ELI5 Why do so many ppl treat chickens expendable??

[z3lda3]

We are on the same page here! And we eat practically no beef here. First, it is so expensive! And recently, a family member has been diagnosed with Alpha-GAL, that allergy from a tick bite that prevents her from ingesting anything from any mammal. No meat, no dairy. So for her, it is poultry or fish. And yes, we totally respect and care for them the best we can until it's time to harvest them.

Sounds to me like we need to be swapping chicken recipes! I can’t eat beef, and I’m lactose intolerant, my husband doesn’t like pork (I know he’s weird) so fish and chicken are our main dinner dishes.
I’ve, as I’m sure you know all about, have so much time, money, and work into my little flock, my chickens are literally worth too much to mistreat. The way I figure my $6 RSLs are now worth about $900 a piece lol.

 

[FrostRanger]

We are on the same page here! And we eat practically no beef here. First, it is so expensive! And recently, a family member has been diagnosed with Alpha-GAL, that allergy from a tick bite that prevents her from ingesting anything from any mammal. No meat, no dairy. So for her, it is poultry or fish. And yes, we totally respect and care for them the best we can until it's time to harvest them.

Oof, I'd be in trouble if I couldn't eat meat, I strongly suspect I have anemia as it is so a vegan or vegetarian diet would be a no go (funnily enough my mom was a pescatarian) and I hate seafood and my body plain tolerates it poorly. Not to mention I just plain love meat and dairy lol. I absolutely love vegetables, but I can't subsist off of only vegetables (or at least not without my health suffering)

 

[z3lda3]

Oof, I'd be in trouble if I couldn't eat meat, I strongly suspect I have anemia as it is so a vegan or vegetarian diet would be a no go (funnily enough my mom was a pescatarian) and I hate seafood and my body plain tolerates it poorly. Not to mention I just plain love meat and dairy lol. I absolutely love vegetables, but I can't subsist off of only vegetables (or at least not without my health suffering)

I too love meat and dairy! Especially beef, don’t you think I want to flick my husband in the throat every time he sits down to a steak as I look at my trout and spinach??
I have a friend who is vegan and he and wis wife make meals I don’t even recognize. But these ppl adopt ex battery chickens! Their entire property is set up to accommodate these poor things, and they take such good care of them. Hey! Maybe we all need more vegan friends, give them a sob story about culling an “extra” bird, vegans can’t handle it. They’d totally take the bird! lol

 

[Themellowyellows]

Same, pretty much. And @Themellowyellows , I haven't heard anybody claim chickens feel no pain. Of course they do. This is why we try to dispatch them as quickly, painlessly and humanely as possible and to alleviate their suffering when they are sick or injured. At least, good chicken tenders do!

They also seem to feel emotional pain as well as physical. They grieve when a flock mate dies and it takes them a bit to readjust flock dynamics.

Some people I have talked to think that

 

[z3lda3]

If we cull a sick bird it goes in the trash. I don’t have the space to bury it and keep the rest of my flock from it. I don’t baby them along and spend days or weeks nursing them. Extra roosters go in the freezer.

Did I read that correctly? You don’t try to save a sick bird?

 

[tlcmurphy]

Did I read that correctly? You don’t try to save a sick bird?

Sometimes you just can’t. And you wouldn’t want the other birds to get whatever they died from.

 

[z3lda3]

Sometimes you just can’t. And you wouldn’t want the other birds to get whatever they died from.

Even if it’s bumblefoot or egg bound? Or something like that?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

agree, I feel as though sacrificing a rooster to catch a predator is wrong... Why put a helpless animal that can't defend himself, up aganst a huge animal..? Thats not fair in the rooster part.

Most people that use roosters as bait aren't using live roosters. They dispatch it first

 

[paintedChix]

This turned into one of "my books".
Might want to get a cuppa'...

It sucks because Chickens are just so nice and polite.
People who throw away chickens just see them as livestock, Not as an actual pet but that does not excuse treating them like garbage.
Our next-door neighbor culled a cockerel, And when I mean cockerel, I mean as soon as they verified it was a male chick they culled it.
It just sucks because people are so disconnected with the food they buy in the market than the actual animal. And you can't get mad at someone for doing it either because at the same time, They are livestock. And not their pet dog.

Again, I beg to differ on at least 2 points.

I have in the "way past", handled my /our chicks extensively. From hatchery purchased to incubator hatched. I've had quite a number of cockerels change, not just when hormones kick in, but later as well. After making it thru puberty, I'd naively expected to be OK. But I have been attacked, flogged & injured badly enough to need stitches & antibiotics (hatchery RIR - surprisingly close to SOP, but...). After going through the various "training/handling" techniques professed to work by folks here on BYC. Shoot, I even have given out references to those threads here both on BYC & to folks at feedstore & flock swaps.

