Uncle Joel is having a moral crisis.
I was checking my chicken pellet usage yesterday and being appalled at the chunk my newbies have taken out of #150 in only two months. And I was thinking, ‘those pullets turn a year old next month, and two of them have never laid an egg. I’m starting to think at least one of them never will. It’s time to cull some hens.”
And normally that would be no problem at all. The hens hate me, I barely tolerate them, they’re useful but not especially pleasant to have around and I don’t at all mind killing them. Up-close and personal, with a hatchet. And then eating them.
Except this is one of the worst offenders…
This is the pullet I call Little Miss Arrested Development – not an official name – and she’s the only cute chicken in the history of the Fortress of Attitude. She pecks my fingers to see if there’s food there, she follows me around hopping up and down until I pick her up. She has never and apparently will never grow up,and she really ought to go to the stewpot. But…
Oh, slippery slope, Uncle Joel. Do not make pets of them. That’s not just a good idea, it’s the law.
ONE pet hen isn’t a problem. Until the rest of the flock figure it out…
What wyowanderer said. A pet hen can be fun to have around, so long as you can afford the feed and she brings some joy…Why not?
This is why I don’t play with the rabbits.
This was the major reason why we never raised any chickens or rabbits. When it comes to clobbering time and my wife is standing there with the big eyes and the animal is on the block with big eyes… Well you get the picture.
Too late, amigo. Once the little one gets your attention thou art lost. Or slowed down… Pity is a VERY strong feels, according to the present culture, because BLM but not criminal activity.
Don’t expand into ducks or geese, Joel. They’re much more friendly and really try to make pets of themselves. As you’ve noted so often, chickens are stupid(except for the one who likes you of course).
Oh, I could harvest ducks and geese with glee. I lived in a couple of apartment complexes with lakes, where idiot residents fed them year round. Never migrated out, and crapped everywhere.
My advice is,never give them names.Even in jest.Un-named animals can become food,but if you start referring to them by name,it’s hard to kill and eat them.
Oh, I’ve eaten a few. In fact around here it seems only the unusual ones get names – and unusual is usually bad. 🙂 It rarely works out well for them.
So, a few years ago I was considering the idea of “Urban chickens” since they passed bills that said men with guns wouldn’t smash down my door to raid my evil urban assault flock if I had one.
Looked into it heavily, designed a chicken tractor (no free range, in the burbs, but a tractor is pretty close), did my research on breeds, did my homework on everything else.
Mad the comment I was considering it to my family, and my sister, the animal hugger extraordinaire said the comment I love. “Oh, don’t get chickens, they only lay for a few years, then you’re stuck with a dried up hen, and if they get sick, the avian vet bills are incredible”
I responded with “Yeah, but both conditions are easily cured by Dr Hatchet, and Mr Stockpot”
abnormalist:
Much more palatable than The System of Dr. Tarr and Prof. Fether
Abnormalist, I had to look up the term “Chicken Tractor”. Gathered around the lair, we learn more things!