed after that. It always disturbed me. In all my childhood years I never saw their hens on the ground.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

The people that buy my eggs like to hear that they are fed a feed without animal by-products......what they don't realize is of course they eat tons of eggs, get all the leftovers from going out, making meals, and cleaning out the fridge (the dogs are jealous). My hens got the carcasses from the Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys too. Today, they'll be getting some leftover ham.....bet they'll have chicken races over that.

On another note, your avatar, is he yours? He beautiful. I ask because I have 2 blue copper marens roos. One has copper only on his neck and is clean legged, the other has copper on the neck, back, wings and most of his breast and has feathers down his legs and toe. They were given to me a few months ago. My two boys are huge birds. Just had to ask because I haven't seen pics of other blue copper marens around much. I know they aren't a recognized standard, but I hthink they are beautiful anyway

Exactly. And since I advertise my eggs as "vegetarian fed" I can't fault Eggland's Best for doing the same thing. Sounds like you have the same philosophy on chicken feeding that I do. Mine love to pick the chicken carcass, too.

I do own the roo that's my avatar. He's a lemon blue cuckoo Marans, and he's feather legged. And yes, he's a really big boy! He was given to me by Happy Mountain Farm (http://happymtnfarm.com/) when I put an ad in the Buy-Sell-Trade forum looking for a rooster. He's a very calm, non-aggressive boy so far. So that's a place to look if you want to find some blue genetics.

 

[brahmakid13]

(my city slicker grandfather) hey is that a chicken or a rooster?

 

[SD Bird Lady]

Quote:
Originally Posted by WalkingOnSunshine


Exactly. And since I advertise my eggs as "vegetarian fed" I can't fault Eggland's Best for doing the same thing. Sounds like you have the same philosophy on chicken feeding that I do. Mine love to pick the chicken carcass, too.

I do own the roo that's my avatar. He's a lemon blue cuckoo Marans, and he's feather legged. And yes, he's a really big boy! He was given to me by Happy Mountain Farm (http://happymtnfarm.com/) when I put an ad in the Buy-Sell-Trade forum looking for a rooster. He's a very calm, non-aggressive boy so far. So that's a place to look if you want to find some blue genetics.

I would just like to say that selling a chicken that is eating meat as vegetarian is just false advertising....that is like saying you are a vegetarian because you eat cereal for every meal but snacking on lunchmeat in between.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Quote: I have never once, not ever, told anyone that my birds were vegetarians. They are not. They are out eating bugs every day. But their feed is absolutely vegetarian, and therefore they are vegetarian fed.

When people talk to me about what the chickens eat, I always take the time to educate people that chickens are birds, just like the robins outside, and they love a nice crunchy bug as much as the next bird.

But I never, ever, ever tell people about the mice. Nope, nope, nope.