Why Do People Buy Live Chicks From Breeders and Farm Stores‭?

[Shadrach]

What would the world be if we had to be self sustaining?
We’d be neighbors working together. Got chickens? Great! I’ve got potatoes and hay let’s trade. Or for a cow I’ll help you build your barn.

It's a bit like that here.

 

[MissChick@dee]

Maybe I should join the Amish

Likewise, even though I don’t eat much meat. I eat the chickens here occasionally because of the factors you mention. If all the chickens here died tomorrow I could start again without going anywhere near a hatchery, or a breeder. As a bonus I would get the local breed which are much more suited to the environment and the chicken keeping arrangement I have here. You don’t need hatcheries, or breeders to raise chickens.
I mentioned in an earlier post, I can’t give pairs away here. Most people on this mountain have chickens. None to the best of my knowledge have been anywhere near a breeder, or hatchery.
Good for you going the broody route btw. I love watching a broody hen hatch and rear her chicks.

I don’t go the broody route. I purchase chicks. I don’t harvest my chickens I purchase chicken meat.
If people didn’t have jobs or careers & children. Then Maybe just maybe they would if they could.
It’s 2018 not any where close to the days of Needing to be self sustaining. I wish it were.
People are sustaining themselves nowadays because they want to.
I keep my chickens because I love fresh eggs. I love chickens as my pets. Will I keep them when they are past their prime...absolutely I’m committed to them for their life. A chick from anywhere that was produced however it was would have the very best life possible with me. That’s my choice.
Oh.... it would be lovely to homestead it would be a dream for me. Really it’s hard work it can be a very hard life, not for everyone especially those who have no idea what it requires.
I’m realistic I know my limits. It’s all about lifestyle.

 

[BY Bob]

That sounds like a horribly small space. Might be an improvement, but not remotely good. I guess it's still better than a 1 sq ft cage. I let my birds free range and I know it's not for everyone. I feed them all sorts of scraps. Lasagna leftovers? Taco meat? Basically anything left over from dinner makes a good treat. The whole organic thing is blown way out of proportion. If that is your lifestyle and that's the way you you eat, fine. Everyone else... There's no point feeding all organic stuff to your birds if you went to taco bell for lunch.

My Pet Hens love all pasta and lasagna is right at the top.

As everyone discusses economics of bird keeping, I am struck by 1 thing. I get eggs for my feed. Not sure if I break even but unlikely and I am unconcerned as they are pets. The thing that stands out for me is the value of the time I spend with them. Instead of calculating what I should debit as a cost I approach this from a completely different point of view. Just "Hangjng with the Hens" as I have been doing while reading this entire thread this morning, keeps me entertained and in some ways very sane. I have an extremely pressure packed job. The time I spend with them is invaluable to me. I cannot put a price on it.

So to the thread I ask, what is the value of "Chicken TV?

From right now.

View attachment 1566146

 

[MissChick@dee]

My Pet Hens love all pasta and lasagna is right at the top.

As everyone discusses economics of bird keeping, I am struck by 1 thing. I get eggs for my feed. Not sure if I break even but unlikely and I am unconcerned as they are pets. The thing that stands out for me is the value of the time I spend with them. Instead of calculating what I should debit as a cost I approach this from a completely different point of view. Just "Hangjng with the Hens" as I have been doing while reading this entire thread this morning, keeps me entertained and in some ways very sane. I have an extremely pressure packed job. The time I spend with them is invaluable to me. I cannot put a price on it.

So to the thread I ask, what is the value of "Chicken TV?

AMEN! The world would better off if people would stop and watch the chickens!

 

[Shadrach]

I don’t go the broody route. I purchase chicks. I don’t harvest my chickens I purchase chicken meat.
If people didn’t have jobs or careers & children. Then Maybe just maybe they would if they could.
It’s 2018 not any where close to the days of Needing to be self sustaining. I wish it were.
People are sustaining themselves nowadays because they want to.
I keep my chickens because I love fresh eggs. I love chickens as my pets. Will I keep them when they are past their prime...absolutely I’m committed to them for their life. A chick from anywhere that was produced however it was would have the very best life possible with me. That’s my choice.
Oh.... it would be lovely to homestead it would be a dream for me. Really it’s hard work it can be a very hard life, not for everyone especially those who have no idea what it requires.
I’m realistic I know my limits. It’s all about lifestyle.

I know you love your chickens, I read your posts.
Honestly, I’m not having a go at the chicken keeps as such, even those that keep them in runs and coops. The right coop and the right run may be fine for a lot of breeds. Lots of breeds aren’t equipped for free ranging any more, mores the pity.
I’ve written in so many posts now that while I would much prefer chickens to be free range I realize it just isn’t possible for may people who will care for their chickens for as long as it takes.
It’s the industry and the commodity view of chickens that I have a problem with. As I wrote above, I don’t expect many to agree with because the industry gives them what they want. Unfortunately humans wanting and believing they should be able to have what they want with little consideration to what is good for the chicken is a vice the industry feeds on.

 

[Shadrach]

My Pet Hens love all pasta and lasagna is right at the top.

