"Pets are like family members" times 1000


NeuroTypical
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So, some of you on this forum are crazy chicken people like my wife.  It's a growing community.  For the last 20 years, people have been looking through their neighborhood zoning laws (laid down 50-100 years ago in many cases), and discovering that chickens are allowed.  (Think of the WWII war production effort mentalities, with it's meatless Tuesdays and victory gardens and whatnot.)  Every day there's another crazy chicken person born.  And they congregate in Facebook groups where they argue the finer points of breed desirability, carnivorism vs. vegetarianism, etc.

Anyway, my wife's beloved special needs chicken died this last week.  She was a "crossbeak", which usually die within a few days of being born.  But my wife tube-fed her by hand, twice daily sometimes, for over two years. (Longer than a lot of people breastfeed their kiddos.)  Apparently this chicken was quite well known.  My wife has received sympathy from people in four countries. There's genuine grieving going on.  I shouldn't be surprised (although I continually am), to find an outpouring of love showing up in our mailbox.  Here's the latest:  Someone drew a portrait of Tempest and sent it to my wife along with a sympathy card.

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(This is actually the second hand-drawn portrait she has received from adoring Facebook fans.)

I heard from the crematorium, the pendant we special ordered finally came, and her ashes are ready to come back to my wife. 

I've never seen people so zealous about things, than the crazy chicken people.  They even give some of our zealous folks on this board a run for their money. 

Anyway, happy slice-of-life Thursday.

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I have seen many people who love their pets as much as a family member. When we had to put our aged dog down, it was sad. But, the amount of sympathy and support we received from co-workers, extended family, friends, and neighbors was surprising to me. I grew up on a dairy farm and many of my “pet” chickens, calves, piglets, and lambs grew up and became our dinner. I guess I don’t understand the “pets are family” mentality.

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27 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

I've never seen people so zealous about things, than the crazy chicken people. 

I'm a crazy chicken person... I completely understand your post.  Your wife is somebody special and one of these days I'm gonna go to Colorado to look at her chickens.

 

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Like @classyladyI grew up with rabbits and chickens that was our primary source of meat.  I did have a dog as a boy that I was very close to - even in a spiritual sense.  When I returned from my mission she was sick and suffering from old age.  She was my dog and so I felt obligated to put her down.  It was emotional - she trusted me and was calm - I made it as painless as possible.  Fast forward - we had two dogs while raising our kids.  Of course old age began to claim and take its course.  I checked with the vet and they said the dog should be put down - I told them I would take care of it.  I was then informed that Utah has a law forbidding pet owners from putting down their pets.  At least this is the case for dogs.  It just did not seem right to leave this task to someone un-invested and unconnected.  It is a stupid law that should be changed.

 

The Traveler

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22 minutes ago, classylady said:

I have seen many people who love their pets as much as a family member. When we had to put our aged dog down, it was sad. But, the amount of sympathy and support we received from co-workers, extended family, friends, and neighbors was surprising to me. I grew up on a dairy farm and many of my “pet” chickens, calves, piglets, and lambs grew up and became our dinner. I guess I don’t understand the “pets are family” mentality.

So... growing up, we have this pet pig named Dick.  He was this beautiful white (well pink) pig.  He was like one of the dogs - we play with him, we bathe him, we hang out with him.  He would grow  and then in January he would become small again.  It was just something that we accepted as tiny kids.  Eventually, about the time we accepted that the presents were actually from dad and not Santa, we also accepted that Dick is not as old as our dogs.  My mother gets a new white pig - and she searches high and low for the exact same color pig - every January and then every December, she takes the pig to the butcher and exchanges it for a butchered pig for our Christmas party and the cycle starts again the next year.  She couldn't bring herself to butcher our pig and eat him for dinner that's why she does that.

Now we have chickens too.  But they weren't our pets.  My mom taught me the process to prepare a chicken for dinner when I was about 8 years old.  So now, I have pet chickens.  It started as backyard chickens meant to end up in our dinner table... until it was time to do so and I realized I couldn't bring myself to do it.  So that rooster is still alive until today, wearing a diaper as he runs around in my house.

