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

[ChaoSS]

I'm certainly not saying that everyone, or even most of the posters in this thread are being jerks.


But I do think that the attitudes expressed by some people, the insinuations that people are flat out stupid for not knowing certain things about chickens or other livestock, is the kind of attitude that drives people away from asking questions and learning more about these things. Certainly, there are people who are simply stupid or willfully ignorant, but I think alot of the things said in this thread don't fit that, and yet are being treated that way.

 

[7 Biddies]

Okay, I think we need to differentiate between real mean spirited ridicule and just plain laughter at how stupid we have become as a society. I spend so much time at work educating people about animals, and I don't just mean livestock. Even the pets we are most familiar with are a mystery to the general populace. I don't make fun of them when explaining things, but I do have a few private laughs over some of the ridiculous ideas I hear. I am so New to the chicken thing, but even I can take the opportunity to teach people about them. When the chicks are in my store I go out of my way to talk to the little children about the birds. Some of those who start a back yard flick are really interested in getting closer to their food and just need to learn. Must of the folks laughing have gone out of their way to correct the misconceptions, so cut then some slack and let them have their chuckle

Thank you, very, very much, for the reminder to take life less seriously. Laughter is good for us, and the people we chuckle about here remain anonymous. So, no one is hurt and it's all just lighthearted fun - like the title of the thread indicates.

 

[7 Biddies]

I'm certainly not saying that everyone, or even most of the posters in this thread are being jerks.


But I do think that the attitudes expressed by some people, the insinuations that people are flat out stupid for not knowing certain things about chickens or other livestock, is the kind of attitude that drives people away from asking questions and learning more about these things. Certainly, there are people who are simply stupid or willfully ignorant, but I think alot of the things said in this thread don't fit that, and yet are being treated that way.

I agree that we don't want to discourage people from asking questions and learning; where would anyone who wants to raise chickens be if we couldn't learn? But, the title of THIS particular thread is "Dumbest Things People Have Said About Your Chickens/Eggs/Meat". Consequently, those looking for help/information shouldn't be looking here. Those who are looking for a little comic relief from their stressful lives come here to share a funny story, which they assume the readers will appreciate. But, if it's knowledge you're looking for, there are many, many other threads that are much more appropriate for that purpose.

People have different senses of humor and express humor in different ways. We need to remember that, when it comes to humor, there is no single, universal definition of what is being funny VS what is being a jerk. It's all in the individual perception of the audience.

 

[Crickett]

I have also seen boxes of gelatin marked "gluten free ". I think with these items, even though most people know there's no gluten in them, by drawing attention to that fact, the marketing device has drawn attention to the product. It's cheesy, but it works.

Like those commercials that say "our eggs come from free range chickens who eat only a vegetarian diet. " Ok, if your chickens are cage free, or free range, then they most certainly are NOT vegetarian! You may only feed them vegan products, but if they get the chance, they will eat bugs, grubs, worms frogs, feathers, maggots, etc.

When I have folks at work say "Oh, those are just yard eggs. " I tell them, "my eggs come from organic free - range chickens, with no artificial hormones. " Am I trying to."trick " them? No. Just stated the blatantly obvious. It seems that as a society, people in general expect every single thing to be specifically spelled out for them.

It's easier that way. No need to think at all.

 

[Bethel3330]

I was so puzzled I googled it. There are some people who believe that if poultry eat gluten then the poultry products are contaminated and shouldn't be eaten. Part of that is the whole "grass fed" thing, which has somehow been extended from ruminants to omnivores ... some people believe the word "pastured poultry" means those birds have never been fed anything and just free range for their nutrition from day one ... and some people believe "organic" on the egg carton means the poultry was "pastured" in that way. Part of it is people who are highly sensitive to gluten being extra careful. Part of it is parents of children with autism or ADHD type issues believe gluten exacerbates those issues, so do everything in their power to protect their kids from gluten.

So ... I explained that my birds do eat gluten, but that most people consider unprocessed poultry products to be "gluten free" foods no matter what the birds eat and left her to figure the rest out for herself.

I would never trick someone into eating something they didn't want. I know lots of other people do like to trick people into eating stuff ...

There are some pretty popular "nutrition" people out there telling people to avoid poultry products from birds that have ever been fed poultry feeds (they literally mean any poultry feeds, even organic/corn-free/soy-free). The theory is the birds should only forage ... though "properly stored organic wild seeds" might be fed in a pinch. I have written to a few of these "nutritionists" to ask them for more details about this poultry management style, but not gotten more details.

just an observation...many people out there on the gluten-free fad have no concept of what it is or where it comes from. They have the idea that it's some manufactured chemical that can persist in the animal once ingested. I blame it on media hype and commercialism. This is not to say that there aren't many that benefit from eliminating it from their diet, truly. Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity is real. They're usually the ones that educate themselves on it and not looking for gluten-free eggs and chickens, though, or people that understand the concept of digestion and the changes that take place between the time a chicken eats a bug or some feed and when it's used in the body. *sigh*
LOL

 

[Bethel3330]

Btw, ''nutrition'' people, in quotes, is probably appropriate. Lol

 

[Bethel3330]

I agree.  It matters not where one was raised....I know a good plenty about city life because I read, observe and make a point of learning about the things around me in the world.  Unless there is an obvious learning disability that prevents that, the stories on this thread point towards people who have chosen to ignore a lot of what they can learn in this world and have made a conscious choice in doing so.  It's an odd and sometimes amusing thing to encounter people in the world who don't want to learn and have lived their whole lives without attempting to do so when the information is out there for the taking. 

Amen to that!! Google, anyone? Lol I couldn't tell you the number of times I've looked something up that I thought I should know by now but didn't want to look foolish in asking. Haha

 

[aart]

Of course Googling these days can lead to a plethora of misinformation....multiple sources and thinking is still in order.

 

[Bethel3330]

we were thinking about getting rid of our rooster one time and my sister says "no dont do that! then your hens wont be able to lay eggs!" LOL, she's 22 yrs old...

I'll admit to that one. I never said so out loud but I really didn't know until I was about 25. Why? Because we always had roosters at my grandparents' so I didn't know anything else, I studied mammals mostly in college, and I knew my aunt's birds didn't lay daily eggs. The specifics of chicken reproduction just never came around. so, I'm not offended if people find that amusing, but that is one concept that I don't think is quite as obvious.

 

[Bethel3330]

That's for the edumacation of those morons who don't already know that ... so they'll know THIS brand of water is safe to drink ($$$). Just one more form of stupidity tax.

YUP! LOL Wow, hadn't seen gluten free water yet. But I'm from the area where the river was contaminated for 300000 people. I bet gluten would be the least of our concerns. No, I'm not drinking it. Neither will be my chickens.