ELI5 Why do so many ppl treat chickens expendable??

[z3lda3]

I like my birds and I do get somewhat attached to them. But ehen they are no longer productive and I need to make room for younger birds, off to the processor they go. When the come back wrapped in plastic I can't tell them from a grocery store bird, so there's no emotion involved in cooking and eating them. At that point, they're just meat. And good meat, at that. Good soup, or dumplings or casserole or tacos. Good ... chicken. And the same with the cockerels. If we're going to eat chicken, and we are, it's going to be the freshest, healthiest, happiest chickens we can get our hands on. Out of our own back yard.

That screams humane and dignified to me. I’ve never had fresh chicken..but everyone tells me its like butta! I know store bought eggs can’t hold a candle to my ladies eggs.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Everything here has a purpose. Occasionally a bird will get sick and we can't eat it; once a hen prolapsed and we could not save her. These we culled using the broomstick method and DH carried them down to the "boneyard" at the bottom of the property for wildlife scavengers to take care of. Nothing is wasted if we can help it.

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

A fast death is far better than being given to some meth-goblin that forces 5 pound birds to fight each other

Death is not an option for these cockerels for personal reasons unless it absolutely came down to that. They deserve happy lives somewhere in a good home, I want them all to have their own hens and to be able to have a normal chicken life. I just need to keep searching.

 

[paintedChix]

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I'm so sad! I lost my write up while looking thru FB for some dates/pics...
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... any use is better then bury or burn if possible

Why?

I have in many instances, due to circumstances, buried or burned the bodies of pets & livestock (chicks, chickens, ducks, parrot, cats, dogs, ponies & horses). Due to age, illness or predators.

The burying has been done both in compost piles & in-ground. Personally, I think it's great to have the last contribution to be for growing something. Our youngest daughter's Shetland pony (Chylly) lies under a highly productive peach tree. The chickens & ducks have been appreciative of those peaches.




When lightning hit a round hay bale during a daytime thunderstorm, we lost 3 yearling Shetlands & a group of chickens @ same time. They were buried in same area, but have not had fruit trees or shrubs planted over them yet. We stacked reusable lumber over burial spots so nothing would dig them up until we plant those trees & shrubs...

Several ponies (Ranger & Ami) & our oldest daughter's 15.3 hh, 1100#, National Show Horse (Jazzy) have had "Viking send offs" (bodies burned when couldn't be buried, fires watched while enjoying pictures, memories & good whiskey & bourbon). The resulting ashes have been put into our DLM in chicken runs as well as spread below trees.




3 dogs - Monkey, Lady & ZuZu - were also given "Viking" send offs, w/ their ashes added to chicken runs or beds.





Chicks, chickens, ducks, parrot & cats have been added to compost piles (hot). In 2022 when I lost some juvenile chickens, they were put into lower layers of 2' raised beds. They have composted down, nicely, when I dug up part of a bed where I knew where they were.

But I am also from the camp that extra birds, regardless of sex or breed, have gone to freezer camp. Some don't have a lot of meat, but sure made excellent soup. We have kept layers no longer laying if they would go broody & raise chicks or were great at turning DLM to make more compost, until they no longer could... Then they too were quite yummy.

Think this hen is 7 or 8 yrs old...

 

[z3lda3]

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I'm so sad! I lost my write up while looking thru FB for some dates/pics...
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Why?

I have in many instances, due to circumstances, buried or burned the bodies of pets & livestock (chicks, chickens, ducks, parrot, cats, dogs, ponies & horses). Due to age, illness or predators.

The burying has been done both in compost piles & in-ground. Personally, I think it's great to have the last contribution to be for growing something. Our youngest daughter's Shetland pony (Chylly) lies under a highly productive peach tree. The chickens & ducks have been appreciative of those peaches.

View attachment 3934346
View attachment 3934345

When lightning hit a round hay bale during a daytime thunderstorm, we lost 3 yearling Shetlands & a group of chickens @ same time. They were buried in same area, but have not had fruit trees or shrubs planted over them yet. We stacked reusable lumber over burial spots so nothing would dig them up until we plant those trees & shrubs...

Several ponies (Ranger & Ami) & our oldest daughter's 15.3 hh, 1100#, National Show Horse (Jazzy) have had "Viking send offs" (bodies burned when couldn't be buried, fires watched while enjoying pictures, memories & good whiskey & bourbon). The resulting ashes have been put into our DLM in chicken runs as well as spread below trees.

View attachment 3934348
View attachment 3934349

3 dogs - Monkey, Lady & ZuZu - were also given "Viking" send offs, w/ their ashes added to chicken runs or beds.

View attachment 3934351
View attachment 3934353
View attachment 3934354

Chicks, chickens, ducks, parrot & cats have been added to compost piles (hot). In 2022 when I lost some juvenile chickens, they were put into lower layers of 2' raised beds. They have composted down, nicely, when I dug up part of a bed where I knew where they were.

