Easy way to raise chickens

[Chick-n-itis]

WOW, I would think it depends on each families situation on how you raise your chickens. We thought too that in the beginning raising chickens would be more like a business but we did become attached to them quickly. We hate leaving our chickens penned up but we've had to start doing that recently when we're not home. In July 2 dogs attacked our chickens and we lost 4 hens and 1 rooster. Another rooster(Lucky) survived but barely. We did take the time to nurse him back to good health. What a lesson my 17 year old son learned when he helped pick most of the maggots out of Lucky. It was worth it because Lucky has turned into a really good rooster and I would miss his crows. He does crow a lot. Unfortunately, I know someone that has chickens and they don't feed them very well. They are the same age as our chickens and they're not laying eggs yet. It's nice to see happy healthy chickens. You can tell the difference.

 

[Avalon1984]

You are right that this is the easy way. A lot of us have expensive birds that are not as easy to replace. Sometime it is better to try and save them than to try and find a replacement. Some of us also care for our birds deeply. From your previous posts I can tell that you are a very practical person and if that works for you than that is great.
I for once have had several occasions with other animals where vets were just going to give up because it was “easier” (“it’s just a horse, etc.) and I am not one to take the easy road. Make no mistake, when it was obvious that the animal was suffering and there was no chance of recovery, I put it down. But when it was something as simple as a skin condition that would take a couple of weeks to treat, I wouldn’t just have the animal killed. The same thing goes for the chickens. I don't take them to a vet but I will treat them if it is within my means. You may have better access to layers than I do, but for me it makes more sense to treat conditions such as a bad eye, or an impacted crop than trying to replace the chicken and possibly getting a disease from somebody else’ chicken stock, or start from scratch with a chick from the hatchery. Just trying to tell you that not everybody who is trying to help a sick chicken does it out of their own “wanting to feel good about themselves while the animal is suffering”.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

I don't see the point in raising chickens if their end up being treated like factory birds with out free ranging. I highly doubt you would be ok eating the same thing everyday in the same room without leaving your house. Your life would be pretty boring. Just my opinion.

 

[nurse_turtle]

I agree 100% with the OP in that the title fits the post. It's what works for them and those birds inarguably have a much better life than in a commercial setting. IMO the OP is staying almost as true to nature as possible. Nature knows best. If one's chickens are pets, then this topic does not apply to them and offense should not be taken. Personally I am somewhere in the middle. I have chickens i adore and those that are simply here. I supply basic needs for each equally. I provide treats because I like to. I like the feeling of being needed and appreciated, if only as a vector between chicken and treat. None of us should hold any hard feelings toward someone who takes care of the animals they have acquired, even if that care is simply the basics for healthy life. An easy way to raise chickens? Yep. The solution for everyone? Nope.

 

[mother o' chicks72]

Quote:
ditto, totally agree, my chickens purpose is to lay eggs but that doesn't mean they can't be pets and free range as well. I love my chickies and wouldn't feel like a humane animal owner if I kept them all locked up and un-played with.

 

[nurse_turtle]

Quote:
If one has never been to a commercial chicken house or processing plant, be careful of how you speak. Here in NW NC, commercial chicken production and processing is the number 1 employer. The chicken houses would make many folks gasp and vomit. My Dad has worked for Tyson/Holly Farms for 40 yrs at a chicken processing plant. Imagine the chickens that come in by the hundreds. Hung by their feet on an assembly line which a row of folks working for $8-9/hr spend 8+ hours a day holding their arms out in front of them slicing necks at a rate of about 1 per 3 seconds with a trough of blood running into a floor drain. Under no circumstances can what the OP does be equated to commercial production.

 

[ECBW]

Just do not lose sight why battery chicken farms exist... There is a market demand for the product. Not everyone is fortunate enough like many of us to pursuit our own wishes.

 

[angie3881]

Quote:
If one has never been to a commercial chicken house or processing plant, be careful of how you speak. Here in NW NC, commercial chicken production and processing is the number 1 employer. The chicken houses would make many folks gasp and vomit. My Dad has worked for Tyson/Holly Farms for 40 yrs at a chicken processing plant. Imagine the chickens that come in by the hundreds. Hung by their feet on an assembly line which a row of folks working for $8-9/hr spend 8+ hours a day holding their arms out in front of them slicing necks at a rate of about 1 per 3 seconds with a trough of blood running into a floor drain. Under no circumstances can what the OP does be equated to commercial production.

X2- The OP's description comes nowhere close to a "factory bird's" life.

 

[airmechreed]

Quote:
If one has never been to a commercial chicken house or processing plant, be careful of how you speak. Here in NW NC, commercial chicken production and processing is the number 1 employer. The chicken houses would make many folks gasp and vomit. My Dad has worked for Tyson/Holly Farms for 40 yrs at a chicken processing plant. Imagine the chickens that come in by the hundreds. Hung by their feet on an assembly line which a row of folks working for $8-9/hr spend 8+ hours a day holding their arms out in front of them slicing necks at a rate of about 1 per 3 seconds with a trough of blood running into a floor drain. Under no circumstances can what the OP does be equated to commercial production.

X2- The OP's description comes nowhere close to a "factory bird's" life.

X3 The OP is just describing THEIR way of raising chickens. Not everyone is the same here. Lets keep it polite and friendly.

 

[egglicious]

I think it's fine the way the OP raises chickens, and I think it's fine that I have them as pets. As for what's easier, who is to say what is easy for another? It would be incredibly difficult for me not to try and nurse a sick chicken. As for culling, I would have to call my hunter neighbor over because I just couldn't do it.

The way I raise chickens is the way I raise chickens and it is my experience to have. I am certainly grateful for folks like the OP, but I don't really want to feel judged or foolish for having pet chickens.