Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[coco]

I was at the vets today with two poorly chooks and when I came out of the consulting room a couple of people commented that I had chickens. The comments were such as 'must be a good layer if you take it to the vet' and 'if its not alying it should be in a pot'. I know these comments were made as a joke but it annoys me that people think that a chicken is less entitlled to veterinary treatment than any other animal and I've heard so many people say chickens should be in the pot that its boring now. Sorry for the rant.

[Plum]

Not what you need when you are anxious about your girls.

[LES DUNNING]

I know what you mean, ive only had my girls a few weeks, and ive had these comments too.

[Blue-DiamondChick07]

Doesn't matter what you keep as a pet, its still your pet and you love it, so people should mind their comments..

[Janty]

I'd have asked if they were going to follow their own advice with their cat/dog if they turned out to be terminal.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I lost 2 girls recently and I was quite shocked (and annoyed) at the number of people who said "did you eat them?" . Even some close friends who know they're pets asked that . I usually responded "would you eat your cat if it died?" but they don't seem to get it .

[Chucky1]

I agree that NCPs (non chicken people) can quite irritating in their attempts at humour

 

What always gets my goat is if they say the gals are stupid

[njoy]

I have been amazed by the amount of people who when I tell them that I now keep chickens, their response is 'are you going to eat them '. To me they are my pets and I wouldn't mind if they never lay eggs, I simply love them as I do our dog and cats. Good job there is a place like this to come to for like minded support.

Hope your chickens are on the mend.

[MarkBevBen]

poor you Coco

 

Have to say, there's only one person in our circle of family and friends who is less than sympathetic about our chickens and has a strange 'sense of humour' (term used very loosely!) where he just likes winding everyone up all the time

 

When we lost our Lottie the other week everyone was so caring and supportive. She became a member of our family in such a short space of time, as have the other girls too

[Dolly]

Don't get me started on this one!

NCP ('non chicken people' as someone said earlier) just don't seem to get it! Some of my family recently 'joked' about my girls laying less now so we were going to eat them? I also use the cat/dog/rabbit anology - and ask if they would be serving their pets up for Sunday dinner. Having said that, my mum was really supportive when I thought we were losing Roxy, and she was the first person I was expecting to say "How much?! it's only a chicken" when we got the vets bill!

[MarkBevBen]

Don't get me started on this one!

NCP ('non chicken people' as someone said earlier) just don't seem to get it! Some of my family recently 'joked' about my girls laying less now so we were going to eat them? I also use the cat/dog/rabbit anology - and ask if they would be serving their pets up for Sunday dinner. Having said that, my mum was really supportive when I thought we were losing Roxy, and she was the first person I was expecting to say "How much?! it's only a chicken" when we got the vets bill!

 

 

Oh Dolly, you know just thinking about this we absolutely wouldn't dream of even contemplating to eat our girls

 

We do eat meat and chicken still, but no way could we eat our Cottie or Dottie.

[Trougher]

I've actually had someone in our road, who shall remain nameless, offer to come and wring my chickens necks for me when I am ready to eat them. This was, by the way, a serious offer. Needless to say, I turned down the offer.

[Cinnamon]

My brother did the same (he is a chef),as did my gamekeeper neighbour

 

With certain factors of my family (OK, my Dad), I just let it slide,because I know he only says things like that to get a rise out of me

[craftyhunnypie]

I think a campaign should be started..Respect for Chooks!

They get looked down upon terribly, yet it's only the same as having a budgie, a parrot etc. I love my chooks & will challenge anyone who thinks they are just ' for the pot' or layers. A lot of people think you are a bit scruffy / rough if you keep chickens. Why? Is it an old fashioned idea?

You wouldn't eat your cat or dog, so why would you eat your pet chicken? Some people have no heart!

