NBC News Article "Backyard chickens dumped at shelters"

[Nifty-Chicken]

Well, the good news is that there's a few good quotes and a link back to BYC:

Backyard chickens dumped at shelters when hipsters can't cope, critics say

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/backy...hen-hipsters-cant-cope-critics-say-6C10533508

Feel free to comment on the article to set the record straight for those who want another point of view on the pros / cons of raising backyard chickens!

 

[wsmith]

An interesting read. What was more interesting were all the comments....which is why I won't comment on the new site.

Everyone has different views regarding raising chickens.

When people come to me asking about chicken or chick availablility from our place, I talk with them for a while to find out what they actually know about chickens, and if they have a setup and truly want the responsibility of having chickens.

We put together a checklist of things to do BEFORE getting chickens. This usually ends up with us NOT selling them chicks or chickens. Bad for us financially I suppose, but good for the chickens.

Just last week an old friend out of state asked me to be her 'chicken mentor". I readily agreed and she started asking questions. She had already acquired chickens and a coop, based on an on-line ad from a gentleman that built coops local to her. As he wanted to sell a coop, he assured her that a 4 X 4 floor space coop was just fine for up to 12 hens..... She is now scrambling to get a larger coop before winter. Had the feed store and coop builder been honest, and not just trying to make a buck she wouldn't be in the situation. Had she done her research before hand, she may not have been taken by unscrupulous sellers. It goes both ways.

As was previously stated, education is key. No matter the reason you keep chickens, you should be prepared for the long term responsibility. Keep them as pets, process them, whatever you choose, but do it humaely and responsibly. If you find that it just isnt for you, take the time to find new homes for your chickens, don't just drop them off at a facility for someone else to deal with.

 

[mithious]

I read a post, I think here on BYC, recently that reminded me of the days when chicken was sold by their age, basically, as roaster, broiler, fryer, stew, ect....

WE are sooo far removed from our food and IMHO that is THE issue here. Those roo's that are dropped off at the shelters could very well feed those very same people who bought them, but because today, no one thinks about where the chicken in the store comes from, nor do they have a clue as to how they are "raised". They will NOT process these "extra" roo's that come in their pullet order.

Taking a life, ANY life is NOT easy, but I believe it is our responsibility, as chicken owners, to take care of our own problems! If I have too many roo's, they go to freezer camp! I give God thanks for them, thank them for the bounty they are providing, then process the chicken!

I had an opportunity to teach 4 young boys this week-end, about chickens. Ranging in age from 8 down to 5 years old. They had LOTS of questions and one was, what are you going to do with the chickens. I didn't pull punches and told the kids that the chickens were for eggs AND meat. One little boy said, no, don't kill the chickens. I asked him where the chicken his Mom and Dad got from the grocery store came from and he did not know, nor did the other kids. I had an educational moment right in front of me and took full advantage of it. I told them that the chicken in the store came from chickens, just like mine! ( They were too young for the commercial farm explination )There are now 4 kids that have a better understanding of where their food comes from! Plus the little boy who thought I was being mean, changed his mind

That article had an agenda, as do most opinion pieces!!! That's all it was...bet there will be some sort of proposed legislation coming soon, based on their supposed "facts" about back yard chickens!!!

I look at processing like this. I give my chickens a GREAT life and some, one really bad day. I also process as humanely as possible!! But on a whole, they are MUCH better off here, than in most commercial farms!!! It may be hard to process chickens, but taking on some of that responsibility, makes it a little bit better in my book, as like a another poster said, nothing goes to waste here!!!

 

[dawg53]

I read the article. Coston and Nifty are both correct. The nations shelters are overflowing with dogs and cats, why not chickens? It was going to happen sooner or later. Responsibility, accountability, and common sense are lacking in society and it's going to get worse. No amount of laws or enforcement will work because they arnt working now as it is. If there are towns and cities debating whether or not to allow chickens, this article will add fuel to the fire. The solution is education.

 

[Suzie]

I am livid at the bias against owners who raise their chickens that we are uncaring and irresponsible!

I hope never to eat eggs from any source other than my own flock, and, when my flock "retire" from laying eggs they will live a happy and healthy life for the rest of their time here.

Irresponsible Poultry farmers are more likely than most to treat their exhausted flock in a manner that would be abhorrent to backyard flock owners. Supermarket eggs are OK for those critics who would have us all eat processed foods, genetically modified and quite frankly possibly dangerous to our health and that of our families.

