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[Chickvic]

I've had those questions and just complain they're too scrawny! Although... I had an electrician round once and he asked me if they were real chickens! I was a little taken aback and said yes, he then asked if they laid proper eggs? I nearly replied - No, pretend ones!

 

I agree with Scrambled, people will argue with you and they have no idea...

[The Dogmother]

I get asked whether our blue eggs are 'different inside'; understandable I guess if you've never eaten or seen a blue egg.

 

However, the eating one is a bone of contention between Dh and myself. We 'inherited' two extra hens earlier this year from a small holder as they were laying softies and she was going to despatch them. Despite our best efforts of limestone powder, grit, worming etc, dear Arti is continuing to lay constant softies. It's not my intention to upset anyone but Dh has been insistant of late that he should despatch of her himself as if that isn't bad enough...he then would like me to cook her up afterwards [/color][/size]

 

Some chooks just have malfunctioning shell glands and never lay properly shellled eggs - one example of this is a hen who stayed with me with her two sisters for their holidays - she's young but has never laid a proper egg. This normally only happens at the end of their laying life when their egg-tackle gets exhausted and they can't produce proper shells any more.

 

Amanda, depending on howe old your birds are, they are likely to be stringy and tough, needing a long, slow casserole to be edible. OH may be pulling your leg

[ClaireG]

I havn't been asked if i eat them yet, am sure the question will come in time. Have been asked the "rooster" one though and its normally by people who i thought would have known you don't need a rooster to get eggs.

Was a little concerned when one of my friends who has had chickens for just over a year thought you could hatch them without them being fertilized. had to do a bit of chicken sex education with her!

[Old Speckled Hen]

I once held a supermarket queue enthralled when the lady behind me asked why I was buying 12 tins of sweetcorn

 

Something similar happened to me. The checkout girl said," Chickens?" and when I said yes she replied, "ah! you must be an outcomer" That's what we immigrants to Cumbria are called.

"Ooops, word censored!"ody around here keeps hens as pets except us outcomers seemingly.

 

I think most people who do not keep chickens do not consider that they may be pets .... particularly those kept in gardens. There may be an element of Devil's Advocacy in provocative statements about eating them but maybe it's just the strangeness of being faced with a living example of the chicken they eat.

 

It is , however, a great opportunity to educate people about keeping chickens and the more general issues of animal welfare; something I try to do. So much so that every phone call from my daughter is prefaced with, Please ...NOT CHICKENS!!!

[jlo]

I've had them both. When the double decker school bus drove past my house I got "Laura whats that in your garden?" "its an eglu, a chicken house." "wow, you have chickens! Are you gonna turn them into chicken nuggets and eat them?" .. "No, they're for eggs." "Dont your neighbours complain about the cockerel then?" "No, we dont have a cockerel." "So, then, how do they lay eggs? You need a cockerel for them to lay eggs." I honestly wandered whether she was being serious. She was 15 aswell.

 

My MIL at the age of 69 was also convinced that I would not get eggs without a rooster. She is not one to easily admit that she is wrong so it was quite a novel experience for her!

[stoice]

OMG, just been reading this then spookily my manager (I'm at work, ahem... er... working honestly) asked how my chickens are? Then the question came. Would I ever eat them? Sigh, have had this asked SO many times. It's turned into an office wide discussion (Work is slow this morning) Hopefully I've just re-educated them but I bet they'll ask me again at some point. I think they get stuck with what to ask after 'How are your chickens' as the only experience of chickens non-chicken owners have would be to eat them. Ho-hum

 

Oh and one guy thinks it's hilarious to call me Swampy. Now that I'm a self sufficient tree hugging animal lover (ie: I grow some veggies and keep chickens)

[xChicken04x]

Ugh....I always get the "So which one's for tea?" with a lot of laughter. I soon stop them in their tracks by going to get one of the big girls (poor Magic is usually the one) and saying "This one, your welcome to stay and help out with the preparation." The look on their face is priceless.

Also a popular one is

 

"Do they lay eggs?"

"Yes"

"Real ones :shock:"

"Yes......"

" "

[hils78]

Mine haven't started laying yet & my neighbours often have their friends over who ask the usual questions. When I say they haven't started laying yet they say 'well eat them then, I would'. To which I reply something to the effect of 'I was thinking about ringing one of their necks later on, if you want to pluck it & draw out the guts you are more than welcome to one - I'm so tired of the feathers getting everywhere!'. Works a treat. My neighbours are great & keep up the facade for me - they are thinking about getting chickens too.

[Mutrix Farmers]

I find people are very surprised that I get one egg per chicken every day, then I get the inevitable "what will you do with them when they stop laying?"

[chichi]

I've had my girls for a whole 30 hours and I've been asked both questions at least 6 times already. Honestly I wonder if people put their brain in gear before they open their mouth sometimes.