But I am also from the camp that extra birds, regardless of sex or breed, have gone to freezer camp. Some don't have a lot of meat, but sure made excellent soup. We have kept layers no longer laying if they would go broody & raise chicks or were great at turning DLM to make more compost, until they no longer could... Then they too were quite yummy.

Think this hen is 7 or 8 yrs old...

View attachment 3934355

Awww I’m sorry for your losses
Sounds like respect and dignity, and thought went into the remains of your birds/animals. I love the idea of trees or shrubbery being planted with their remains!

 

[z3lda3]

**********
I'm so sad! I lost my write up while looking thru FB for some dates/pics...
**********



Why?

I have in many instances, due to circumstances, buried or burned the bodies of pets & livestock (chicks, chickens, ducks, parrot, cats, dogs, ponies & horses). Due to age, illness or predators.

The burying has been done both in compost piles & in-ground. Personally, I think it's great to have the last contribution to be for growing something. Our youngest daughter's Shetland pony (Chylly) lies under a highly productive peach tree. The chickens & ducks have been appreciative of those peaches.

View attachment 3934346
View attachment 3934345

When lightning hit a round hay bale during a daytime thunderstorm, we lost 3 yearling Shetlands & a group of chickens @ same time. They were buried in same area, but have not had fruit trees or shrubs planted over them yet. We stacked reusable lumber over burial spots so nothing would dig them up until we plant those trees & shrubs...

Several ponies (Ranger & Ami) & our oldest daughter's 15.3 hh, 1100#, National Show Horse (Jazzy) have had "Viking send offs" (bodies burned when couldn't be buried, fires watched while enjoying pictures, memories & good whiskey & bourbon). The resulting ashes have been put into our DLM in chicken runs as well as spread below trees.

View attachment 3934348
View attachment 3934349

3 dogs - Monkey, Lady & ZuZu - were also given "Viking" send offs, w/ their ashes added to chicken runs or beds.

View attachment 3934351
View attachment 3934353
View attachment 3934354

Chicks, chickens, ducks, parrot & cats have been added to compost piles (hot). In 2022 when I lost some juvenile chickens, they were put into lower layers of 2' raised beds. They have composted down, nicely, when I dug up part of a bed where I knew where they were.

But I am also from the camp that extra birds, regardless of sex or breed, have gone to freezer camp. Some don't have a lot of meat, but sure made excellent soup. We have kept layers no longer laying if they would go broody & raise chicks or were great at turning DLM to make more compost, until they no longer could... Then they too were quite yummy.

Think this hen is 7 or 8 yrs old...

View attachment 3934355

Um wait a minute!!! I just noticed those chicks on her back!!! How stinking precious, love it!

 

[Mrs. K]

One of the reason, perhaps the most important reason is the flock. Not all birds live well together. I want my flock to live well and in peace. I will remove birds to achieve that.

What rather appalls me, is people who 'love' their birds too much to cull or remove one, so that they live together fighting, pulling feathers and tearing holes in each other, like that is a good thing?

Animal husbandry is keeping animals well. Always solve for peace in the flock. Often times, removing a bird is necessary to achieve that.

Mrs K

 

[z3lda3]

One of the reason, perhaps the most important reason is the flock. Not all birds live well together. I want my flock to live well and in peace. I will remove birds to achieve that.

What rather appalls me, is people who 'love' their birds too much to cull or remove one, so that they live together fighting, pulling feathers and tearing holes in each other, like that is a good thing?

Animal husbandry is keeping animals well. Always solve for peace in the flock. Often times, removing a bird is necessary to achieve that.

Mrs K

Peace in the flock is so wonderful. Now that my cockerel’s hormones have leveled off and he’s learned his job, it’s (knock on wood) tranquil. After hearing a rando at the feed store talk about pliers and spurs, and watching what I THOUGHT was a video about diy fodder, which turned out to be chicken treatment in factories, and more than a few posts about “oh I was out of town a few days, and came back to 4 dead birds” was confused about why chickens are treated so expendable. Maybe it’s the treatment of chickens I’m meaning to complain about.

 

[z3lda3]

Peace in the flock is so wonderful. Now that my cockerel’s hormones have leveled off and he’s learned his job, it’s (knock on wood) tranquil. After hearing a rando at the feed store talk about pliers and spurs, and watching what I THOUGHT was a video about diy fodder, which turned out to be chicken treatment in factories, and more than a few posts about “oh I was out of town a few days, and came back to 4 dead birds” was confused about why chickens are treated so expendable. Maybe it’s the treatment of chickens I’m meaning to complain about.

@Mrs. K when you replied to this thread how did you do it? When I hit reply it copies what I’m replying to, yours didn’t. How??

 

[JacinLarkwell]

@Mrs. K when you replied to this thread how did you do it? When I hit reply it copies what I’m replying to, yours didn’t. How??

You go to the post box, you don't press reply to a comment