How do YOU deal with people's questions & comments?

[MamaMarcy]

I've had a lot of flack from people lately. Last summer, we started a fun project: ducks (4 muscovies) and it spread to chickens. Now, we've got the ducks, the chickens, the "teenagers" the "babies" and the eggs in the bator. I find myself in total love. It's become a hobby, and a way of life. My husband and I love sitting in the hot tub and just watching the flock. I love each & every bird. They are all precious, they all have names (still working on baby names). We feed & water them daily. They are kept clean, dry, warm. They get treats (ie fresh produce, scrambled eggs, etc). I sing to them daily. We live on 3 1/2 acres in the country. We have the brooding room (an outside bedroom with electricity where the brooder box sits), a large coop condo (2 houses with an enclosed run), and a mini coop with heat lamp.

Now that I am incubating & hatching people have started asking me: "what do you do with them?" and "will you eat them?" and "are they for the eggs?" and now the latest: "you're a hoarder!!" (that really hurts my feelings).

My answers: They are pets, we eat their eggs, we do not eat our own birds but do eat chicken & tuekey from the store, we like to watch them free range, and we are not hoarders.

We have 2 indoor cats, 1 indoor dog (corgie), 2 outdoor dogs (mastiffs) who have their own insulated 8x6' A-frame with heating & cooling, 15 adult birds (11 chickens & 4 ducks), 2 "teenagers" (over 3 weeks) in the heated small coop, 5 newly hatched bantams, 2 newly hatched mix chicks, and 2 baby turkeys in the brooder, and 30 eggs in the bator (and I doubt all will hatch). All of our pets are well cared for, healthy, and clean. No pet yuck/mess in the house (litter box is regularily tended to). If anything they are overfed. They receive medical care, the mammals get vaccinations & flea treatments regularily.

I guess I see hoarders as people who have too many to care for properly, usully involving the inside of their home. The only poultries in our house are eggs in the bator and hatchlings who re still working on fluffifying. Our cats would be kicked outside if we didn't have bobcats & coyotes all over...

 

[bikerchic]

I get ALL the same comments as you, even the hoarder one. I just smile and say "yes I am!" And walk away. The funniest one I have had lately was this past weekend. My sons friend was over and she was holding a chicken, for some reason she smelled it, her comment was, "Oh my, not only are your chickens pretty, but they smell good too!" (I think so too)

 

[terrilhb]

Well if you are a hoarder oh gosh what am I?

I have 19 hens, 3 roosters, 5 goats, 9 guinea's. Outside. Inside I have 2 cats, and 4 dogs. Plus my DD's dog. So I am really bad.

But I don't care. I will stay that way. I love it. They are just jealous.

 

[h4ppy-chris]

hoarders

no your not you took it the wrong way they mean you have a lot of things.... i know i am the biggest hoarder of them all

i own stuff that i don't evan know i own

i know i own 3 5 week old chicks and wont let anyone touch them they can look though

 

[hallerlake]

Quote:
You assume the questions and comments are coming from ignorance. You answer the questions honestly. It's a teaching opportunity. You respond to the comments with questions. Why do you say that? Do you know what a hoarder is? What makes you think I'm a hoarder? Instead of defending yourself, make them defend their statement.

Of course, you really don't have to answer to anybody. So long as your poultry are doing no harm to anyone, it's none of their business.

 

[202roosterlane]

X2 with hallarlake....

There are so many people with opinions that you cannot please everyone. Some of these people with bother you to death with comments or questions to the point you won't enjoy your chickens anymore. I too had one person who truely seemed concerened over something that was truely none of thier business. So after about the 30th question and a m onth later, I just looked at her and said (as sweetly as possible), "Honestly my chickens are in perfect health and are loved and you have no need to worry or assume anything about thier welfare. I am sure you have other things to worry about but I appreciate your concern, please change the subject or just go back to work."

Of course she did not speak to me for the rest of the day. Because I said this in front of the other coworkers in the current conversation. But the next day she did say good morning. I think everyone in the office was grateful as well.

 

[kvmommy]

I got so much criticism from my husbands family when I was going to get another puppy. I have one dog. Thats it! Oh and a siamese fighting fish. They called my house a zoo. Now this is from someone who has 3 dogs none of who ever went to the vet for the first 6 years of their lives and never got vaccinated. Their dogs poop and pee all over their house. The other person has 3 dogs and lives in a double wide, and their 2 year old basset hound is 30 lbs overweight! She used to have so many ferrets that just pooped all over her last trailer that it got condemned. My ONE dog has always been vaccinated and taken to the vet regularly. She has allergies and we spent a ton of money figuring out how to make her comfortable. We buy the best food. I had 1 chinchilla that I found out I was allergic to and had to rehome. I had 1 tortoise that escaped its pen. And I had hatched chicks that were rehomed. And they still criticized me. I can say people are ignorant and judgemental. They find any excuse to put someone down to make themselves feel better. If you r different they will judge. U can't educate them because they are ignorant. All you can do is say go Eff yourselves!! Then come here and grump to us while we can understasnd and listen and not judge..cuz we're the same!!

 

[Oregon Blues]

There is absolutely no reason for anyone to ever know that you have chickens, unless you tell them.

So, if people are asking questions about your chickens, it is only because you talked about the chickens. If you don't want to answer questions about the chickens, don't bring the subject up.

It would actually be rude of people to not ask a few questions after you make your chickens the topic of discussion. It's very unlikely that the people asking the questions have even the slightest interest in your birds. It's more than likely simply polite conversation.

 

[hallerlake]

Quote:
If family and friends visit, they are likely to know about your chickens. Family can be particularly hard to deal with because you're kind of stuck with them. But, yes, the less you bring bring the poultry up, the less likely others are to talk about them.

 

[MamaMarcy]

Holy cow...interesting viewpoint.

I don't at all mind answering questions, but some people ask RUDE (and often repetitive) questions. Why on earth would I not bring up my chickens? They are a big part of my life and I love talking about them. And when someone butts into a conversation and starts calling me a hoarder and suggesting TLC be called..well...it's irritating.

It's funny that you assume the people I discuss my chickens with have no interest in them. 2 of them want to adopt babies from me, and 2 others want to come to my home to visit with them. In discussing with people like that, I've gotten flack from others who have decided to butt in. Sometimes I bring them up, sometimes other people either bring up my birds or their own.

I guess what it boils down to...there are rude people everywhere. And ignorant.