Since my granddaughter spent many hours & huge $$ in ER, attacked by a 2 yr old EE roo who had been "her baby", not so much... She is still afraid of all male chicks/roosters, and if one of her 4H chicks this year would have been a cockerel, they had it set up for him to go elsewhere. She conquered general "chicken fear" to show at county level 4H fair & her pullet is now producing eating eggs. I believe that she will have a chick or two next year as well...

Now, I don't handle our birds/chicks as much. Didn't have chicks this year - bad car accident last fall, then broke my ankle in Feb. W/ some other issues, couldn't do SX right away & then at first, wasn't healing well. Now, things more smooth. Have graduated to lace up & velcro support boot & a cane... Thing is, I couldn't easily defend myself from an attacking critter right now (or in future?), so my handling & cooping is going to be different going forward. If necessary, may keep a separate coop for breeding roosters, but not sure how that would work...

I am in process of getting some meat breeding (BPR) & show bird line (New Hampshire bantams -1st pair shipping from NH this week, probably on Thursday). If any of the resulting chicks next year turn aggressive, at any age, they will be culled. That WILL NOT include selling to someone. A - i have found aggression to be highly heritable & I have no desire for someone else to experience what I & our granddaughter did. B - I want protective & good w/ his flock but also good w/ humans. I want none of my future stock known as "human aggressive", when I get to the point I will sell them.

A little more background on me... I was not raised on a farm, but am a Navy bratt, then joined the Army - seen animal husbandry in various states here, HI, Korea, Germany (different areas), Austria, Switzerland, Denmark. My mom WAS raised on a farm in IA. They had commercial sows (different then, farm shots from original Wizard of Oz movie accurate). Grand kids (me/my cousins) all kept away from from pens/barns. Those sows were BIG & aggressive & known to attack & had killed farm hands. From 5 yrs of age, I was known to "collect animals" & a lot of our dogs/cats/ponies & horses, over the years, have been rescues. Some due to neglecting, some due to injury & others due to personality/aggression issues. I dealt w/ mostly horses & dogs, but saw chickens/coops overseas. I experienced my first horse aggression in CO during a routine 4H visit to a stallion station. Didn't see it 1st hand, but noise reverberated throughout barn. Farm hand didn't make it to ER. That stallion was a high $$ horse, even then in 70s & his semen was "valuable". About 20 yrs later, after returning to the states & wanting to get back into horses, I viewed some yearlings for sale here in NC. While there, a yearling FILLY (female horse), jumped over the bottom stall door, a 5' fence & then chased down 2 people w/ teeth & hooves. They escaped, filly put up. Found out she was directly related to that stallion - in 3 lines.

After, I worked w/ 2 vets before age 21. I ended up doing some of my own stitching on both dogs & horses when vets weren't readily available - both in teens & in early adult. Now - us caring for our animals is considered wrong & is restricted, yet finding a "farm vet" is difficult!

Some of the worst injuries to both animals & people occurred during county fairs In the early-mid 80s. PETA & ASPCA "fanatics" turned a bunch of animals loose @ fairgrounds. I wasn't there, but knew some of the 4Hers & adults @ time. I don't support either of these groups & research (or try to) rescue groups our dogs, cats & horses have come trough.

I am not a pro trainer, but have taken lessons from & worked w/ some of the well known (now) vets & trainers of horses & dogs in the industries.

All this to say - culling - isnt a bad thing culling a cockerel, even at a young age. Many ways to do it. I don't understand any bird being culled & actually put in the trash... Even day old chicks can become dog/cat food or treats, reptile or large cat feed (zoos, habitats, even wildlife parks). To throw them, literally in trash, is SAD. There are expected to be thousands of reptiles at the Repticon Expo in Raleigh in Nov/Dec 2024. I get "hebe-gebes" around reptiles, but may be a good resource for bird owners... At least 2 of our daughters find reptiles enjoyable... shudder, shudder.

One thing I've not seen here on BYC (maybe in Meat bird section?) is donating processed (or even unprocessed?) birds to families in need (food pantries, veterans groups, welfare, assisted living groups)... I'm talking to a couple of places myself - laws & hoops & "all that"...

Ok - rant & current book over...

 

[WaterfowlsPoultry]

This turned into one of "my books".
Might want to get a cuppa'...



Again, I beg to differ on at least 2 points.

I have in the "way past", handled my /our chicks extensively. From hatchery purchased to incubator hatched. I've had quite a number of cockerels change, not just when hormones kick in, but later as well. After making it thru puberty, I'd naively expected to be OK. But I have been attacked, flogged & injured badly enough to need stitches & antibiotics (hatchery RIR - surprisingly close to SOP, but...). After going through the various "training/handling" techniques professed to work by folks here on BYC. Shoot, I even have given out references to those threads here both on BYC & to folks at feedstore & flock swaps.

