[GrannieAnnie]

Shall I start then?  Brian told me he wanted to be a poultry farmer!  I resisted and told him if that's what he wanted, HE could go ahead and do it!  On his OWN!!

Well, nearly a year later, I have a successful blog, we have sold nearly 400 chickens to people to have as pets or egg layers or both, I've nearly pre-sold the 120 Babcock's and another 250 Amberlinks coming in 3 weeks time.  We've sold 16 meat chickens which are very tasty, and 50 turkey day olds coming in late July.

I have reared them by hand, so although they were bought to make us a little money, I don't think we have fleeced anyone, they have got a good product i.e. nice healthy chooks, and although I haven't given them all names, they are still MY babies, because without me, they would have died.  Especially the 300 Amberlinks who were going to be gassed!!!!

So that's me, and why I keep chickens!  and if peeps like Babe want to cuddle their chooks up in pink fluffy duvets, then good luck to them!    

[jammy]

My two are not really referred to as my girls, although sometimes I make reference to 'the girls' as in our whole house - me, two daughters, three female cats and two hens.  Poor hubby is the only male, but he does get lots of attention  
I dont really think of the chickens as pets but then I dont really think of them just as chickens either, I kind of sit in the middle.  I dont cuddle them although the kids will from time to time.  I do talk to them, normally to shout at Noodle for escaping, yet again  :roll:
They are definately there for their eggs mostly but they are very well looked after.
It doesn't bother me in the slightest that some people think of them as much loved pets, babies etc - I just think they are slightly bonkers (cough babe cough)  and I can certainly see no reason to treat them differently than any other pet if thats the way you feel about them.  Each to their own, aslong as everyone is happy and the chickens are well fed and looked after what does it matter.

[BigPaddy]

It is a case of the usual horses for courses.    

Kizza I checked your previous posts and I can see a trend of interest in money.

I have two daft pekins who provide my family with a great deal of pleasure and barely an egg in their 5th year. For us the pleasure is why we keep them. I dont sell eggs I dont sell POL. They are pets. Having visitted Willow Cottage chickens tonight I can see how I might like to grow my hobby. They were great. But what you can see is how they love the birds. the pleasure they get what evident. That is what I, and I am sure, many members of this forum want from chicken keeping. I am also absolutley convinced that this upsurge in chicken keeping across the country is due to the pleasure it brings. Of course some celebrity endorsement hasn't hurt.

Having said that I am a real person. I knock fish on the head and kill rabits and hares. I know where food come from and could gut most creatures - lug worms are interesting!

If an animal dies it dies, it is not human. in the meantime I want to enjoy my chooks. Mabel and Margeret are not young, but they still provide pleasure.

Respect others people's choices my friend, why would you post such a thing?

[nettynoodles1]

i name the majority of my chooks.or the kids do   purley because we love them and like to tell them apart and they all have their own little ways. i have a dog and 2 ponies, 1 horse all named so why not the chooks?
i admit to shedding tears when they either die or get munched but i dont dwell on it. they are pets and they are for the eggs, the eggs you get from shops are just tasteless.
i have  toyed with the idea of meat birds and have a willing someone to do the neccessary, but being veggie i wouldnt eat them and the kids are  against it. all 4 of my kids knwo where meat comes from and they also know where eggs come from  :oops:
i dont molly coddle them nor do i  let them suffer in anyway. most are not keen on cuddles but that stems from the fact i live too far away  to spend lots of time with them.

[SnooziSuzi]

I got my three simply because I'd always wanted chickens.  The eggs were just a bonus (eventually!) but they cluck around me when I'm at the lottie and usually uproot all of my pricked out seedlings if they get into the GH but I love them for their personalities; they're as crazy as Babe!

[Charlwood1005]

What is a pet?

Any animal that is looked after entirely for pleasure.

We got hens to have eggs from happy well looked after chickens with no food miles and when they stop laying we will pay them back by giving them a happy retirement.  At that point they will be pets but they won't know the difference.

I look at it in a sense that keeping hens removes consumption from the egg industry and at a minimum removes at least some hens from unpalatable farming systems.

We are newbies to henkeeping but its never too late to start' unfortunately as you look more into the egg industry you find that your(Mine Mine Mine) favorite treats (custard tarts,cake etc) contain battery eggs.

So now i am on a forced diet until OH learns how to make egg custard tarts. So far I have lost half a stone, saved at least one battery hen and plenty of cash as I have stopped buying ect. (ect = Egg Custard Tarts).

Has anyone else been looking more closely at the effect of their consumption?