 

Emma.x

[coco]

Thanks for all your replies. I wish I'd said something to the man who made the comment now. On the plus side however both chooks seem to be on the mend and Coco who has been miserable looking for a few weeks has got her strut back when she's walking round. if anyone in the Chester / North wales area is looking for a good chicken vet I can recomend the one we have been to.

[err_rachael]

i can relate. we had to use a taxi to take maj to the vet because we dont have a car. the taxi driver kept cracking jokes about nuggets etc etc. usually i just grin and bear it but i felt it was really unnecessary when we were obviously going to the vet with a poorly chicken who we are very worried about. there is a time and a place.

[Chortle Chook]

Someone said 'You wouldn't eat your cat or dog, so why would you eat your pet chicken?' I agree! Just before I got my first chook this summer I had bought a chicken from the butcher for roasting. It is still in the freezer because, somehow, I just can't eat something that looks like a chook now. At this rate I'll just have to become a veggie.

 

Glad anyway that the girls are OK

[Cranfield Kate]

I'm SO annoyed about this very subject at the moment! I don't have any sensitive areas in my life - people can say what they like about my separation, my poor choice in men, anything but my chickens. i put up pics of the new ex batts on facebook (and they look apalling) with a little narrative on how they're so shell shocked and tragic looking and all i got back were comments about when would they be ready to eat / what sauce was i going to put with them, etc etc. not one person said "oh god poor things, what a rotten time they've had".

 

I was so angry. really, genuinely angry. if i made those comments about someone 's dog (which i wouldn't), they wouldn't find it funny.

 

honestly, sometimes i really don't like people.

[chick wiggle]

Im glad to hear your chooks are on the mend Coco Unfortunately, we really do have to grow a thick skin about this one. People are just so insensitive and, im afraid, things aint gonna change soon. Even the closest friends and family seem to think its fine to make these sort of 'jokes' about my pets, so much so, now i have to ignore it all for the sake of my own sanity.

[Plum]

Quite right. Don't let it get to you Kate we all know what a great thing you have done with those ex batts

[Chucky1]

i can relate. we had to use a taxi to take maj to the vet because we dont have a car. the taxi driver kept cracking jokes about nuggets etc etc. usually i just grin and bear it but i felt it was really unnecessary when we were obviously going to the vet with a poorly chicken who we are very worried about. there is a time and a place.

 

Maybe he was just making it clear that he didn't expect a tip

[err_rachael]

good cos he didn't get one

[Cranfield Kate]

i would have been tempted to rub some chicken poo into his upholstery. let's see how funny he finds chicken jokes then...

[Chortle Chook]

Rude people aside and even sick jokes, I think it is a moral imperative to give good veterinary attention to animals in one's care no matter how small (hamster) or how large (horse). Even farmers (if they are half decent) provide their animals with vertinary attention when they need it. It does not have to be excessive (life at all costs) but it should be sufficient to ensure that the animal has quality of life. We don't have to have pets, or livestock come to that, and our side of the bargain is to look after those we have. After all our chooks give us so much: not just lovely eggs but also they put a smile on one's face with their funny antics. They always cheer me if I'm down. Well done for taking them to the vet in the first place.

[Bexibex]

I'm with you all on this one. When I told one of my work colleagues I was getting ex-batts she asked how I would dispatch them when they stopped laying. I told her that they were pets but she just couldn't get her head around it saying they were useless once they stop laying, unless you are going to eat them. I made it clear that if eggs were my priority, I definitely wouldn't be getting ex-bats and that I am not rescuing them from a hideous life just to kill them when they stop producing eggs. I do still eat chicken but I wouldn't ask a rabbit owner if they were going to eat it when it dies.

 

Another thing that really upset me recently was when I looked in my fridge at home and to my absolute horror saw that my lodger had bought a box of eggs from caged hens. He has free access to our eggs and he has seen first hand what a state they are in when they are rescued yet he still bought them. It made me so angry. Our girls are still quite featherbare and I thought it was very insensitive.

 

Chickens make fabulous pets and I just adore them.