sense of satisfaction

[buzymom13]

My family (parents/siblings) thought I was totally nuts when I started raising my chickens. My husband said, "You want what?" But now...after raising our first small flock and we're getting 5 or 6 eggs a day and I haven't had to buy eggs for almost 2 months...All of a sudden.... It was a GRAND idea!

THere's a great pride in knowing that you managed it.

You go Girl!!!

 

[Rockin' Reds]

Very cool you are educating with firsthand experience...I LOVE that!!! Way to go. Good for all involved!

 

[greenfingers]

Cudos to all! I totally agree with everyone's posts!

 

[Cosmopolis Chick]

raro: "there is a sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing that I am doing everything in my power to protect my family from such things, and from participating in the suffering of chickens. "

When my kids were small (about 900 years ago - it seems) I got chickens to feed my family both clean fresh eggs and meat. Out of pity I picked up 4 white Leghorns discarded from an egg farm. I did not expect them to lay, just retire in the country and have The Easy Life. Well, they were mighty ugly, beaks cut back (!), missing lots of feathers, combs removed (for THEIR safety, don'tcha know?), and a really weird posture, kinda like runner ducks - they stood up way too high and leaned back. They had never seen or touched grass and were terrified of it

. In less than a month they had learned from my 'normal' chickens to find the feed, water, and bugs. Grass became Good. Dust baths were Really Good. They never did have anything like a normal posture but they laid LOTS of eggs and did not squabble like 'normal' chickens.

phaethona: "I'm so chicken-crazed that I got a white leghorn for the symbolism of having the same breed that's commonly raised in deplorable conditions, and giving that same breed the very best life a chicken could have. she's my symbolic bird, so I was especially excited when she started laying eggs. smile "

Phaethona, I think you are my long-lost sister!

 

[sheaviance1]

I am very proud to say that I have this same sense of satisfaction, not only from the eggs i get, but from the garden i grow, the fish i catch, and the wild game i harvest. Whenever there is any type of food recall, i can just smile and continue on my way not worrying about the quality of our family's food. I know how it was grown, raised, harvested, processed and stored. I don't think there is a single thing wrong with appreciating and protecting the life that sustains you. I am planning to start raising rabbits and meat chickens in the spring for that very reason. I'm glad to know that I am not alone.

 

[PunkinPeep]

Absolutely. After we got our chickens and they started laying eggs, we started raising chicks and eating the roosters. We don't butcher that many, but it's enough that we don't buy chicken anymore. It's very satisfying to eat healthy meat that i raised and cared for. Some people think i'm weird for this, but my meat roosters get names too. I even put their names on the label in the freezer. They might have a different destiny than my layers, but they are just as appreciated for their contribution.

The more i have read and learned about store-bought chicken and the layers that produce the eggs, the more i get a little sick about buying them. And since i have only an acre and a half of land, i'm thinking i best not start reading about cows and milk.