What is there to criticize?

[Anna_MN]

When I started my chicken journey, I didn't really tell a lot of people. No reason to I guess. Now that I have them, I have been getting a lot of criticism lately. First, I just shook it off. But now it's really starting to bother me. People think it's weird and a waste of time since "you can just buy it at the store". Has anyone else had this issue?

 

[gickelvolk]

Show your detractors a fresh cracked egg..... and then ask them where you can buy THAT quality.......

 

[Asweet23]

Do you live in a city? I can't imagine people who live in rural areas or smaller towns thinking it is a waste of time to have chickens. Not only do they provide you with much more nutritional eggs than the store bought eggs do (not to mention fresher!), but chickens can be great pets as well. My hens are tame and follow me around like puppy dogs. And yes, they have names! they also do a great job of getting rid of grasshoppers and other insects around your lawn. they just don't know what they are missing, ignore them.

 

[SherrieT]

Ask them if they have ever seen the pictures of battery hens. Then direct them to this site http://www.all-creatures.org/articles/egg-battery.html

 

[newfoundland]

Never fails to amaze me how some people think they know best about how others should lead their lives. A bunch of saddos I would say!

 

[Asweet23]

exactly...if they actually saw for themselves where their eggs came from, they probably wouldn't eat them. That link above is a true shocker and makes almost cry, not to mention not want to buy chicken meat from the grocery store either.

 

[Adenium]

Ask them if they have ever seen the pictures of battery hens. Then direct them to this site http://www.all-creatures.org/articles/egg-battery.html

This is what sent me in the backyard flock direction. I was an ovo-lacto vegetarian for years due to meat industry practices, but of course eating eggs and dairy didn't really eliminate the inhumane treatment of animals for my food. I'm finally in a place where I can have chickens, so that helps. Now I just need a cow : )

Really I can't imagine why people would even care enough to comment. I don't proselytize to others - I explain my reasons if they ask. As long as you take good care of them, there's nothing wrong with having chickens just to look at their fluffy bums waddling through the yard! We have 4 cats and their only job is to look cute and be pettably soft. They add joy to our lives every day.

I think a lot of folks can't see beyond a limited perspective. They make a change if it saves them money or time or both. If it makes no difference in those ways, there's no value in it. But most of them will have their own idiosyncrasies too, and just pretend the rest of the world is crazy.

Oh, and some people think I'm weird too. We're in suburbia, not really rural....so it's a bit more uncommon. Connecticut has chicken owners, but I would hardly have known it until finding this forum. Combine the cats with chickens and I'm a full-on crazy lady. If I weren't married it would be even worse!

 

[Leavingegypt]

People tend to ridicule what they don't understand. I have a few friends who have questioned why I can- when every veggie, fruit, salsa and sauce is easily available at the local grocery store. Now that I have I have chickens, I'm sure people will have the same questions.
There are lots of answers to people's puzzlement and not all of them make sense, but as long as you enjoy your flock- that's really all that matters.

 

[Anna_MN]

I live in a small farm town- but most people farm dairy cattle and corn/beans. So this whole chicken thing is "stupid". Oh well, at least i'm providing better food for my family.

 

[ivan3]

We're always asking for constructive criticism as most of our neighbors have had family farming here since the 1840's (title searches are revealing). Judgmental suggestions? Well - this writer was delivered, out of the box, with the ignore function activated. Cold calculation reveals that I've x amount of time remaining and using it up worrying over some clown's pettifogging inanity ain't on the schedule.

Wash that `dust' from your `hair' and take a page from the chooks: If it is good, eat it; if it is not, ignore it.