[agapanthus]

......I underatand it with dogs, cats, horses but these are chickens at the end of the day.

So what's the difference Kizza, I can't see one :!:   cat, dog, mouse, rabbit, chicken, horse, budgie, ferret, hamster, guinea pig.  They are all much loved pets and all get eaten in various parts of the world.

I'm with you on that one Aunty!!

[kizza]

Totally disagree with you there Aunt Sally

A chook cannot be compared to something like a dog - That is totally ridiculous  :roll:

A dog is a loving pet who you can take with you most places you go, who will show you clear love and devotion, You can cuddle up to on the sofa, A dog can work to save peoples lives etc etc....They are much more than a chicken and people should agree with me on this one

If i get banned from this forum for expressing my own opinion then so be it! But i will stand my ground and have my own say even if people on here disagree

Everyone else is allowed to have their say....this is mine

[Porffor]

We are newbies to henkeeping but its never too late to start' unfortunately as you look more into the egg industry you find that your(Mine Mine Mine) favorite treats (custard tarts,cake etc) contain battery eggs.

So now i am on a forced diet until OH learns how to make egg custard tarts. So far I have lost half a stone, saved at least one battery hen and plenty of cash as I have stopped buying ect. (ect = Egg Custard Tarts).

Has anyone else been looking more closely at the effect of their consumption?

A recipe link for you!

I LOVE egg custard tarts but am holding off on cakes / tarts till my hens start laying.

I have made a large custard tart years ago and remember it being gorgeous and easy to do.

Egg Recipe's

have been looking at that site and it's wonderful! Full of lovely recipes... hope my girls lay soon! lol

[CMFAM]

I think is a sad world we live in if we are not allowed to express our own opinion anymore :!:

[GrannieAnnie]

No one has said anyone can't express their opinion, but Kizza asked a question, and we all answered it by expressing OUR own opinions!!!  

[kattcottrell]

Well, nearly a year later, I have a successful blog, we have sold nearly 400 chickens to people to have as pets or egg layers or both, I've nearly pre-sold the 120 Babcock's and another 250 Amberlinks coming in 3 weeks time.  We've sold 16 meat chickens which are very tasty, and 50 turkey day olds coming in late July.

A slight change of subject...sorry.  Grannie I noticed you had Babcocks, I have a Babcock but can find hardly any info on them or photo's of them like you can other chickens, would love to see how she's gonna look when she's all grown up, can you direct me to any sites with such info please.

Thank you and once again sorry for the change of subject.

RETURNING TO THE SUBJECT: I don't think anyone should be bounced off for expressing an opinion but when that opinion starts to get personal thats when poeple get their claws out i'm afraid, best to live and let live I think, the world would be a very dull place if we all thought and acted the same. :cry:

[SnooziSuzi]

we like our chooks, and we like chatting to like minded people.

So Babe, are you saying that we're all bird brained here?    

[Fat Hen]

Totally disagree with you there Aunt Sally

A chook cannot be compared to something like a dog - That is totally ridiculous  :roll:

A dog is a loving pet who you can take with you most places you go, who will show you clear love and devotion, You can cuddle up to on the sofa, A dog can work to save peoples lives etc etc....They are much more than a chicken and people should agree with me on this one

If i get banned from this forum for expressing my own opinion then so be it! But i will stand my ground and have my own say even if people on here disagree

Everyone else is allowed to have their say....this is mine

A dog is a pack animal that hasn't the faintest idea of love (just like a chicken), they will succour up to you in order to get favour (usually in the form of food), they will climb on you (often misinterpreted as wanting love and affection by people who don't understand dogs, however is their way of saying i'm the boss, i'm the leader of the pack.

A chicken is definitely not a less worthy animal as a pet.

When I was looking at various pet options I chose chickens cos I can allow them to free range, I don't need to keep them in cages as I would a rabbit.

They come to my call and when I talk to them they "bock bock" back.

I find them very relaxing/stress relieving and yes I do anthropromorphise them so what, my girls are happy, my daughters are happy and ultimately so am I.

[kattcottrell]

yes they are great stress relievers, there is a certain zen like feeling that comes over you while watching them potter.

 Also, My 4 year old son Seth has Autism, he doesn't have alot of speach and finds life quite stressful, he's full of anxiety's which if anyone knows anything about Autism knows that this is a common trait, however, he adores our chickens, calls them by their name and loves nothing better than when I sit our goldline on his lap so he can stroke her, so the very fact that the chooks can make my son happy has earned them the right to be a very important part of our family