Romance Meets Reality

[Matilda Belle]

Thanks @aart for the subject line. I've been thinking more and more about this, especially after recent events in my last thread. I hope it's okay to start a new thread.

Quick background. I grew up in the country. Not a farm. Just in the country. I have three siblings and we've never been really close, so most of my childhood was spent alone in the woods in my backyard. I have always loved and respected everything in nature and had such compassion for animals. My mom used to tell me a story of when I was young and I caught this frog. She said I'd dance with it and even kiss it. She said I loved it so much that it died. Poor thing. I've always loved animals, sometimes more than humans.

So recently I had to part with two roosters. I had too many for the space I have, and gave two away to a nice couple that intended on eating them. I made this decision quickly because I knew if I didn't I'd second guess myself, which is where I'm at right now. This was on Sunday, and I'm still extremely upset over this. I even question whether or not I have it in me to ever do that again. Hands down the most heartbreaking thing I've ever done so far when it comes to chickens. I love my roosters. This is what no one tells you about.

Tell me it gets better/easier?

 

[21hens-incharge]

It does get easier.....kind of.

Mostly time will soften the sting.

 

[DuckWhisperer06]

At least it was your decision.

I’ve lost quite a few birds to coyotes and dogs. Almost lost one to a hawk, twice.

If it’s not your decision and you don’t expect it, you don’t really have time to prepare for it

 

[BantyChooks]

Giving them away to someone that will take their life quickly and with gratefulness for the food they provide is undoubtedly better than letting them fight to the death in a crowded space. Maybe that'll give you some reassurance.
The way I see it... nothing is immortal. They're all going to die. We're all going to die. You are not rendering them exempt from death by not making the specific choice to do the deed. Time as a set length that one has to reach to have a good life is a human construct. I believe that if chickens had language and a choice, they would much rather have a good one than a long one. Honestly, we should have the same mindset. I plan on doing away with myself before I am stuck in a nursing home turning to dust.

I set the eggs that gave rise to these birds, I let them have the chance at life rather than eating them as eggs. That choice I made also means I will have extra birds that don't fit into my coop or maybe make the other birds stressed due to hormonal behaviours. I give them a good life full of free ranging and yummy bugs. I treat them kindly, respectfully, and when it's their time, I kill them quickly and calmly and put their lives to a continuation of my own. I "could" sell them, but I don't trust random Craigslist people to take care of them with the same duty that I will. I see too many bare and muddy runs and pecked feathers around here. When I hatch or buy birds, it's taking on a contract to care for that bird in its best interest and kill it swiftly if it's hurting or if it's just best for the flock as a whole. In the wild, these things would be done by wild animals, which is much slower and more terrifying to the bird than a quick twist to the neck is done by me, a person they are comfortable around.
Dying of old age, something that sure wasn't a problem for the wild birds, is brutal. I fail to see the dignity that some ascribe to it. It's a fade so slow that you don't notice until one day you don't know where the animal or person you once knew is anymore. There are exceptions, and one can certainly age gracefully. But that's far from a constant.

I didn't always think this way. Some people never manage to come to peace with this mindset and would be happier with pets instead of livestock. I would say that yes, it gets easier... for most people. I know a person that is never going to process her own meat, despite growing up on a farm and being well acquainted with death and life. Take your time, come to your own conclusions, and do not continue in what you are doing if it only makes you miserable. Birds are a hobby for most of us on here, and having fun is good.

I have pet birds too... and I keep them as long as I possibly can. I put them down when they are suffering, and I am sad about it. I even cried over a few. Some may say "Well, what makes them more worthy of life than the meat birds?" The answer is nothing. It's purely human emotion picking favourites. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as I see it. Humans are weird by nature. We all have preferences that aren't explainable by hard logic. We don't need to cut all of that out, within reason anyway. That's what makes us human.

I've been in your position before. Years ago, I sold my favourite cockerel for meat because he was aggressive and I didn't know how to fix him. I felt sick afterwards. I liked him. But keeping him would have been dangerous to others and even myself, if he managed to get a hit in when I wasn't paying attention. I don't know if you'll find any of my ramblings helpful... just know you aren't alone here. I hope you can find something that works for you.

 

[Matilda Belle]

@BantyChooks Your "ramblings" are very helpful. I feel better knowing I'm not the only person that feels this way. Maybe this is what makes us "crazy chicken people." After all, who in their right mind would want to love an animal just to have it killed?

 

[aart]

Kudos for making the good but tough decision @silkiekeeper .

@BantyChooks put into words pretty much how I feel....
...and much more eloquently than I could ever do.

 

[Matilda Belle]

I feel like owning chickens is turning me into a masochist.

 

[BantyChooks]

I feel like owning chickens is turning me into a masochist.

Nah. The sad parts aren't why anyone has chickens. It's the joy in between the hard decisions that come along with taking ownership of animals—any animals. It's watching chicks hatch, a broody hen lead her babies around, or a young rooster sunbathing with not a care in the world. It might seem hard, but remember the good you are doing for them. Keep kindness and compassion for them; you don't need to be hard hearted to raise your own livestock.

I find that after a processing day, I like to just sit with the flock. Often, they are much happier due to the lack of young cockerels chasing them around. I then feel better in my decision. How many birds do you have? How long have you had them?

 

[Matilda Belle]

Nah. The sad parts aren't why anyone has chickens. It's the joy in between the hard decisions that come along with taking ownership of animals—any animals. It's watching chicks hatch, a broody hen lead her babies around, or a young rooster sunbathing with not a care in the world. It might seem hard, but remember the good you are doing for them. Keep kindness and compassion for them; you don't need to be hard hearted to raise your own livestock.

I find that after a processing day, I like to just sit with the flock. Often, they are much happier due to the lack of young cockerels chasing them around. I then feel better in my decision. How many birds do you have? How long have you had them?

Funny, I did the same thing after I parted with my roosters on Sunday -- sat with the flock most of the afternoon just watching them. They seemed more content with more space. I still probably have too many roosters, but one step at a time, right?

I have four hens and four roosters now (I had six roosters). I plan on getting more hens (maybe tonight even). I have limited space available where I live. My current set up has two coops attached to each other, with two separate runs/pens. One coop has 3 roosters, 32 square feet coop, and 100 square foot run. The second coop has 1 rooster and 4 hens, 24 square feet coop, and 100 square foot run. I would like to have 2 roosters in each pen with the hens. Will that work, or do you think I need to part with more roosters?

 

[BantyChooks]

Funny, I did the same thing after I parted with my roosters on Sunday -- sat with the flock most of the afternoon just watching them. They seemed more content with more space. I still probably have too many roosters, but one step at a time, right?

I have four hens and four roosters now (I had six roosters). I plan on getting more hens (maybe tonight even). I have limited space available where I live. My current set up has two coops attached to each other, with two separate pens. One coop has 3 roosters, 32 square feet coop, and 100 square foot run. The second coop has 1 rooster and 4 hens, 24 square feet coop, and 100 square foot run. I would like to have 2 roosters in each pen with the hens. Will that work, or do you think I need to part with more roosters?

Some people keep bachelor coops with only roosters in them. I did for a bit, when it was too cold to process and I still had 15 roosters to deal with.

I don't know if it will work or not, sorry—I have a much bigger flock, and things tend to change when scale changes. How many more hens were you thinking of? There's the standard advice of ten hens per rooster, but I honestly have no idea where those numbers come from or who made it up. Equal roosters to hens hasn't worked in any arrangement I'm personally familiar with, though.