UNPOPULAR OPINIONS! 🥴

[shawluvsbirds]

Wellllllllllllll...


Don’t go there tooooo fast

Just cause I can don't mean I won't.

 

[duluthralphie]

Just cause I can don't mean I won't.

But you will

 

[Mimi13]

I say, “If you can, just do it!”

 

[duluthralphie]

I say those that can, do..

The rest become internet experts..

 

[OhZark Biddies]

I say, “If you can, just do it!”

I say, “If you can, you’re probably always looking for lids”

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

My unpopular opinions:

1. Chickens that can't survive free range around predators should be culled unless they have a purpose as a pet in a cage, like domesticated parrots or finches.

2. Along the lines of #1, the U.S. backyard chicken keeping culture and the concept of the Fort Knox coop has greatly damaged the free-range survivability of many breeds.

3. Game breeds should be present on every farm that has the room to let them free range.

4. (Unpopular with gamefowl keepers), the tie and cord system is about as damaging to gamefowl as the coop system is for traditional duel purpose breeds. Gamefowl should generally be raised as they were 150 years ago, free range in the woods. Only a few individuals should be pulled off the flock and kept separate with limited mobility.

5. Eggs in an incubator should only be turned twice a day.

6. The poultry show standards of perfection sometimes do more harm than good by selecting for arbitrary traits that don't practically improve the breed.

7. Chicken lives really don't matter in the grand scheme of things and there's few animals on earth more disposable than a chicken.

Anyone I haven't offended?

 

[HappyDuckie]

6. The poultry show standards of perfection sometimes do more harm than good by selecting for arbitrary traits that don't practically improve the breed.

I agree with this 100%!

 

[HuffleClaw]

My unpopular opinions:

1. Chickens that can't survive free range around predators should be culled unless they have a purpose as a pet in a cage, like domesticated parrots or finches.

2. Along the lines of #1, the U.S. backyard chicken keeping culture and the concept of the Fort Knox coop has greatly damaged the free-range survivability of many breeds.

3. Game breeds should be present on every farm that has the room to let them free range.

4. (Unpopular with gamefowl keepers), the tie and cord system is about as damaging to gamefowl as the coop system is for traditional duel purpose breeds. Gamefowl should generally be raised as they were 150 years ago, free range in the woods. Only a few individuals should be pulled off the flock and kept separate with limited mobility.

5. Eggs in an incubator should only be turned twice a day.

6. The poultry show standards of perfection sometimes do more harm than good by selecting for arbitrary traits that don't practically improve the breed.

7. Chicken lives really don't matter in the grand scheme of things and there's few animals on earth more disposable than a chicken.

Anyone I haven't offended?

Ooo okay.

1- They’re birds. Birds rarely stand a change against predators.
2- Keeping birds safe doesn’t damage anything. The birds can still free range the same. Won’t have a flock if they’re not protected.
3- What does that have to do with anything? They’re just another chicken breed.
4- (don’t have Gamefowl anymore so wouldn’t know)
5-Nope. Broodies turn them 17+ times daily. 3-5 is a safer minimum to reduce sticking.
6- I’ll agree with that.
7-Ehhh... I guess.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Ooo okay.

1- They’re birds. Birds rarely stand a change against predators.
2- Keeping birds safe doesn’t damage anything. The birds can still free range the same.

My birds beat predators. Or to put it another my, my birds beat predators as well as any wild prey animal in the North American woods do. No prey animal is 100% predator proof. But prey animals should beat predators on the vast majority of predation attempts. My birds do.

Why don't yours? Why do so many people whine about how weak chickens are?

I think too many people don't have long farming backgrounds and don't know that decades ago chickens lived pretty wild on farms all over the U.S. and survived heavy predator pressure. Something changed in recent decades. What was it? We stopped selecting for survivability. We used to only let the good survivors survive because nature only let them survive. The Fort Knox coop lets the weaklings survive who might also be awesome layers or fast body growers, but who can't avoid a hawk or a coon to save their lives.

3- What does that have to do with anything? They’re just another chicken breed.

Gamefowl are the key to getting that toughness back. Gamefowl basically are the original wild chickens with a lot of their wild instincts still intact. Many of our breeds we want to be barnyard survivors ought to be infused with gamefowl genetics. And gamefowl themselves can actually be good layers and be so self-sufficient that they can function as free eggs and meat for a farmer.

5-Nope. Broodies turn them 17+ times daily. 3-5 is a safer minimum to reduce sticking.

I consistently get near 100% hatch rates turning eggs 180 degrees twice a day.

 

[HuffleClaw]

I don’t free range my birds 24/7, or even that often. Only when I’m at home. There are hawks everywhere here. My call ducks free range everyday, but that doesn’t mean the pen I put them in at night isn’t predator proof. I pay a lot for feed and I’m not about to just let any old predator come swipe them. That’s just stupid.

It’s been proven that turning eggs less yields a lower hatch rate. After 2 weeks it’s not as important though.