Poll

how far would you go?

livestock-unwell=cull
4 (15.4%)
livestock-unwell=treat
2 (7.7%)
pets-treat minor illness
8 (30.8%)
pets-treat regardless
12 (46.2%)

Total Members Voted: 24


pets or livestock?

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dizzylizzie

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Re: pets or livestock?
« Reply #15 on: May 05, 2010, 15:02 »
Thanks, like i say its early days. We had Molly done at the same time as Willow, not because she had problems as such but Molly has neuro problems due to her being crushed in the cage, she has come on leaps and bounds , and although not a regular layer, when she did it was always a softie and it knocked her about a bit for a few days, so i though 'why not'!. The chips come in packs of 2, and if it stopped her laying it had to be a bonus, and well....so far so good with her also.So both girls that have had it done are now doing brill-fingers crossed my little Dory will be running round as usual in a few days also :)

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Aunt Sally

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Re: pets or livestock?
« Reply #16 on: May 05, 2010, 15:08 »
Well done Dizzielizzie :D

I'd be interested to hear from some "Livestock" chicken keepers and "Breeders"  to hear what kinds of treatments they would give their birds.  I suspect the breeders would go a bit further than the livestock keepers to save a valuable bird.

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dizzylizzie

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Re: pets or livestock?
« Reply #17 on: May 05, 2010, 15:20 »
it would be interesting to hear from people with other points of view, your right. Ive got nothing against people who cull, my gripe would be with people who couldnt/didnt cull, but then didnt get treatment either. Allowing any animal to suffer is wrong and cruel :(

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Casey76

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Re: pets or livestock?
« Reply #18 on: May 05, 2010, 16:05 »
I'm on the border between the two.

I do see my chooks as more livestock than pets, and I'm not attached to them in the same way as I am with my cats for example.

But there is a definite limit to how far I would treat before deciding to cull.  Of course I would take one of the girls to the vet if they hadcoccidiosis or mycoplasma, but I would draw the line at surgical intervention.

I don't mind them not laying and just pottering around the garden though - as i said, I'm in the middle of the two.

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poppies

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Re: pets or livestock?
« Reply #19 on: May 05, 2010, 16:36 »
Well done Dizzielizzie :D

I'd be interested to hear from some "Livestock" chicken keepers and "Breeders"  to hear what kinds of treatments they would give their birds.  I suspect the breeders would go a bit further than the livestock keepers to save a valuable bird.

Hi I breed poultry , now to word this without sounding sarcastic some of my birds are worth a fair bit and others in money terms are not but they would get the same treatment if injured or ill, the same as if I had an old crossbreed dog or a pedigree one.

Perhaps I feel different from some breeders because it started off as a hobby that sort of kept growing, but I do know a breeder who never treats his birds just culls them at the slightest sign of illness -in case it spreads.

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francais

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Re: pets or livestock?
« Reply #20 on: May 05, 2010, 19:12 »
I love my hens, and would try to treat "within reason". I would keep a hen even if it couldn't lay as long as it was ok health wise.

On the other hand I wouldn't pay for a serious operation / treatment on them. While I love them and would never see any harm come to them, I would have to look at it at cost of treatment vrs cost of replacing the hen.

Toni

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Aunt Sally

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Re: pets or livestock?
« Reply #21 on: May 05, 2010, 20:45 »
So definitely not in the pet category as in cat, dog.

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Nails

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Re: pets or livestock?
« Reply #22 on: May 05, 2010, 21:45 »
Well i know i would treat my chooks, proved that by spending £103 on an amputated toe on one of my hens, and at the time we wasn't 100% sure it was a hen!!!!!!!!
Dont count ya chickens till they hatch!!!!!

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francais

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Re: pets or livestock?
« Reply #23 on: May 06, 2010, 18:51 »
Now this is where my lines get blured. I would treat the toe thing like you did Nails - to me that would be a within reason cost with a pretty safe outcome on the hens life being ok.  Not sure what I could say my upper limit would be on how much I would be ok with paying. It would be a case by case thing I think :)

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Aunt Sally

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Re: pets or livestock?
« Reply #24 on: May 06, 2010, 19:05 »
The poll has given an interesting result so far:

2/3 of the pet hen keepers would treat regardless of cost.

2/3 of the livestock keepers would automatically cull.

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Kate and her Ducks

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Re: pets or livestock?
« Reply #25 on: May 06, 2010, 19:54 »
I have to say I find it hard to pick a catagory.

My ducks are more pets than livestock and I have taken them to the vet in the past after a fox attack. In principle I would do that again as in theory it is something that could be fixed and the animal returned to normal function as with my cat. My reservations come with how little my local (urban) vets know about poultry and certainly I felt a little pressured into progressing further down a treatment path than was fair for a very severely injured animal last time when all I wanted was antibiotics to give it a chance.

Next time I will be more hesitent to go to the vet not because I do not think the animal is worth treating but because I'm not sure how much benefit it will provide. I will certainly be firmer about how far we go.

Sorry, quite rambly and didn't answer the question at all!
Be like a duck. Calm on the surface but always paddling like the dickens underneath.

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Ice

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Re: pets or livestock?
« Reply #26 on: May 06, 2010, 20:06 »
I would treat any minor problems to give them a chance but wouldn't go as far as surgery for a sick chicken.  They are pets, but I don't feel the same way about them as I did my dog.  Maybe because my dog was insured I felt that the costs wouldn't be too great.

My brother has chickens as livestock and wouldn't hesitate to cull a sick hen.  He found my attempts to help my ill chicken a bit laughable. :(
Cheese makes everything better.

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dizzylizzie

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Re: pets or livestock?
« Reply #27 on: May 06, 2010, 20:21 »
I agree Kate, some vets do try and put pressure on you to follow a path that you dont want to go down, the times ive read that vets have advised putting a hen to sleep for something simple to treat is quite scary! But i now feel quite confident to treat quite a lot of 'problems' at home, as im sure you do, but not everyone does. There is a point that you stop treatment and let an animal go, but its different in each case and people need to decide for their own animal, the owners are the ones who know them best after all. Everyone on here knows how much you love your animals,and i know you have gone over and above to treat in the past.I think you did explain really well and i didnt think it was rambly at all :D

Ice, someone is missing out big time with the pet insurance, i would buy it for chickens, as would lots of us on here. I already have it for my dog, and i had it for my cat, but so far my chucks have cost me so much more than any of my other animals...yep, id buy insurance ;)
« Last Edit: May 06, 2010, 20:24 by dizzylizzie »

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Hawkins

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Re: pets or livestock?
« Reply #28 on: May 06, 2010, 20:57 »
Im definately a Chicken is a pet girl. The vets know me by my voice now and always asks how one of the chickens are when I take another. It took me a while mind to find a good poultry vet so now feel a lot more confident taking them in.

Id be interested in how Lizzies chickens get on with the implants as most of my ex-bats are ornamental nowand  I often think they look a bit down when they squeeze out the odd egg, so would be very interestedin the implant if it gave them a better life without laying.

Em  


We dont stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.

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Ice

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Re: pets or livestock?
« Reply #29 on: May 06, 2010, 21:19 »
I would buy insurance too.  :)



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