4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[BarbaraJ]

i was chatting to my neighbour who has 4 chickens. She got them in about october i think it was. Anyway we were chatting about laying and she mentioned well they only lay for 3-4 years so i said thats why i'm getting 3 more now.

She said ' oh well when they stop laying i can take all 4 to (local chicken supplier) and he will kill them pluck them and we can eat them , then get 4 more now i'm not soft by any means but sorry i couldn't do that. Yes i got them to lay eggs but they have names and are pets too! didn't know what to say, hubby said 'good idea' he better hope he was joking!!

Each to their own and if shes happy to do that ok but i was shocked

[Smeg]

I'm getting my first 4 next friday they are for egg laying but are definitely not for dinner! it would be like eating one of my cats - they are my babies! and will be part of my family.

x

[poachedegg]

I thought that if they were egg layers there wasn't enough meat on them for the table anyhow - thought you either had egg layers or table birds.

[BarbaraJ]

Well thats what i thought and told hubby

[moochoo]

They would be pretty tough at 3 or 4 years old and only fit for broiling. I think as they're pets then treat them as such. We plan to grow some table birds this year but would never dream of eating my layers. They've got names and are treated as pets.

[Egluntyne]

She will have to stew them long and slow for them to taste anything like decent.

 

People come up with this idea all the time. Whether they see it through or not is a different matter.

 

She will have to pay to have them killed and plucked too. Not going to be a cheap or very palatable meal.

[cluckbok]

I could never do that, they are our very much loved pets

 

We don't eat chicken very often now.

[half dozen]

I personally could never eat my girls!!! I love them soooooo much

[Barkisland]

My girls are definitely pets. I couldn't eat anything I had named. But a colleague at work, who is a farmer's daughter, suggested in all seriousness that instead of fretting about a chicken sitter for my holidays, I should just put them in the freezer and get new ones after my hols

Pleased to say my next door neighbours were happy to chook sit. (Actually, they fell in love with my girls and are now getting some of their own ).

[helenmb]

I think after all their hard work laying eggs that the least we can do is allow then a happy retirement, but I do understand that some may do this as they don't treat their girls as pets. Being a veggie myself my girls are very safe with me .

[Olly]

Couldn't do it myself, but I can see the logic in rearing birds for the table.

 

However your neighbour is in for a big disappointment if she plans on eating 3-year old layers! Tell her she'd get more meat if she stewed a pair of old shoes, and she wouldn't have to pay the cost of slaughter ...