What Type of owner are you?

[slguy]

This is our first time raising chickens, but, it was quickly obvious that we are the "chickens are family" types with just a little practicality mixed in. We do have two meat chickens and one roo that was a surprise and all three will be butchered in about a month or so. The other 9 are future egg layers. We have named them all, even the meat chickens.

It's so much fun to watch them grow and develop such unique personalities. We know them all, and handle them frequently. Some are more aloof, especially the Leghorns, and some are more affectionate, especially the Buff Orpingtons.

I helped a mass butchering of about 200 meat chickens years ago, and know the process well, but, haven't faced killing chickens that I know and have watched grow from tiny chicks, so, I am hoping we can handle it. If not, we will probably have to find someone who will do it for us.

 

[kyexotics]

What Type of owner are you?


All 100+ birds are named.

EVERY bird we raise or sell(over 100/mth now) is spoiled/handled by us daily.

We don't care if their poop gets on us anywhere near as much as if it were our poop!

We don't grab them by their wings or feet as we've seen others handle them, even if it doesn't "hurt" them, we are kinder...

Unless squawking in pain, no matter how injured a bird gets, we'll take care of it till it passes before euthanizing it and even then, we can't do it, not a shot...We have a sebright now that's been crippled and will live out his time in a sling in the house being pampered with mealworms, bananas and almost any veggie he'll eat!

There's more, but to top it off and to prove we need an intervention, every spare moment is committed to either improving, growing, feeding, watering, doctoring or just enjoying our birds...We do nothing else now and live/love to wake up and do it every day, how deeper can we go without getting beak or feather implants? You can get those, right? I mean, just in case...

 

[WindyHillFarm]

@kyexotics , I cry my eyes out every time we have to euthanize a sick chicken, same as when putting any other pet to sleep. You are not alone!

 

[KateJ75]

I'm with the others that said "both." I interact with my girls frequently, as I do with my chicks. But only because I want to be able to easily manage my flock. The free-range now and it is a good thing to get them to where they will follow you. Keeps them out of potential trouble!

BUT. . .

Only one has a name. I try to keep some distance. I love them, but they are all potentially dinner. I didn't start this journey to gain more "pets." I have plenty of those! They are "livestock." Well treated livestock, but livestock just the same.

 

[uzisuzuki]

I came into chickens unintentionally. I was about 2.5 months out from a severe car accident and had just started walking again about a week before a rooster showed up on my grandparents' front porch. He stayed there for about a week while we looked around the small farmsteads in the area for his owner when I finally decided to take him home with me. After having just him for about a month, I found a local guy selling 4 hens that had grown up together and my rooster got his little harem.

Definitely fortuitous since they make me walk a lot more than I probably would have if I didn't have to take care of them (taking care of my dogs alone was a lot easier to push off on family members). So, mine are definitely pets. The fact that they lay eggs is pretty much just an added bonus for me and not something I expect them to do or get axed. They all have names. However, I guess from my experience with raising livestock, I don't treat handling them like I handle my dogs. Washing my hands or wearing work gloves when handling them is pretty standard for me.

 

[faro]

My chickens are there for a job but I love them, talk to them and when they were little even sang to them. We choose not to eat our chickens as they are pets too. I'm a first timer with roosters though. Not sure about them.