NBC News Article "Backyard chickens dumped at shelters"

[Angelicisi]

This keeps the natural process going! And keeps room for new stock/chicks some people have town limits, learning to rotate older for newer and use the older for ones own food is a good thing. Sure a sweetie may escape the ax but rather than giving them up making non profits pay to house/feed/rehome a creature they're no ready for is sorta wrong. Even more so than a cat or dog because frankly- we eat chickens. Having a shelter full of chickens is stupid. Wasted resources. I told shelters here, here's my number, I will rehome if requested no problem or find a fellow chickener that processes birds. Takes a few minutes. Less money/time wasted by already broke shelters. While its not possible for everyone, a few simple quick calls/posts usually is all it takes. Non chicken people won't get it, new chicken people have them a pets that give them breakfast, but they all should be aware that's dinner and a few lunches too, fat and happy and medication free...

Well, if I have an injured bird or an extra rooster, they get the axe.  I already sharpened my hatchet twice this year.  Had some mighty fine chicken dishes too.  If you can't take care of your bird I will, and if I can't I still will...

 

 

[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!!!

 

[mg15]

methious,
It's all the truth, thanks.

 

[RareDuck]

Horses belong in the same category as dogs and cats. They are generally not raised for food and are given drugs that are not safe for human consumption. Horse slaughter never ended it just moved to Mexico and Canada. Horses deserve gratitude for all the things they have done for people. As a vegetarian I do not intend to eat my birds. Anybody who cannot have roosters can buy sex link pullet chicks and tell the hatchery no free roosters or buy older birds whose sex is known.

 

[mg15]

This country was not built on the aristrocrats.
But because of farmers and the family farms all over the country since it's founding.
It has taken only about 75 years and no body knows where their food comes from anymore.

 

[splendero03]

I'm curious. Can anyone support or deny the claims in this article? It actually made this woman sound like an unreliable spokesperson against backyard chickens. I also wish the article had given real facts and figures. Right now it's all rumor and conjecture. I found an article that quotes someone in Marin, California who said chickens flooding animal shelters wasn't happening, at least not in Marin, CA. Can anyone point me to some facts and figures? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[Angelicisi]

Probably one non chickener with a neighbor who's roo just started crowing who rant to some "writer" (tho real writers usually tend to fact check) had good timing on a slow news day...lol

Jk

 

[freest8r]

I found this article from the Marin Humane Society http://www.marinij.com/homeandgarden/ci_23732988/fine-living-find-feathered-friend-family-at-marin

"NBC News recently reported about chickens being surrendered to animal shelters across the nation," he says. "In our community, we have a bird of a different feather. We have not seen an increase in people surrendering chickens in Marin."
In fact, many chickens are still being adopted through MHS, he points out.
"For the last five years, we have experienced an increased interest to have chickens as family pets," Reese says.
We'll be doing more research on this issue here in Virginia Beach because the article about abandoned chickens has come up a number of times during our debate here. We'll call some animal shelters in cities that have legalized hens and get some hard numbers. I'll post them here.

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

To some extent, it's the nature of the beast, but at the same time we're not going to say: "Hey, let's stop people from raising dogs & cats because the pounds / rescues are flooded with them!"

 

[katfisherWoman]

I wish I'd seen or heard about this sooner. We don't have cable. Decided in 2011 it was too expensive, so we miss the BIG news.

We got our backyard chickens after seeing a undercover documentary about the cruelty and abuse on poultry farms. Seeing 6 to 8 laying hens in a cage smaller than most people would put a single parakeet in; and several of those dead, dying or diseased... It made me sick! I was determined NOT to support the industry that treats such sweet animals with such cruelty. I mean, I don't have to buy my eggs from the grocery store I can raise them myself.

Now that we have had chickens for about 2 years, I can't see my life without them. We have a mixed Flock of 17 layers and one Rooster. The rooster was a rescue. He is beautiful. Some one abandoned him at the animal auction house with dirty water,no food and in a cage so small he could barely move. I gave him a bath and put him in our quarantine pen. (didn't know if he might have something contagious) He was sooo calm. he didn't struggle or seem uncomfortable or afraid. He couldn't wait to get out of Quarantine and in with the Hens

. 17 Girls just for him! Boy, from rags to riches. Is he ever HAPPY now.