Living next to a poultry professor

[humblehillsfarm]

This is truly a random rambling lol, I'm bored out of my mind at work. Anyways, my next door neighbor is a poultry professor. Upside is he gives me free feed. It's for meat birds so I try to mix layer crumble to lower the protein and throw scratch grains so the gals get some running exercise. He said it's 20% protein and they've been eating it since March so far.... He offered to put down my birds if the need arises as he can effectively perform cervical dislocation. Thankfully the need hasn't arisen. Today I get a text "I need to make a video using a leghorn hen as a prop. Do you want her when I'm done." The implication was she'd be put down, so I said yes of course. It's been enlightening to realize how many birds are put down commercially, I mean I knew that, but have also been kind of removed from it. He focuses primarily on meat birds, and when they order extra, after a week or so they put down the "leftovers," but on the brighter side he said he'd bring them to me rather than put them down. Here's the real rub though, he's not actually allowed to do that. Research being what it is, he's breaking the rules to give away any birds used for research. Anyways, it's been mindblowing. I feel grateful but somewhat bad to benefit.

Now I have 18 birds trying to squeeze into a tiny 4x6 coop..... chicken math is insane. I am trying to build a new coop but I'm afraid by the time I'm done it will already be too small! He tried to give me 15 leghorns earlier and I was like that is literally impossible for me right now!! I wish I could have.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It is estimated that at any one time there are about 23 billion broilers globally. On an annualized basis and coupled with the layer industry and the male chicks inadvertently hatched with those layer chicks, it could easily be over 200 billion chickens killed annually.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

It is estimated that at any one time there are about 23 billion broilers globally. On an annualized basis and coupled with the layer industry and the male chicks inadvertently hatched with those layer chicks, it could easily be over 200 billion chickens killed annually.

That is so depressing. It's those reasons that if I were to BUY meat chickens I would want to buy the "fry pan bargains" but free is free.... I wouldn't even eat chicken if it wasn't for my partner. I love my laying hens though.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Something has to feed the nearly 8 billion people in the world and chicken is the most efficient meat maker for feed input. Hence the protein of choice.
While chickens would still die, the problem IMHO is overpopulation. I know I've harped on this before but by the end of the century, human population is expected to grow to 10 billion. But the earth's size remains the same.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Something has to feed the nearly 8 billion people in the world and chicken is the most efficient meat maker for feed input. Hence the protein of choice.
While chickens would still die, the problem IMHO is overpopulation. I know I've harped on this before but by the end of the century, human population is expected to grow to 10 billion. But the earth's size remains the same.

I am in complete agreement with you, except (and remember I DO eat meat) I do think switching to a largely vegetarian diet would be more sustainable long term. Think of all the agriculture that goes into just feeding chickens.