It saddens me to read that we are being victimised... I suppose the media have to have a scapegoat but there are many people who abandon what does not suit their sad lives.... how many cats, dogs and any other unfortunate animals!

Let us re-address the perspective....this wonderful website has given us a voice... so we should use it to let the critics know that we will continue to enjoy the wonderful benefits of owning our own chickens and giving them a better life than some people would give to their own kin. Maybe some who observe what "Backyardchickens" is all about will consider owning their own flock to experience how wonderful chickens are!

 

[Angelicisi]

Ive rescued many since February I didn't read the article yet, I will shortly, but the shelters get calls now for chickens and then they call me I thought it would be few and far between calls when I gave them my number, not so much. I hate when ignorant media pops off stories. I think a counter story needs to be written, if their source is full of baloney it should be corrected! Or the public will believe it forever. Every good owner needs to write to that author/paper and inform them. A flood of correct info will get the point across. If not, new laws will be put in place jeopardizing backyard keepers...laws usually made by non chicken keeping people naive to the truth.

 

[CherishHolland]

We started raising chickens not by choice but then we fell in love with them. Our first chicks were rescues,we now have over 60 chickens. If our animal shelter gets any chickens in we are the first people they call, I currently have 15 rescues who will have a full life here at our place. If they quit laying eggs fine with me. My husband and I knew the costs of doing this and are currently working on our 3rd coop,we can't let them free range too many people throw their unwanted pets out here in the country and those pets become our predators. They all have a 50x50 run with no more than 20 birds to a run We have a quarantine coop inside our house and we are stocked with multiple first aid kits for the flock. One of my recent rescues was 4 chickens that are supposed to be 4 months old but are the size of 2 month old chickens,when I arrived at the place to pick them up,the previous owner had them in a 3x3 tractor and the birds were standing in at least 4-6 inches of poo. I got a little upset but kept my mouth shut,she then proceeds to tell me how cute they were when they were chicks,that is when I lost it,I said every animal is cute as a baby what did you not think that they would grow up? She then admitted that she shouldn't have bought them as she was way unprepared to keep them. I brought them home, poor things were so emaciated,stinky,and on top of all this they had cocci. I treated them for cocci and now they are on the long road of recovery. The little roosters comb is standing back up and has reddened back out like it should be while the pullets are all starting to fill out and they are losing the dullness that the feathers had due to lack of proper care. I tell everyone if you are not sure if you can handle taking care of an animal why get it? Research is key and in my research it led me to BYC. Where I am able to get questions answered,receive advice,and offer any advice I can. Do not hold actions of irresponsible people against people who are trying to do right by their flock,or other animals,by people who understand the cost and time it takes to raise healthy animals. My 5 children understands this and are eager to help out in the coops and what other chicken tasks needing to be done for the day. We had turkeys,ducks and chickens growing up and I remember the wonderful experience it was,taught me responsibility,where food comes from,and the cost. Like I said before we started raising chickens not by choice but after one day with them I fell in love with poultry again. I am honored to be able to share this with my kids and family. I suggest anyone who is interested in starting a backyard flock to research,research,research. Don't impulse buy and don't take on more than you can chew.

Cherish

 

[harleyflames]

You have to remember that these "experts" are from rescues who don't advocate any type of animal keeping for human consumption. If you want to adopt something from Farm Sanctuary you practically have to be a sworn vegan. I really don't think that people that put the time and effort into getting /raising chickens for eggs or meat are the problem. Its the people who don't see past the cute little fuzzy chick that cause the issues. Just like puppy and kittens everything grows up. The negativity about slaughtering for your own consumption is very apparent but I think its preferred to living in a cage until all egged out and then killed. At least most of OUR chicken have good and healthy existences as well as humane exits.

 

[beanonastring]

The typically uninformed making statements that many people will take as fact since it came from a news source. I am sorry that people have become so urbanized. The chicken, pig, and cow fairy doesn’t show up at every store at night and fill all the food cases with meat from animals that volunteered to be food for our tables. I plan to raise chickens for meat as well as eggs. It is how you do this that makes the difference. People want to say that’s mean. Well going to the store to buy it doesn’t make the fact that someone somewhere killed the animal all nicely vacuum sealed it Styrofoam and plastic they a putting in their shopping cart.

 

[appps]

That was a little surprising. I may have read it wrong but it seemed like the rescue person thought chickens were better off being raised in commercial farms than in backyards? From an animal rescuer that's really surprising.