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Post by pyxis on Sept 10, 2016 11:30:28 GMT -5
In addition to my quaker parrot, I also have poultry. I currently raise and breed chickens of several breeds and have a flock of mixes and fun breeds just for eggs, as well as welsh harlequin ducks, roman tufted geese, various colors of guinea fowl, and I also have a pet turkey and some peafowl. I'm wondering if there are any other poultry owners here.
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Post by easttex on Sept 12, 2016 18:12:24 GMT -5
I adore chickens, though I don't have any right now. I love looking out in my back yard, seeing them forage and hearing the various sounds. I will have them again one day in the not too distant future. You have quite an assortment!
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Post by aaron on Sept 14, 2016 8:48:05 GMT -5
I've always thought it would be super cool to have some chickens... But I live in an apartment, so that's obviously not going to happen at this point in time  |
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Post by pyxis on Sept 15, 2016 1:48:22 GMT -5
I do have quite an assortment! They keep me busy, that's for sure. Aaron, you should definitely have chickens some day, they are tons of fun. Not to mention all the delicious eggs!
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Post by easttex on Sept 15, 2016 6:06:54 GMT -5
Aaron, one of my chickens went blind and I brought her into the house to live the rest of her life in safety. Just wanted to point out that it's not impossible, though I can see a landlord strenuously objecting.  |
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Post by wsteinhoff on Sept 15, 2016 13:30:36 GMT -5
We have a lot (but not as many as we used to) of chickens. We sell the eggs at our farmers market (along with duck eggs). We did meat chickens but this was our last year of that. I also used to breed japanese bantams.
We do also do geese, guinea's, and used to do turkey's.
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Post by aaron on Sept 16, 2016 17:50:27 GMT -5
Yeah, I don't think my apartment building would go for that. Actually I think there are some laws regulating chicken ownership around here... I'm not sure what the specifics of them are, but I think you have to have a certain amount of land. I think it's mostly to protect the egg industry, really.
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Post by pyxis on Sept 17, 2016 2:06:24 GMT -5
Yeah, I don't think my apartment building would go for that. Actually I think there are some laws regulating chicken ownership around here... I'm not sure what the specifics of them are, but I think you have to have a certain amount of land. I think it's mostly to protect the egg industry, really. I wouldn't doubt that in the slightest. And the thing of it is those poor birds in the egg industry are treated so horribly. Parts of their beaks are cut off and then they are shoved into a cage packed with other birds. They are allotted space the size of a piece of notebook paper each. They live like this for two years and then most are immediately shipped off and made into soup. "Cage free" and "Free Range" eggs in the stores aren't any better. The same things are done and the birds get the same amount of space but they are packed all together in a building instead of in separate cages. California changed its laws to say that hens must have twice that space, so two notebook papers, in order for their eggs to be sold in their state. Not great, but better. And immediately the egg industry in other states started to try to sue them about this because they wouldn't be able to sell eggs to California and they didn't want to change. |
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Post by easttex on Sept 17, 2016 8:09:16 GMT -5
So very true, pyxis. I used to think that if people really got to know some chickens and saw what individuals they truly are, they would insist they be treated better. I'm a little more cynical than that these days, though every now and then there is a tiny bit of progress.
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Post by wsteinhoff on Sept 17, 2016 13:18:20 GMT -5
Yeah, I don't think my apartment building would go for that. Actually I think there are some laws regulating chicken ownership around here... I'm not sure what the specifics of them are, but I think you have to have a certain amount of land. I think it's mostly to protect the egg industry, really. I wouldn't doubt that in the slightest. And the thing of it is those poor birds in the egg industry are treated so horribly. Parts of their beaks are cut off and then they are shoved into a cage packed with other birds. They are allotted space the size of a piece of notebook paper each. They live like this for two years and then most are immediately shipped off and made into soup. "Cage free" and "Free Range" eggs in the stores aren't any better. The same things are done and the birds get the same amount of space but they are packed all together in a building instead of in separate cages. California changed its laws to say that hens must have twice that space, so two notebook papers, in order for their eggs to be sold in their state. Not great, but better. And immediately the egg industry in other states started to try to sue them about this because they wouldn't be able to sell eggs to California and they didn't want to change. That's not always the case. When we had more chickens we sold to stores and our chickens are free range spending all day wandering the fields rather than packed in a barn. I know others around here who also are the same. |
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Post by pyxis on Sept 17, 2016 20:50:17 GMT -5
That's great, I wish more chickens were raised like that for store eggs. Unfortunately the majority are the other way though  I don't get quite enough eggs to sell to stores (plus I sell most of them for hatching anyway). I meant to ask, what breeds do you keep? |
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Post by wsteinhoff on Sept 18, 2016 7:02:08 GMT -5
That's great, I wish more chickens were raised like that for store eggs. Unfortunately the majority are the other way though I don't get quite enough eggs to sell to stores (plus I sell most of them for hatching anyway). I meant to ask, what breeds do you keep? [ Well I've not met anyone in the egg industry who raises their chickens like that. Now the big white meat chickens on the other hand normally are in a big building or have a small fenced in area to get fresh air. They have been bred to eat literally all day and get so big so fast that they can hardly can walk anymore though and wouldn't wander a field anyways. We mostly just have Black Java and Dominique's. Then there's a couple of my Japanese Bantams still around (they're pretty old now) and few random mix bantams that have been accepted from other's who couldn't care for them. When we sold the eggs we had a couple hundred Rhode Island Red's. |
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Post by easttex on Sept 18, 2016 9:01:25 GMT -5
Small producers are generally not the problem. It's the big ones. It starts with the big hatcheries, and if you are not overly affected by things, watch how they sort through the chicks and discard the males for crushing. YouTube has some videos. I'll never watch them again. A lucky few pullets will be sold to humane individuals but most are not. Eventually it's on to factory farms, where the hens live their lives just as pyxis describes. To me, there is nothing that can excuse that treatment. Not even poor people who can't afford more expensive eggs.
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Post by aaron on Sept 18, 2016 15:02:32 GMT -5
I wouldn't doubt that in the slightest. And the thing of it is those poor birds in the egg industry are treated so horribly. Parts of their beaks are cut off and then they are shoved into a cage packed with other birds. They are allotted space the size of a piece of notebook paper each. They live like this for two years and then most are immediately shipped off and made into soup. "Cage free" and "Free Range" eggs in the stores aren't any better. The same things are done and the birds get the same amount of space but they are packed all together in a building instead of in separate cages. California changed its laws to say that hens must have twice that space, so two notebook papers, in order for their eggs to be sold in their state. Not great, but better. And immediately the egg industry in other states started to try to sue them about this because they wouldn't be able to sell eggs to California and they didn't want to change. Absolutely right. It is a complete and utter travesty the way that chickens (and other factory farmed animals) are treated. Disgusting. If we ever buy eggs, which is fairly rare, we try to buy from local farmers only. I know that the "cage free" and "free range" buzzwords are not indicative of any meaningful improvement, especially on anything even remotely mainstream. At this point we avoid mainstream grocery stores if at all possible. It's a very complicated world we live in when it comes to food, in general. Eating cleanly and ethically is harder than ever. |
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I don't get quite enough eggs to sell to stores (plus I sell most of them for hatching anyway).