Okay, here comes the brutal truth. Hold on to your seat, kiddies - -
To most of the world, chickens are stupid, livestock and/or both. Chickens are part of our culture, but "regular" folks know anything about them and much less, don't care. Cluckers were something their grandparents had, but nobody nowadays wants anything to do with such a throw back to old fashioned ways. In fact, chickens are noe on many people's radar as a quasi threat to our security and health, thanks to bird flu and bio-terrorists. Chickens are best kept somewhere under lock and key in the modern age, where they can't be seen or worse, smelled. Or better yet, in a bucket, box, or buffalo-sauced shaker pack with a side of fries.
People who make "pets" of them and treat them like "babies" are labeled as tree-hugging whackos, definitely with a few bricks missing from theirp personal load. Mention "Chickentstock" to one of these folks and they think of soup, not a rustic social gathering of such loonies. Occasionally you'll see something about urban chickenheads in the newspapers of west coast or wannabe trendy cities like Atlanta, but it is invariably in the frivolous city section of the Sunday edition.
Even poultry fanciers, and by that I mean breeders of show and breedstock birds, generally dismiss such things as silly and strictly for the tie-dye crowd. I won't even mention the folks who put chickens to more "sporting" uses, since that irritates folks to no end.
I have friends in all these categories and I've asked them. Barring a few exceptions, I have just described many of the people you know - if not nearly all of them.
Hatcheries are part of this. They have only really started catering to the "pet set" in recent years. Not long ago, orders of 25 chicks were the absolute minimum and more would get you far better service. Some hatcheries wouldn't even bother with less than 100.
These business people know that you wont hurt a chick by tossing it on a conveyor belt, tumbling it a bit in a drum or packing them off for shipment all across the country. A few might succumb, but that is how it goes.
Don't be surprised at all this. Be aware. These revelations will likely stiffen your back and make you want to thumb your nose at the rest of the world. You'll probably want to shoot me, the messenger, too. Don't. Rather, follow the advice of Sun Tzu, the ancient Chinese warrior, who taught his men to:
"Know your enemy. For if you know your enemy and know yourself," he wrote, "you need not fear the result of a hundred battles."
But, Sun Tzu warned, "If you know only yourself, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat."
To most of the world, chickens are stupid, livestock and/or both. Chickens are part of our culture, but "regular" folks know anything about them and much less, don't care. Cluckers were something their grandparents had, but nobody nowadays wants anything to do with such a throw back to old fashioned ways. In fact, chickens are noe on many people's radar as a quasi threat to our security and health, thanks to bird flu and bio-terrorists. Chickens are best kept somewhere under lock and key in the modern age, where they can't be seen or worse, smelled. Or better yet, in a bucket, box, or buffalo-sauced shaker pack with a side of fries.
People who make "pets" of them and treat them like "babies" are labeled as tree-hugging whackos, definitely with a few bricks missing from theirp personal load. Mention "Chickentstock" to one of these folks and they think of soup, not a rustic social gathering of such loonies. Occasionally you'll see something about urban chickenheads in the newspapers of west coast or wannabe trendy cities like Atlanta, but it is invariably in the frivolous city section of the Sunday edition.
Even poultry fanciers, and by that I mean breeders of show and breedstock birds, generally dismiss such things as silly and strictly for the tie-dye crowd. I won't even mention the folks who put chickens to more "sporting" uses, since that irritates folks to no end.
I have friends in all these categories and I've asked them. Barring a few exceptions, I have just described many of the people you know - if not nearly all of them.
Hatcheries are part of this. They have only really started catering to the "pet set" in recent years. Not long ago, orders of 25 chicks were the absolute minimum and more would get you far better service. Some hatcheries wouldn't even bother with less than 100.
These business people know that you wont hurt a chick by tossing it on a conveyor belt, tumbling it a bit in a drum or packing them off for shipment all across the country. A few might succumb, but that is how it goes.
Don't be surprised at all this. Be aware. These revelations will likely stiffen your back and make you want to thumb your nose at the rest of the world. You'll probably want to shoot me, the messenger, too. Don't. Rather, follow the advice of Sun Tzu, the ancient Chinese warrior, who taught his men to:
"Know your enemy. For if you know your enemy and know yourself," he wrote, "you need not fear the result of a hundred battles."
But, Sun Tzu warned, "If you know only yourself, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat."
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