Like me and some others here you would be stretching credulity if you described yourself as a back yard chicken keeper with 600 acres.
I'm not trying to discourage people from keeping chickens, or attempt to establish a more sustainable life style.
I suppose in part what has irritated me during the time I've been on BYC is the number of people who talk about putting food on the table for their families while apparently looking down on people who keep chickens for other reasons. All families have someone that puts food on the table. You don't get extra life points if you do this by working as a mechanic, or raising chickens.
Next there is the claim that by raising your chickens in a backyard setting you are making a difference to the commercial concerns. I've read lots of stuff from the enthusiasts on this topic on various fora where numbers are quoted showing changes in the commercial production of chicken. What is missing is any hard evidence about what has brought about these changes. It seems just as likely that a higher level of consumer awareness given the ratio of consumers to backyard chicken keepers is the determining factor.
If a the BYC moto, A Chicken In Every Back Yard was even remotely likely (I can't help noticing that this model rarely gets called delusional) became a reality then sure that would have an impact. It's not even remotely likely that this will ever happen. There must be millions of people that don't have back yards that still want to eat chicken.
Inevitably in such debates there comes the point where people will mention that the world needs feeding etc etc. The thing is this view aften assumes that grow/get more is the only solution and don't consider the other option (in this case chicken consumption) eat less.
It's just my view point. It probably isn't worth the heat of the debate but given others expect to have theirs aired I think I'm entitled to do the same.
I just have a really, really large “backyard”, and it’s even mostly fenced in
There is an elitist attitude in most every hobby somewhere, and I do agree that everyone has the right to express their opinions on the matter. And though I don’t think you were necessarily trying to discourage anyone from keeping chickens, the initial post sort of sounded like you were saying raising meat chickens for your family is pointless or impossible for smaller homes. You’re right in that it definitely is for apartment and condo dwellers, and I’d love to see how the average townhouse complex would react to someone putting a coop in their postage stamp sized front yard!
(They usually restrict even what flowers you’re allowed to grow in it!)Every chicken that had a pleasant non-factory farmed life before it reaches the table is a good thing. If I could abolish those horrific farming practices I would in an instant, but the shift in diets on such a huge scale wouldn’t go over well with society in general. Sustainable and ethical meat farming is my proverbial soapbox, and as a small pasture based farm, a somewhat self serving one.
I think that a heated debate isn’t necessarily a bad thing, so long as everyone remains reasonable and decently polite about it. Changes are happening in the commercial chicken market here, and it’s due to growing awareness and interest in animal welfare. That does go hand in hand with raising your own meat, or buying from sources you know, and researching where your food is coming from. There are better options for even commercially raised chickens here, but they come with a higher price point.
This site is going to attract growing numbers of homesteaders, smallholding dwellers, and people trying to raise their own food on small properties, as this trend continues. Why? Because the first thing that appears with any chicken related google search is BYC! And there’s so much good information and knowledgeable people here.
whenever I think about eating meat I see those nasty looking chickens!
to butcher. Although they would be perfect for this coming Thanksgiving.