Since my granddaughter spent many hours & huge $$ in ER, attacked by a 2 yr old EE roo who had been "her baby", not so much... She is still afraid of all male chicks/roosters, and if one of her 4H chicks this year would have been a cockerel, they had it set up for him to go elsewhere. She conquered general "chicken fear" to show at county level 4H fair & her pullet is now producing eating eggs. I believe that she will have a chick or two next year as well...

Now, I don't handle our birds/chicks as much. Didn't have chicks this year - bad car accident last fall, then broke my ankle in Feb. W/ some other issues, couldn't do SX right away & then at first, wasn't healing well. Now, things more smooth. Have graduated to lace up & velcro support boot & a cane... Thing is, I couldn't easily defend myself from an attacking critter right now (or in future?), so my handling & cooping is going to be different going forward. If necessary, may keep a separate coop for breeding roosters, but not sure how that would work...

I am in process of getting some meat breeding (BPR) & show bird line (New Hampshire bantams -1st pair shipping from NH this week, probably on Thursday). If any of the resulting chicks next year turn aggressive, at any age, they will be culled. That WILL NOT include selling to someone. A - i have found aggression to be highly heritable & I have no desire for someone else to experience what I & our granddaughter did. B - I want protective & good w/ his flock but also good w/ humans. I want none of my future stock known as "human aggressive", when I get to the point I will sell them.

A little more background on me... I was not raised on a farm, but am a Navy bratt, then joined the Army - seen animal husbandry in various states here, HI, Korea, Germany (different areas), Austria, Switzerland, Denmark. My mom WAS raised on a farm in IA. They had commercial sows (different then, farm shots from original Wizard of Oz movie accurate). Grand kids (me/my cousins) all kept away from from pens/barns. Those sows were BIG & aggressive & known to attack & had killed farm hands. From 5 yrs of age, I was known to "collect animals" & a lot of our dogs/cats/ponies & horses, over the years, have been rescues. Some due to neglecting, some due to injury & others due to personality/aggression issues. I dealt w/ mostly horses & dogs, but saw chickens/coops overseas. I experienced my first horse aggression in CO during a routine 4H visit to a stallion station. Didn't see it 1st hand, but noise reverberated throughout barn. Farm hand didn't make it to ER. That stallion was a high $$ horse, even then in 70s & his semen was "valuable". About 20 yrs later, after returning to the states & wanting to get back into horses, I viewed some yearlings for sale here in NC. While there, a yearling FILLY (female horse), jumped over the bottom stall door, a 5' fence & then chased down 2 people w/ teeth & hooves. They escaped, filly put up. Found out she was directly related to that stallion - in 3 lines.

After, I worked w/ 2 vets before age 21. I ended up doing some of my own stitching on both dogs & horses when vets weren't readily available - both in teens & in early adult. Now - us caring for our animals is considered wrong & is restricted, yet finding a "farm vet" is difficult!

Some of the worst injuries to both animals & people occurred during county fairs In the early-mid 80s. PETA & ASPCA "fanatics" turned a bunch of animals loose @ fairgrounds. I wasn't there, but knew some of the 4Hers & adults @ time. I don't support either of these groups & research (or try to) rescue groups our dogs, cats & horses have come trough.

I am not a pro trainer, but have taken lessons from & worked w/ some of the well known (now) vets & trainers of horses & dogs in the industries.

All this to say - culling - isnt a bad thing culling a cockerel, even at a young age. Many ways to do it. I don't understand any bird being culled & actually put in the trash... Even day old chicks can become dog/cat food or treats, reptile or large cat feed (zoos, habitats, even wildlife parks). To throw them, literally in trash, is SAD. There are expected to be thousands of reptiles at the Repticon Expo in Raleigh in Nov/Dec 2024. I get "hebe-gebes" around reptiles, but may be a good resource for bird owners... At least 2 of our daughters find reptiles enjoyable... shudder, shudder.

One thing I've not seen here on BYC (maybe in Meat bird section?) is donating processed (or even unprocessed?) birds to families in need (food pantries, veterans groups, welfare, assisted living groups)... I'm talking to a couple of places myself - laws & hoops & "all that"...

Ok - rant & current book over...

I probably should have worded it better and added more context.
SOME birds are nice and polite not all, I understand that some roosters' are aggressive and attacks humans, so in that case they must be turned into dinner. But I have seen some posts on this site and heard a few stories about people who would simply kill off a hen or roo because they would eat one of their plants in the garden instead of maybe putting a fence around it. two blocks down from my house somebody culled a rooster because 'It made too many baby chickens' and a neighbor across the road told me about their son who killed a hen because it was not as cuddly as their other birds.