As everyone discusses economics of bird keeping, I am struck by 1 thing. I get eggs for my feed. Not sure if I break even but unlikely and I am unconcerned as they are pets. The thing that stands out for me is the value of the time I spend with them. Instead of calculating what I should debit as a cost I approach this from a completely different point of view. Just "Hangjng with the Hens" as I have been doing while reading this entire thread this morning, keeps me entertained and in some ways very sane. I have an extremely pressure packed job. The time I spend with them is invaluable to me. I cannot put a price on it.

So to the thread I ask, what is the value of "Chicken TV?

From right now.

View attachment 1566146

I don’t have a high pressure job anymore thankfully.
I’m very poor here, but the time I get to spend with the chickens is priceless.
I made a conscious decision when I came here knowing I wouldn’t nake much money but would have my time. It took me many years to fully realise the value of that.

 

[lomine]

I'm sure of that. I just thought that even with the new rules, it's still a pretty small space for an "organic" bird.

Btw, this is a link to a bunch of the different "labels" that can be used and what they mean.

https://foodanimalconcernstrust.org...MIm5H5pZCU3gIVhbjACh0e6gVqEAAYAiAAEgKkU_D_BwE

That sounds like a horribly small space. Might be an improvement, but not remotely good. I guess it's still better than a 1 sq ft cage. I let my birds free range and I know it's not for everyone. I feed them all sorts of scraps. Lasagna leftovers? Taco meat? Basically anything left over from dinner makes a good treat. The whole organic thing is blown way out of proportion. If that is your lifestyle and that's the way you you eat, fine. Everyone else... There's no point feeding all organic stuff to your birds if you went to taco bell for lunch.

I completely agree that the space is still too small. It’s better but not great. I don’t feed my birds organic and I only buy a few select organic foods (like apples). My layer flock is free range and my meat birds probably get about 13 sq ft each so that’s why I say they live better than any of the chickens you can buy at the store.

 

[aart]

Unfortunately humans wanting and believing they should be able to have what they want with little consideration to what is good for the chicken is a vice the industry feeds on.

Many industries, 'way of the world' and basic human nature....
....and maybe yours until you moved to your present situation?

 

[lomine]

I have a rather different view of hatcheries and the easy availability of eggs and chicks. It would take me some time to explain my view in order to keep in mind the sensitivities of the BYC membership.
There is a prevailing view that, those who want should have the right to have; I don’t subscribe to this view, particularly when it comes to live animals. Hatcheries make profit based on the right to have. Chickens are treated as a commodity by hatcheries. Their adaptability and the egg laying capacity is the great misfortune of the chicken. Where I live, there are song birds and the rescue center in the adjacent National Park gets hundreds of these birds that are confiscated from trappers who sell these birds to people who ‘want’. Fortunately the trapping is illegal but many of these birds are injured in the traps. I can’t explain how heart breaking it is to hold a gold crest, or one of the other tiny little birds in your hand as you try to mend a broken wing. This happens because there is money to be made because people want.
Recent research has shown that chickens are highly intelligent and social creatures. This is a very good basic overview of some of the research.

https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/...kgo.com&httpsredir=1&article=2005&context=bts

Of course, many people do not want to accept this. If one does accept this then one is left with the problem of how we treat such a creature and packing such creatures in boxes as babies and posting them to people who want, may seem unacceptable, as might keeping them caged and the multitude of other abuses the chicken has undergone since it’s domestication. Given the majority of contributors to this forum fall into the I want and have the right to have, category I don’t expect my views to be well received, so in the normal course of events I don’t promote them. What I hope with my articles based on my observations and with my book, if I ever get it finished, is to gently persuade people to reassess their view of the chicken.


This isn’t my argument. I wondered about the price of a chicken because some contributors have implied at least, that they keep chickens because the cost is lower than buying a ready processed carcass and they save money on eggs. I have my doubts about such claims.

I think comparing hatcheries to illegal trappers is a stretch.

If someone wants chickens and can properly care for them, why shouldn’t they get to have them? More chickens kept by small flock keepers means less eggs purchased from stores which means less battery hens. The more meat chickens raised by individuals and families means less chickens in factory farms. That is an overall positive effect.

It would be great if everyone could free range their flocks but that’s just not feasible. Some don’t have the space but most of those folks provide fresh foods and other forms of enrichment to keep their birds happy. Some can’t because of predators and they have to keep them safe. I would rather a flock be confined to a run than be picked off by predators.

To be completely frank you seem to have a very negative opinion of those who don’t manage their flocks the way you think they should. You are of course entitled to your opinion but some of what you write, or maybe it’s the way you write it, is insulting to those that keep backyard flocks. People join this site because they care about their birds and saying that they shouldn’t have them because they can’t provide a more “natural” life is a huge slap in the face.

 

[Shadrach]

Many industries, 'way of the world' and basic human nature....
....and maybe yours until you moved to your present situation?

No, not really. Money has never really impressed me. It’s nice to have enough but when I have had more than I needed I wasted it.
I don’t know if it is basic human nature. I think it’s behavior encouraged by a particular type of society.
I was brought up with different values.