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torrilin:
hcconn:
torrilin:
hcconn:
As more and more city people try raising chickens, goats, geese etc in their backyards, I’m seeing a lot of Facebook posts and craigslist ads trying to “rehome” unwanted farm animals and “rescue” animals that have been lost. These people are genuinely trying to find good “forever homes” for chickens. I mean, really, eat the damn chicken.
(These are non vegetarian/vegans. I’d understand if they were vegan but omg what sort of disconnect do you have if you are putting all of this effort into finding a good home for a “pet chicken” for the rest of its natural life and also buying boneless skinless chicken breast for dinner.)
Not all chickens are meat chickens tho. Yes, all chickens are made of meat, just like humans. But breeds optimized for egg production or feather production are a real thing, and they literally can’t be turned into chicken breasts or a roast past a certain age.
You make elderly laying hens into soup, if you’re gonna eat them. And I can understand a family not wanting to make a beloved laying hen and pet into dinner.
So yeah, I can totally see trying to rehome a pet chicken. I’m not the right home for them, but that doesn’t mean the chicken shouldn’t have a nice home.
That just seems like such a waste of food to me. If I was going to care about a farm type pet living out a long and healthy life I would be a vegan. I can care for my laying chickens and still make chicken soup when the eggs stop. I can’t imagine not just cooking a chicken and instead going through all of the trouble to find a home for it and then going home to eat fried chicken. If I loved that chicken I’m not going to be able to eat chicken without thinking of my former pet, you know?
People have the same reaction to eating dogs and cats “Oh I would never eat dogs, they are pets!” But they are fine eating chicken while having a pet chicken? It seems weird to me.
Dunno, I’m not real into telling people how to feel?
Different people who eat meat have different emotions about the slaughtering process. And the reactions can differ based on the exact animal. You might have 10 years with a laying hen and a really intense relationship. I’m not going to tell you you should kil her when she stops laying. Another hen might be much more fraught, and eating her might be a relief.
i dunno, though, if you’re rehoming a spent hen because she’s not providing for you, how invested are you really in this animal? I feel like that’s kind of.
I dunno. No, non-meat-chickens are no good for roasting or parts, but they’re actually far superior for soup; there’s a brisk market in the laying business for spent hens, because they’re in high demand among gourmets.
But I’ve seen a lot of talk of people being proud of their backyard chicken “no-cull” flocks, and– I mean, that’s cute and all, but you’re feeding that animal until it dies, that’s just how it goes.
They’ve talked about getting horse power on the farm, but for that to really be economical, you have to be willing to put down and possibly eat an animal that can’t work anymore, after it has worked for you for perhaps a decade. We’re not willing to do that– so we don’t have horses.
They don’t cull the laying flock often, but they do give the spent hens away in trade to someone who they know will eat them.
It’s sort of a part of using animals. You have to be prepared to handle them when they’re no longer useful.

torrilin:
hcconn:
torrilin:
hcconn:
As more and more city people try raising chickens, goats, geese etc in their backyards, I’m seeing a lot of Facebook posts and craigslist ads trying to “rehome” unwanted farm animals and “rescue” animals that have been lost. These people are genuinely trying to find good “forever homes” for chickens. I mean, really, eat the damn chicken.
(These are non vegetarian/vegans. I’d understand if they were vegan but omg what sort of disconnect do you have if you are putting all of this effort into finding a good home for a “pet chicken” for the rest of its natural life and also buying boneless skinless chicken breast for dinner.)
Not all chickens are meat chickens tho. Yes, all chickens are made of meat, just like humans. But breeds optimized for egg production or feather production are a real thing, and they literally can’t be turned into chicken breasts or a roast past a certain age.
You make elderly laying hens into soup, if you’re gonna eat them. And I can understand a family not wanting to make a beloved laying hen and pet into dinner.
So yeah, I can totally see trying to rehome a pet chicken. I’m not the right home for them, but that doesn’t mean the chicken shouldn’t have a nice home.
That just seems like such a waste of food to me. If I was going to care about a farm type pet living out a long and healthy life I would be a vegan. I can care for my laying chickens and still make chicken soup when the eggs stop. I can’t imagine not just cooking a chicken and instead going through all of the trouble to find a home for it and then going home to eat fried chicken. If I loved that chicken I’m not going to be able to eat chicken without thinking of my former pet, you know?
People have the same reaction to eating dogs and cats “Oh I would never eat dogs, they are pets!” But they are fine eating chicken while having a pet chicken? It seems weird to me.
Dunno, I’m not real into telling people how to feel?
Different people who eat meat have different emotions about the slaughtering process. And the reactions can differ based on the exact animal. You might have 10 years with a laying hen and a really intense relationship. I’m not going to tell you you should kil her when she stops laying. Another hen might be much more fraught, and eating her might be a relief.
i dunno, though, if you’re rehoming a spent hen because she’s not providing for you, how invested are you really in this animal? I feel like that’s kind of.
I dunno. No, non-meat-chickens are no good for roasting or parts, but they’re actually far superior for soup; there’s a brisk market in the laying business for spent hens, because they’re in high demand among gourmets.
But I’ve seen a lot of talk of people being proud of their backyard chicken “no-cull” flocks, and– I mean, that’s cute and all, but you’re feeding that animal until it dies, that’s just how it goes.
They’ve talked about getting horse power on the farm, but for that to really be economical, you have to be willing to put down and possibly eat an animal that can’t work anymore, after it has worked for you for perhaps a decade. We’re not willing to do that– so we don’t have horses.
They don’t cull the laying flock often, but they do give the spent hens away in trade to someone who they know will eat them.
It’s sort of a part of using animals. You have to be prepared to handle them when they’re no longer useful.
