Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Kris5902]

X 2 I'm a terrible woos. Back in the day [before the man had a broken back] when it was just possible we might have a small acreage I told the man I would not do animals. [yeh, I know...]. I get it. No~one wants hordes of cockerels running around or paddocks full of bulls or all rams & no ewes. I appreciate those who can not only do the culling for us wooses, but do it ethically. That is a rare & wonderful thing in this world.

So not going to get on the soapbox... I swear. But yes, our only options should be humane and ethical handling and husbandry, and the costs associated with that, or vegetarianism. I’m 100% against cheap meat, factory farming, and huge feedlots. It’s disrespectful to the animals, devalues life, and is unsustainable, irresponsible, and not ethical. Just wrong.

Phew... I think that’s my shortest rant on the subject ever.

 

[LozzyR]

I was explaining this to my neighbours, who are more than happy to receive my chookies offerings but think a chook is a chook is a chook & were most surprised to find me telling them, no; they have personalities, likes & dislikes & friends & enemies within the flock & knowing your feathered friends is just like knowing & caring for your dog or cat.

When my best friend first met my girls, she was surprised to hear they had personalities and could get bored. When I picked Chickie up and offered her to be patted, my friend said “You’re making it hard for me to want to eat chicken! I always thought chickens were mindless creatures”. Now her daughter has Australorps at her school that they care for and got shown at the Royal Easter Show. She says she’s quite fond of them now! Job done.

 

[BY Bob]

My Turn to Rant.

My soap box is eggs. Hens that are caged for eggs are treated worse than dirt. It is no life for any sentient creature. It happens so that eggs can be $2 cheaper. It's ridiculous and I applaud the state of California for outlawing it.

I have been know to pull out before and after photos of battery hens to teach people what that $2 comes from. Maleficent's crate was 3 times the size of the cage those poor birds have to live in. It's criminal.

I also laugh at all cage free eggs being brown? So white eggs are bad and good eggs are brown. What are green eggs?


Something that Bob does not have, that's what green eggs are!

 

[MaryJanet]

I've been pondering the cheap and nasty eggs situation. I know each country has it's socio-political leanings, but consider a hypothetical place where everyone cares about their poorest. These Hypotheticans might say, "well, ok, cheap eggs help our poorest." BUT! I think they would be better off if they achieved the goal of enabling access to eggs through the provision of community chicken farms. This sort of happens in some places in Australia where there are community gardens with chooks or schools with chooks.

Trouble is, from what I observe (a very limited sample) the poorest prefer to focus on the trappings of status like fancy cars or excessive partying. And I have no thoughts about that except educate the children.

 

[WhoDatChick]

Hi yall! I don’t mean to change the subject but wanted to show yall what I made for the gals... okay, I do not feed my chickens chicken but this is made with the drippings from baked chicken.. so the chicken juices and fat.. if you think it’s the same you can tell me.. I’m not sure... anyway, I saw this in a magazine.. you take the fat from whatever.. bacon grease would be good.. today I took the juices from a roast and made the same.. and put in scratch and seeds and meal worms and refrigerate.. it got a little messed up as I was trying to dump it from the container it was in.. but it was a hit!
I hope I don’t offend anyone with this ...

I mean, I know it’s chicken but can’t decide if it’s the same as them eating chicken meat...

 

[LozzyR]

My Turn to Rant.

My soap box is eggs. Hens that are caged for eggs are treated worse than dirt. It is no life for any sentient creature. It happens so that eggs can be $2 cheaper. It's ridiculous and I applaud the state of California for outlawing it.

I have been know to pull out before and after photos of battery hens to teach people what that $2 comes from. Maleficent's crate was 3 times the size of the cage those poor birds have to live in. It's criminal.

I also laugh at all cage free eggs being brown? So white eggs are bad and good eggs are brown. What are green eggs?


Something that Bob does not have, that's what green eggs are!

The reason I got chooks was because of the horrible practice in Australia (possibly worldwide) of shredding. You tip thousands of day-old male chicks into a shredder whilst they are conscious because they have no commercial value. I was mentally fragile at the time I heard this and was very distressed and felt that the only thing I could do was to stop eating commercial eggs, and products with commercial egg in it (it cuts out a lot of cake! )

My husband had previously said he wouldn't mind owning Silkies, so we decided to get some chooks. There was a battery place not far from where we live that would sell you 18 month-old Isa Brown hens for $5.00 each so you could rescue them, rather than letting them be killed (the place has now been shut down due to animal cruelty). My husband's uncle is a retired chippie (carpenter) so he built the run and I helped to put the wire on, then painted it. I have bought four Isa girls from there, two of whom are still with us.

