ELI5 Why do so many ppl treat chickens expendable??

[WaterfowlsPoultry]

@WaterfowlsPoultry I think I know the type of person you’re talking about. My Step MIL said years ago when she had meat birds , she and her husband would chop their heads and see how long it could walk around, she told me how funny it was! I asked her how she could be so cruel and told her to leave my house. Too toxic for me!

How rude. How about I chop your leg off and see how fast you can tap dance?

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I think the problem is some people lack basic respect. As long as the animal is treated with respect through its entire life whether that is short for meat or long as a pet or egg layer I have no qualms. If people treat the animal poorly I feel irate.

 

[K0k0shka]

their son who killed a hen because it was not as cuddly as their other birds.

It's easy to hate when you don't have the full story. Maybe the son was a psychopath, or maybe there's more to it. If you strip away the context, you could say that I, too, have killed a hen because she wasn't as cuddly as the others. But there's always a story. In my case, I had hatched a batch of chicks with the intent to keep one or two females, and to eat the males. Not because I'm cruel and heartless, as some people on this thread would paint me, but because humans are omnivores and sometimes eat meat, and I'd rather eat meat that was raised humanely and with respect (by myself), than the poor tortured chickens in factory farms. So I raise a bunch of chickens for meat every year (dual purpose breeds) and sometimes keep one or two females. But the ones I keep, are pets, and need to meet some pet requirements - like willingness for social contact with humans, including physical contact. Well the one pullet I kept from that batch (of 6 cockerels and 1 pullet total), I gave her a year and a half and lots of interaction, treats, patience and love, but she never warmed up to me, or to anybody else. So when the time came for me to harvest the next batch of meat chickens, she went with them. She went quickly and humanely, and then she fed my family. I see nothing wrong with that. If she were a wild prey bird in nature, she probably wouldn't have lasted even that long, and would've met a much more gruesome end. Not everybody who "kills" a chicken is a "killer" or a "monster".

 

[WaterfowlsPoultry]

It's easy to hate when you don't have the full story. Maybe the son was a psychopath, or maybe there's more to it. If you strip away the context, you could say that I, too, have killed a hen because she wasn't as cuddly as the others. But there's always a story. In my case, I had hatched a batch of chicks with the intent to keep one or two females, and to eat the males. Not because I'm cruel and heartless, as some people on this thread would paint me, but because humans are omnivores and sometimes eat meat, and I'd rather eat meat that was raised humanely and with respect (by myself), than the poor tortured chickens in factory farms. So I raise a bunch of chickens for meat every year (dual purpose breeds) and sometimes keep one or two females. But the ones I keep, are pets, and need to meet some pet requirements - like willingness for social contact with humans, including physical contact. Well the one pullet I kept from that batch (of 6 cockerels and 1 pullet total), I gave her a year and a half and lots of interaction, treats, patience and love, but she never warmed up to me, or to anybody else. So when the time came for me to harvest the next batch of meat chickens, she went with them. She went quickly and humanely, and then she fed my family. I see nothing wrong with that. If she were a wild prey bird in nature, she probably wouldn't have lasted even that long, and would've met a much more gruesome end. Not everybody who "kills" a chicken is a "killer" or a "monster".

The thing is you don't NEED to kill a chicken that does not want to be friendly, You can easily sell it or give it away, Unless you had problems selling it or giving it away then maybe yeah, Cull it. I was not trying to say anybody who has the hunger for a good chicken noodle soup were monsters, In this case the son is because the hen simply runs away when he approaches it so his immediate thought is to kill it, He did not even sell or give it away according to the mother, He just immediately decided to kill it and throw it in the garbage. Not even eat it. I understand chickens are livestock (Obviously, They are meant to be eaten.) Its good to know that you at least culled the bird for meat and did not throw it into the garbage unlike the neighbor's son.

 

[z3lda3]

I think the problem is some people lack basic respect. As long as the animal is treated with respect through its entire life whether that is short for meat or long as a pet or egg layer I have no qualms. If people treat the animal poorly I feel irate.

Yes. Idk how long meat birds typically live. 18-20 weeks?? Fine, but can they the best 20 weeks of life? And when culling time comes, can it be done quickly and with respect?

 

[FrostRanger]

Nah. We don't eat pork for religious reasons and i have a sis-IL that says it makes her sick. Ppl have all kinds of reasons for why they don't eat various things. Some people actually like beets and Brussels sprouts, lol.


Beans (legumes, includes peanuts) are a great sourcr of protein and iron; green leafy vegs are high in iron as well.

Also, I adore beets and brussel sprouts! Actually had to stop myself from buying beets a bit ago (trying to watch spending and they're cheaper elsewhere). Borscht, which is beet soup is my favorite soup as well!

Ugh, now I want some brussel sprouts lol xD

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I agree @z3lda3, it's not a rooster's fault that he was born a boy. Just because of a rooster's gender we humans hate him just existing. Just 'cause he doesn't lay eggs and isn't that useful. So we shred all of the innocent little boys up in the shredder at chick factories or gas them And what did they do? They were simply born.

Why do you keep saying we hate roosters/ cockerels bc they are male? We've repeatedly said there's no emotion like this to it at all. I certainly don't hate the cockerels that are going into my freezer! I'm very happy to have them. It doesn't make sense to put hens in the freezer, they're useful for laying eggs. Cockerels are useful for meat. They have a different purpose and function. I don't hate my hens for laying eggs and I don't hate my cockerels for being soup. They are what they are. This is absurd and quite frankly, offensive. I'm out.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Yes. Idk how long meat birds typically live. 18-20 weeks?? Fine, but can they the best 20 weeks of life? And when culling time comes, can it be done quickly and with respect?

I will answer this before I go. We harvest our CornishX starting at about 5 weeks and going to 8 weeks, and of course they are processed humanely.

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Why do you keep saying we hate roosters/ cockerels bc they are male? We've repeatedly said there's no emotion like this to it at all. I certainly don't hate the cockerels that are going into my freezer! I'm very happy to have them. It doesn't make sense to put hens in the freezer, they're useful for laying eggs. Cockerels are useful for meat. They have a different purpose and function. I don't hate my hens for laying eggs and I don't hate my cockerels for being soup. They are what they are. This is absurd and quite frankly, offensive. I'm out.

Sorry I didn't mean it like that and I didn't at all mean to be offensive either I say "we" as in us humans in general. I should have phrased it differently; such as instead of saying "we" how about "some of us." Of course a lot of us love roosters or like them somewhat

 

[z3lda3]

I will answer this before I go. We harvest our CornishX starting at about 5 weeks and going to 8 weeks, and of course they are processed humanely.

I had to google cornishx, holy smokes those thighs!!! It practically screams chicken n dumplings!