Comments on: Some Thoughts About Raising Free Range Chickens

By: Tmj

Tmj — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:09:25 +0000

I totally agree. I do have a small flock of chickens, their living area has a hen house where they can get out of the weather as well as an outdoor run enclosed with wire and a roof. The wire around their area is buried a foot into the ground to keep digging animals out. Before I got my chickens I read a lot about shelter and what they needed. I also watched my neighbors lose their free range chickens to the free range neighborhood dogs and diseases picked up from wild birds or chemical coated garden plants. One even managed to ingest a pile of small screws and died from that. I don’t think most people intend to be cruel but they often don’t educate themselves or they are reluctant to spend money or time to provide appropriately for their animals.

By: Sheryl at Providence Acres Farm

Sheryl at Providence Acres Farm — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 20:46:47 +0000

I agree! Keeping chickens out in the elements to just “fend for themselves” is cruel and inhumane. Our chickens live in an insulated fortress.

By: Dave

Dave — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 18:34:06 +0000

Chickens are domesticated forms of a bird called the Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus), which lives in TROPICAL areas of the world, like Malaysia and the Philippines. The wild birds would do no better in freezing weather than these birds did. As the post and other commentators here said, someone caring for an animal should understand the animal before imposing human concepts like ‘free range’ on it.

By: LL07

LL07 — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:26:59 +0000

how sad. Those poor birds. It made me tear up just thinking about them freezing and miserable in the cold. How completely irresponsible of those people. I believe animals serve a purpose but that doesn’t mean they should be neglected and abused. Animals should be treated with kindness and respect. I stopped eating meat last year after reading all the horrible stories of how the animals were treated during their lives. Not because I belive that animals should not be eaten but because I was so disgusted and saddened by the abuses they suffered (and the additives and hormones currently put in animals). So many irresponsible people out there not caring about the consequences of their actions. Cruelty to humans usually begins with animal cruelty.

By: Anne

Anne — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:52:04 +0000

that’s terrible! We had 5 hens until recently – a hawk killed our silkie when she was out in the yard. We did all but bring our girls into the house when it got so cold here in florida. We had almost 2 weeks with either freezing or below freezing temps. Our coop has a heatlamp and was surrounded by tarps and quilts to help keep them warm. How heartless of these people to treat their animals this way. Our hens are excellent egg layers – have continued to lay every day (thanks to the light I’m sure) and are more pets than anything – we love them and their little personalities.

By: Lynne

Lynne — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 13:00:50 +0000

Holy cow…I think people can be so cruel. We have 28 hens and one supremely happy rooster. They have a house to both roost in and lay eggs. I do not like to hunt eggs but one time a year!!

We really enjoy our chickens and are silly to the point that when it is really cold if one chicken is roosting by herself, we will put her closer to others to stay warmer.

People have some nutty ideas about animals. We do have Guineas that would rather have frost on their backs than go roost inside. They did figure out when it was subzero that maybe the barn wasn’t so bad after all.

By: Jo

Jo — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 03:50:22 +0000

I have been thinking about this a lot. I have tried to see this issue from all viewpoints. I really have. What needs to happen is these people who commit acts of cruelty, whether through ignorance or on purpose need to see the long arm of the law.

All animals in their “care” should be taken from them and good homes found for them. Then they should be given their day in court to explain to a judge just why they decided to let these chickens suffer and die as they did.

No one has the right to treat God’s creations in any way except with the utmost care. Period.

By: NewsView

NewsView — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 07:46:47 +0000

If they cannot be made to see that such treatment is inhumane, perhaps they will respond to an economic argument. No one wants to eat or purchase bad eggs or sickly chicken meat. It is a waste of money when animals that are raised for food are sick.

Another other option is to simply offer something that you think someone who is incorrectly caring for an animal might benefit from —— an old dog house or pet bed you don’t use anymore —— think creatively: a chicken or a rabbit or whatever the case may be can benefit from such an item in a pinch —— a tarp lying around in your garage that might serve as an insulator against wind or rain when thrown over a cage, a bale of hay for the chickens to bed on, etc. The strategy here is that if the “correction” is made in the context of *giving* rather than chiding or scolding someone, people take to the good intent (aka hint) better than they will to unsolicited advice.

Try to see what sort of psychology makes them tick: Whatever it takes to produce a desirable end result.

By: M.L.

M.L. — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:23:16 +0000

Just so sad. It’s just an excuse for being irresponsible.

By: Ria

Ria — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:19:57 +0000

I had always been under the impressing that “free range” meant, well, giving the animal some range to be free. As opposed to having them confined to an area too small to properly accommdate them, possibly not ever letting them be outside. They’ve got room to run around and eat what they find and do whatever other chickeny things they like to do.

But I was never under the impression that it meant treating them like wild animals and not providing for them at all. If you’re not going to do a thing to take care of your animals, then why have them at all? Raising animals means actually raising them, doing work, making sure they’re well cared for, and yes, giving them shelter and clean water and good food, IN ADDITION to giving them freedom to run around.

People die of exposure when they have much more protection than those chickens did. I wonder if those families would consider that a tragedy, or just part of being a “free range human”.