Comments on: Some Thoughts About Raising Free Range Chickens http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/some-thoughts-about-raising-free-range-chickens/ About finding balance in your life, connecting with who you are, and creating a lifestyle where you wake up each morning eagerly anticipating the day ahead. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:29:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Patti http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/some-thoughts-about-raising-free-range-chickens/#comment-31669 Patti http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/?p=678#comment-31669 Just came in from working on my insulated, well planned out hen house! Love my babies! A hawk tried to snatch one from me and that is when I learned my lesson about free range! My girls will have a nice safe run and plenty of room to roam! I have also purchased a dog kennel that will be their home in the deep of the winter inside my house! My chickens are pets that happen to make breakfast and I would say that people who treat their chickens so badly are very similar to the commercial farms who treat their chickens with no humanity! I thought the point was to eat food from well cared for animals. Even old time farmers treated their animals better than that! Just came in from working on my insulated, well planned out hen house! Love my babies! A hawk tried to snatch one from me and that is when I learned my lesson about free range! My girls will have a nice safe run and plenty of room to roam! I have also purchased a dog kennel that will be their home in the deep of the winter inside my house! My chickens are pets that happen to make breakfast and I would say that people who treat their chickens so badly are very similar to the commercial farms who treat their chickens with no humanity! I thought the point was to eat food from well cared for animals. Even old time farmers treated their animals better than that!

]]> By: Tmj http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/some-thoughts-about-raising-free-range-chickens/#comment-30102 Tmj http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/?p=678#comment-30102 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. 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 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/some-thoughts-about-raising-free-range-chickens/#comment-25988 Sheryl at Providence Acres Farm http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/?p=678#comment-25988 I agree! Keeping chickens out in the elements to just "fend for themselves" is cruel and inhumane. Our chickens live in an insulated fortress. 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 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/some-thoughts-about-raising-free-range-chickens/#comment-25618 Dave http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/?p=678#comment-25618 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. 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 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/some-thoughts-about-raising-free-range-chickens/#comment-22921 LL07 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/?p=678#comment-22921 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. 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 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/some-thoughts-about-raising-free-range-chickens/#comment-22791 Anne http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/?p=678#comment-22791 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. 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 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/some-thoughts-about-raising-free-range-chickens/#comment-22747 Lynne http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/?p=678#comment-22747 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. 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 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/some-thoughts-about-raising-free-range-chickens/#comment-22703 Jo http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/?p=678#comment-22703 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. 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 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/some-thoughts-about-raising-free-range-chickens/#comment-22674 NewsView http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/?p=678#comment-22674 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. 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. http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/some-thoughts-about-raising-free-range-chickens/#comment-22659 M.L. http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/?p=678#comment-22659 Just so sad. It's just an excuse for being irresponsible. Just so sad. It’s just an excuse for being irresponsible.

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