The girls have given me more joy than I could have imagined (and, conversely, more heartache). I give eggs to my in-laws next door, sometimes my mum and occasionally work colleagues who are baking a cake for work festivities. I stick to my 'no-commercial-egg' policy as much as I can, sometimes I suspend it in the interest of politeness.

I had to laugh at your definition of green eggs, or what they're not. When I lose another of my girls (hopefully not for a long time yet) I might look at getting two Easter Eggers (and cross fingers their eggs are green!)

 

[LozzyR]

Hi yall! I don’t mean to change the subject but wanted to show yall what I made for the gals... okay, I do not feed my chickens chicken but this is made with the drippings from baked chicken.. so the chicken juices and fat.. if you think it’s the same you can tell me.. I’m not sure... anyway, I saw this in a magazine.. you take the fat from whatever.. bacon grease would be good.. today I took the juices from a roast and made the same.. and put in scratch and seeds and meal worms and refrigerate.. it got a little messed up as I was trying to dump it from the container it was in.. but it was a hit!
I hope I don’t offend anyone with this ...

I mean, I know it’s chicken but can’t decide if it’s the same as them eating chicken meat...

Looks yummy! I personally don't feed my girls chicken as it feels wrong, and I gradually stopped eating chicken myself, but I don't judge anyone else doing it, in the same way I don't judge chicken owners for processing meat birds.

 

[BY Bob]

The reason I got chooks was because of the horrible practice in Australia (possibly worldwide) of shredding. You tip thousands of day-old male chicks into a shredder whilst they are conscious because they have no commercial value. I was mentally fragile at the time I heard this and was very distressed and felt that the only thing I could do was to stop eating commercial eggs, and products with commercial egg in it (it cuts out a lot of cake! )

My husband had previously said he wouldn't mind owning Silkies, so we decided to get some chooks. There was a battery place not far from where we live that would sell you 18 month-old Isa Brown hens for $5.00 each so you could rescue them, rather than letting them be killed (the place has now been shut down due to animal cruelty). My husband's uncle is a retired chippie (carpenter) so he built the run and I helped to put the wire on, then painted it. I have bought four Isa girls from there, two of whom are still with us.

The girls have given me more joy than I could have imagined (and, conversely, more heartache). I give eggs to my in-laws next door, sometimes my mum and occasionally work colleagues who are baking a cake for work festivities. I stick to my 'no-commercial-egg' policy as much as I can, sometimes I suspend it in the interest of politeness.

I had to laugh at your definition of green eggs, or what they're not. When I lose another of my girls (hopefully not for a long time yet) I might look at getting two Easter Eggers (and cross fingers their eggs are green!)

Don't bring them to Fluffy But Acres. Our EEs only lay brown eggs!

 

[BY Bob]

Hi yall! I don’t mean to change the subject but wanted to show yall what I made for the gals... okay, I do not feed my chickens chicken but this is made with the drippings from baked chicken.. so the chicken juices and fat.. if you think it’s the same you can tell me.. I’m not sure... anyway, I saw this in a magazine.. you take the fat from whatever.. bacon grease would be good.. today I took the juices from a roast and made the same.. and put in scratch and seeds and meal worms and refrigerate.. it got a little messed up as I was trying to dump it from the container it was in.. but it was a hit!
I hope I don’t offend anyone with this ... View attachment 1923996View attachment 1923997View attachment 1923998View attachment 1923999
I mean, I know it’s chicken but can’t decide if it’s the same as them eating chicken meat...

I'm not going to comment on them eating chicken. That is your decision. The cakes look great though. I want to try that. Especially in the winter. I think the girls will love it!

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

That just radiates sweetness.

As far as photographing black chickens, with my phone I can select the target by touching the screen and a white circle will appear. As long as I keep that circle on the black hen, the device will set the lighting and focus for me. That tends to bring out the black hen and make better pictures. I have a Samsung phone.

Thanks for the tips Bob. I wonder if my phone does it? It's an android too.

I like knowing my food had a happy life, but it still isn’t easy for me (and I hope it never will be) even after two years of raising meat animals.

It seems almost every time you post Kris my admiration for you grows

I would say that you are an exceptional chicken steward. All you do for sick ones is beyond what someone simply interested in meat and eggs would do. You are simply amazing. Then the concern you show that they have a great life, however long it is, is inspiring.

Keep up what you are doing. The chickens in your care are truly fortunate.

x3 Couldn't agree more

but I still appreciate the value of their lives being given to sustain us. I do like being connected to my food, even if it’s sometimes a little sad for me.

You really are an inspiration Kris. This is the most ethical way to eat meat and I wish I had the courage and where withal to do it myself. I have found that all my chicken friends on here have inspired me in one way or another!

The closest I could come to ethical consumption of animal protein was to get my own chickens so I know the eggs I get are from contented and happy birds.