"Free roosters TO GOOD HOMES" - a rant with poll

[suburbanminifarm]

I ALWAYS DELIVER a "free" roo or any other animal. I have learned from experience that people are capable of saying anything. Sad. But trust me it weeds out the wackos and liars. That's my firm policy now and I can sleep at night knowing that the animal is being treated humanely.

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Delivering the animal yourself instead of having someone pick it up seems like a good policy. Then you know for sure where it's headed.

 

[featherz]

This reminds me, I just saw an ad on our craiglist :

"Are your kids already sick of the chicks, ducks, or bunnies you got them for Easter? Or just have some animals you need to rehome? Please send me an email. I'd love to provide them a great, pet only home! "


Fishy to anyone else? That person will be inundated with roosters/etc, so can I assume they are really looking for meat or resale animals?

If I have to rehome any roos, I probably won't care if the person eats them, but I'd hate for them to be used as bait or as fighters. Not sure there's a big market for fighting roosters here, but then again how would I know?

I also would not really care if they resold them, or tried to.

 

[hipeatall]

Quote:
Well, I think this is a great idea. If we are worried about where our animals are going... we should go there ourselves and check it out. Soooo simple... yet brilliant!

 

[suburbanminifarm]

Quote:
Well, I think this is a great idea. If we are worried about where our animals are going... we should go there ourselves and check it out. Soooo simple... yet brilliant!

You wouldn't believe how many times I have spoken to someone on the phone, they have been nice as pie and told me what a great home they will provide, then I politely say "ok, when is a good time for me to come over?" And they start to backpedal! I have heard "oh, my husband won't allow anyone at the house", I've heard "No, my house is a mess- I have to come to your house" I've heard "No, no, my dogs would attack you" or "No, my coop is a mess right now- you can't see it" or "Ummm, sure, you can deliver, I'll call you back later... *click*" Still I never back down.
It's eye opening! Several times I've driven to deliver a roo or other animal only to turn around and drive back home again with the animal still in the car. I've seen some crazy upsetting stuff.

 

[tnchickenut]

Quote:
It's ok. I'll catch you up.

I wasn't going to kill them in the bloody way you probrably imagine. I have imported a "dispatcher" from the UK and it is fast... like millisecond fast. No bleeding out, no upside down flopping, no chopping block or any other old fashioned method. I do care about the birds. However, it is very hipocritical of anyone who eats any meat... especially chicken in this case... to say they wouldn't eat their own. I rather give my birds a good life and quick repectable end, than have them end up as training birds or get rough handled and tossed about in a careless manner to be slaughtered without the human giving any respect to the animal that gives it's life to feed yours. I'm a realist. Chickens are a animal that is also food. That doesn't mean you should mistreat them in the meantime.
I'm getting off topic a bit, but since you were confused it is kinda relavent... people are out of touch with their food. When you get chicken McNuggets at Mc D's more than one chicken was mistreated it's whole life to feed you for one meal. If it was lucky it's throat was slit by a machine as it passed by upside down on a moving line, if it wasn't so lucky it got missed by the blade and became what the industry calls a "redskin" and gets dunked in the boiling water alive before being plucked. So... I'm sorry, but if you think you will make me feel bad for eatting my own birds who get a good life and the quickest end even I could hope for, then you are wrong.
No, what I try to avoid when homing them (other than giving them to flippers) is people who see them as ONLY food or fighting entertainment. I have no problem with people who respect and understand the circle of life getting them and eatting them. There is a difference. You may not see it, but it's there.

 

[tnchickenut]

Quote:
Well, I think this is a great idea. If we are worried about where our animals are going... we should go there ourselves and check it out. Soooo simple... yet brilliant!

You wouldn't believe how many times I have spoken to someone on the phone, they have been nice as pie and told me what a great home they will provide, then I politely say "ok, when is a good time for me to come over?" And they start to backpedal! I have heard "oh, my husband won't allow anyone at the house", I've heard "No, my house is a mess- I have to come to your house" I've heard "No, no, my dogs would attack you" or "No, my coop is a mess right now- you can't see it" or "Ummm, sure, you can deliver, I'll call you back later... *click*" Still I never back down.
It's eye opening! Several times I've driven to deliver a roo or other animal only to turn around and drive back home again with the animal still in the car. I've seen some crazy upsetting stuff.

Very good idea. I guess I trust people too much to be honest. Besides that... I really dont' want people in my yard anyways... it's a biosecurity nightmare! I also have had one particular person come back after picking up birds to come get eggs... they brought their kids and made a petting zoo out of my yard! I have chickens, of course, goats, ducks, cats, dogs... I was freaking out. What if a rooster attacked?!?! Besides all that... they didnt mention the kids before hand and on top of that the kids were not controled... jsut runnign amuck. I was runnign around "don't touch that" and "leave him alone" for 30 minutes before they finally left. Sounds mean, but I thought it was very rude.

 

[gamebirdsonly]

I could care less what the people do with them. I'm just glad to get rid of them

 

[NWChicks]

I'd be mad too.

 

[Beekissed]

I would be a little angry about the lying, but one sets themselves up for this when they advertise "to good home only". This encourages people to impress you with their "good home-ness" when they have other plans for your free birds.

Not that I condone lying under any circumstance but this "good home only" stuff has always disturbed me....don't you have a good home for them already? If so, just leave them there. If you really must get rid of them, why be so darned picky about the destination? In all reality, the next person could have a "good home" for them and then, like you, find they don't really want them after all and decide to give them to the first taker.

If you really want to insure your birds are treated humanely, don't give them away in the first place. Kill them for your own consumption or do not breed extra birds in the first place. This is the only way that one can insure that the animal that you raised carefully is not mistreated when it leaves your home.

I've always wondered about that same thing when people who breed puppies, kittens, etc. and then specify that they are free but to a "good home only"....seems hypocritical to me. You don't want them but your going to be darn picky about giving them away!

I had a lady the other day that wouldn't give me one of her free kittens when she found out that it would be living outside. She didn't feel like that was a "good home" apparently. The day that I did find a kitten, she came to me and said, "You can have that kitten now....I am the only one feeding and caring for them and the kids won't help, so I don't care where they go now!" I took immense satisfaction in telling her that I couldn't take her now unwanted kitten to my "not good enough home" as I had already committed to taking a kitten from someone who didn't provide stipulations on her unwanted excess animals.

I now have a very wonderful kitten that has a loving, caring home and hers are still living in her kitchen, making messes for her to clean.