Frustrated and sad

[donrae]

Honey, I'm so sorry but chickens are NOT your issue. You need some serious marital counseling. If he won't go with you, go yourself. This sounds like a huge respect issue that is not going to get better on it's own.

 

[egglicious]

Wow. I am so sorry. That is awful for so many reasons. My husband has asthma and is allergic to many animals. He LOVES animals, so he calls his asthma a curse. It is a tough thing to live with. What makes it more tough is when you have someone who is so completely unsupportive and downright mean living with you. Why would your husband get mad just because you are upset at losing a pet? A couple weeks ago I lost two chickens and man did I cry. My husband, who didn't want chickens, cried along with me as he hugged me.

You are not overreacting at all. You are just questioning yourself because it's hard to believe in yourself when someone is putting you down. I'm sorry if i'm being presumptuous but I can't help it. I mean, you can't even have feelings without being ridiculed. NOT COOL.

I hope you get things worked out. Maybe your kids can help out more? You should probably downsize your flock as well. Too many roosters with two few hens is not a good thing. You should also make sure you wear a mask whenever you go near the coop. It could also be the bedding you are using that you are allergic to, not the actual chickens...

Good luck.

 

[Dudu]

I may be wrong, but I don't think the chickens are causing the problem in the family, maybe the problem is just manifesting itself via these chickens. I don't know how I'd feel if my significant other told me to take care of something that I can't even take care of physically.

Or acted indifferent about something that needed to be taken care of.

(It feels scary enough when sometimes it only seems like it's the case) I am very sorry about the situation and I hope you as a family can work it out, even if it means finding a new home for the chickens if you can't come to a common denominator.

 

[GAchick]

(semi-sarcastically).... Cull...the husband, that is....

 

[Melissa Rose]

My poor hubby is asmathic severely toward cats!!! We now have no cats but a few precious shell babies instead!!! Turtles and tortoises! I get something to love and he gets to breathe easy and not wheeeeezzey

 

[chickchicks]

Quote:
i dont have asma but i am alregic to my chickens and my dog, i can have bad allergies to "anything with fur"
i have a little trouble with the coop too always sneezing and ichy eyes etc etc.....

i have found that wearing a mask and using non dusty chicken bedding helps a lot.

i got a face mask from work and it does me wonders so I can clean everything out without breathing in anything im alergic to!

i would possibly give this a try while you contemplate the option of finding them a new home.

i have also noticed the more i have the more i sneeze so maybe just one or two ish could help a little too ?

i do hope you can sort outyou situation and still be happy at the end xx

 

[Zonoma]

Pick your battles. Ditch the birds on craigslist (or here, if you want to be assured that they go to reasonably good homes) and take care of the other battles you need to 'fight'. Sounds like there's a few of them in your future. I'd sell the birds soon, though, so that you don't have winter weather compounding the health issues.

 

[goldeneggtees]

and don't let him bring home any more birds. all animals need some amount of care and can't survive totally on their own. if he wants to get rid of bugs in the yard, tell him to hire an exterminator and spray (something I personally don't ever do) but at least innocent animals won't be neglected. he doesn't sound like a nice person at all.

 

[rbaker0345]

I have serious asthma and allergy problems too. Singulair works for me. I also use a netti pot every single night. I built my coop as just a framed box with chicken wire sides and perches for them to sit on. I made it with an open bottom so that I can just move it to a different spot when it needs cleaning. As an added reward, when I move the coop, I have a really great spot for a garden. I would put the hens in at night and let the roosters get thinned out by the raccoons--Just kidding.

Your husband is right about them being good to eat the bugs, but he needs to take responsibility for them. My husband gets angry too about the things that we can't do because of my asthma. Its frustrating for him. Your husband is not an autonomy, when he makes a choice, he needs to take the whole families feelings into consideration. He sounds like a very selfish and irresponsible person. An overgrown beak is a serious problem which can cause a chicken to starve to death. That becomes a neglect issue which he can be prosecuted for.

If you want me to, I'll call the Humane Society and give them his name, maybe they could get him to take responsibility-- again, kidding. But seriously, if he wants the chickens, he should at least help you hold them while you doctor them.

 

[birdygal]

Thank you for the replies. He was out taking care of them this morning. Has to be his idea. You have all been so kind and great that you took the time to give me your opinions. I myself have thought of calling the humane society, just to shake him up. I do not believe they are in a state where they would do anything about it, but just the way he acts about it sometimes concerns me. He apologized yesterday and told me he will not get attached like me because of what his parent's did to his animals. Sent the boys down the street to a neighbors and paid someone to shoot all their pets and lied about it when they came home from overnight. My husband was heartbroken and only like 4 years old. The other neighbors told him the truth. They are terrible people.