I will never ask for "packing peanuts"again

[gertsgal]

When I ordered 12 baby pullets right before thanksgiving the company said they would be shipped with 10 baby roosters to keep the girls warm. I thought to myself....No problem I'll just find happy homes for the ones i can't keep. I have tried everything I know of to find these sweet boys "happy homes" but NO ONE wants them. I did have an offer from the nice woman at the TSS say she would raise them and then sell them to people for dinner

. These little guys have never had a harsh word spoken to them and they all trust me. Tomorrow I am scheduled to take them to her and my heart is breaking. Plus 2 of my "girls" have started crowing. Wahhhh.

 

[popsicle]

Sorry. However, what kind of life would those "packing peanuts" have had if you didn't get them in the first place?

 

[Clay Mudd]

Quote:
At most hatcheries, a very short one.

 

[Wisher1000]

It's heart breaking, I know. I agree with Popsicle, though, they could have been killed at birth, I saw a video of a guy at a hatchery that supplies hens to egg producers. The sexer would toss the female chicks into a box and the male chicks into a grinder, it was horrible. At least they (your's) will be raised by a woman who will provide them with a good place to enjoy life for awhile. I have to face the fact that I can't save all the animals. I just try not to think about the chickens, cows, pigs, deer, quail, etc. that end up on the table. It's hard enough when they follow the path of your packing peanuts, I shudder to think of the lives of some other poor creatures that are born into terrifying circumstances, live in terror all their lives, then die in terror for our consumption. I sound like one of the fervent animal rights activists, don't I? I guess I could be one, if I didn't love meat so much! I also agree with the people on here who process their own so that they know that the birds, or whatever, had a good life and were killed humanely. I just can't do it myself. I'm such a tenderhearted whimp!

 

[Tallulah Chicklet]

I'm so sorry.

 

[CluckyJay]

If you don't want to keep them, someone is bound to want them for dinner. Its perfectly natural and could help someone out on their grocery bill.

 

[SueBaby]

Having hatched and given away 2 roosters myself, I can see how you would want to avoid setting yourself up for that heartbreak again.

But try to look on the bright side now that you can't change your circumstances... Think of it as a more sustainable way for all of us to keep raising hens for eggs. At least their lives were lived well and then they're useful in the end. It makes you think back to "Little House on the Prairie" times (guess what I've been reading with my kids). They raised the cockerels to eat and the hens to keep. It was just the way things were and it really does make sense.

Wishing you peace of mind

 

[clairabean]

Think of it this way- these little dudes have known a life full of love and respect. They will go on to feed a hungry family. IMO that is a great life for any chicken.

 

[HetaChick]

…yeah wow, I'd probably make bachelor pens if I got packing peanuts. Unless they were a mean rooster then they may be dinner but… yeah I'm too soft hearted too...


Also the treatment of the baby birds (especially the males) at hatcheries and the like just kills me. If I saw that I think I'd be scarred. I know it's a business but that's so inhuman for a species that is quick to point out things that are. All for money.

If they are to be eaten at least they serve a purpose like everyone has said, I find the destruction of healthy chicks and birds that aren't even used as food is a complete waste of a living creature.

 

[iluvsedward]

let 'em go