I fell in love with chickens. Now what?

[marlaw]

Hi there, welcome to BYC!

Watching those factory farm videos... helped me learn to process some of my own animals. And convinced me... that I would BUY humane, pasture raised when possible. I THOUGHT I might be vegetarian before it was all said and done... but instead, I am just more aware of where my food comes from, how it was treated every single day including the last moment, and have a much better understanding of the circle of life and acceptance of my place in it.

People who focus on vegetables or tofu... don't seem to count the cost of the rodents and other animals being killed during tilling or misplaced from their homes due to large scale farming. There is ALWAYS a cost to consumption IMHO....
Good luck on your adventures!

Thanks for the welcome! You make very valid points--all of which I am still trying to figure out where I stand on at the moment. I am not fully vegetarian yet...not even sure if I will ever get there. I used to have a serving of meat at every meal and I've got it down to only at dinner and sometimes not even then. Like you, I am trying to make sure whatever meat I do get comes from ethical sources---but I live in the middle of nowhere so that has been impossible so far.

I know that there are things in meat that our bodies need and no amount of substituting would be "the same". (At least at my skill level anyway--I don't like vegetables THAT much, lol.) I've heard some things about Native American culture that really inspire me--they loved and respected nature in all forms while still consuming what they needed to survive. Maybe if I could find some kind of balance they did, I could find some peace about it. I've tried to take a quiet moment at meals to appreciate all the things that had to happen in order for me to be fed and that helps too. I think all of our problems as a society started when we stopped being grateful or understanding what it really takes to feed, clothe, and house us.

Sorry for rambling...I've been in a weird place lately. Received 300 more chicks and ducks today, the last of the season I think, and I had a lot that didn't survive the trip. I tend to think about this stuff a lot more on those days. I appreciate you and everyone being so supportive while I try to figure out my place in the farming world!

 

[marlaw]

Welcome to BYC First of, bless you for taking the time to take care of the chicks and ducklings at work! I wish more people would care enough to do that and it's so nice to hear you do. Starting your own flock would be enormously rewarding and enjoyable for you, even with the inevitable "bad" times, it's an amazing hobby. We have fantastic articles here covering nearly all the aspects of and questions on chicken keeping, from getting started to dealing with predators and diseases. The Learning Center is a good place to start researching and then there is the forums of course!

Hope you'll enjoy your time with us and keep us posted on your new venture.

Thanks for the welcome! I browsed around a little last night and am really enjoying and learning from the threads here. Great resource and people--I'm glad I found you all!