 

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9 minutes ago, Traveler said:

Like @classyladyI grew up with rabbits and chickens that was our primary source of meat.  I did have a dog as a boy that I was very close to - even in a spiritual sense.  When I returned from my mission she was sick and suffering from old age.  She was my dog and so I felt obligated to put her down.  It was emotional - she trusted me and was calm - I made it as painless as possible.  Fast forward - we had two dogs while raising our kids.  Of course old age began to claim and take its course.  I checked with the vet and they said the dog should be put down - I told them I would take care of it.  I was then informed that Utah has a law forbidding pet owners from putting down their pets.  At least this is the case for dogs.  It just did not seem right to leave this task to someone un-invested and unconnected.  It is a stupid law that should be changed.

 

The Traveler

I agree!!!

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11 minutes ago, anatess2 said:

So... growing up, we have this pet pig named Dick.  He was this beautiful white (well pink) pig.  He was like one of the dogs - we play with him, we bathe him, we hang out with him.  He would grow  and then in January he would become small again.  It was just something that we accepted as tiny kids.  Eventually, about the time we accepted that the presents were actually from dad and not Santa, we also accepted that Dick is not as old as our dogs.  My mother gets a new white pig - and she searches high and low for the exact same color pig - every January and then every December, she takes the pig to the butcher and exchanges it for a butchered pig for our Christmas party and the cycle starts again the next year.  She couldn't bring herself to butcher our pig and eat him for dinner that's why she does that.

Now we have chickens too.  But they weren't our pets.  My mom taught me the process to prepare a chicken for dinner when I was about 8 years old.  So now, I have pet chickens.  It started as backyard chickens meant to end up in our dinner table... until it was time to do so and I realized I couldn't bring myself to do it.  So that rooster is still alive until today, wearing a diaper as he runs around in my house.

 

You were raising a rooster for the table - don't you know about capons?  I always wondered why the word for a female dog (son of) is used as a derogatory term since dogs are noble and care for their young - just call them a capon - it is much more demeaning - even worse than just plain old "chicken".    BTW - those that have never raised their own meat do not know the flavor difference.  It is like a farm salmon opposed to wild salmon.  Who knows what is in the meat from the store.

 

The Traveler

 

The Traveler

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2 minutes ago, Traveler said:

You were raising a rooster for the table - don't you know about capons?  I always wondered why the word for a female dog (son of) is used as a derogatory term since dogs are noble and care for their young - just call them a capon - it is much more demeaning - even worse than just plain old "chicken".    BTW - those that have never raised their own meat do not know the flavor difference.  It is like a farm salmon opposed to wild salmon.  Who knows what is in the meat from the store.

 

The Traveler

 

The Traveler

It was like this - I got a bunch of 1-day-old chicks.  I planned to keep the hens for eggs and the roosters for dinner table.  I ended up with only 1 rooster out of the bunch... that I can't seem to bring myself to process for dinner.  Even as that meanie likes to peck me.

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51 minutes ago, anatess2 said:

It was like this - I got a bunch of 1-day-old chicks.  I planned to keep the hens for eggs and the roosters for dinner table.  I ended up with only 1 rooster out of the bunch... that I can't seem to bring myself to process for dinner.  Even as that meanie likes to peck me.

 What I was trying to tell you is that preparations for dinner begins with roosters when they are chicks.  And in case you did not know - chickens are great for keeping insects out of your garden so you do not have to use pesticides.  This does not work very well if you have the animal in the house day and/or night.  Also, are you not aware that keeping chickens in the house is great for breeding a new, more resistant bird flue virus that your kids will likely bring home a starter strain from school?   You really should keep your friend outside.

 

The Traveler

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54 minutes ago, Traveler said:

 What I was trying to tell you is that preparations for dinner begins with roosters when they are chicks.  And in case you did not know - chickens are great for keeping insects out of your garden so you do not have to use pesticides.  This does not work very well if you have the animal in the house day and/or night.  Also, are you not aware that keeping chickens in the house is great for breeding a new, more resistant bird flue virus that your kids will likely bring home a starter strain from school?   You really should keep your friend outside.

 

The Traveler

Oh no... they are all backyard chickens.  Except for the rooster.  I am not allowed chickens in my HOA... so I'm basically getting away with chickens as long as my neighbors don't complain that I have chickens.  And a rooster... well, let's just say the neighbors will definitely not be happy being woken up at 5AM by this rooster.  So he stays indoors.  Or for stew.  But, bird flu notwithstanding, I can't bring myself to put him in the stew.

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Fun fact: Roosters are bullies and rapists.  Their hens only have a limited amount of say over his mating choices and timing, and they don't have veto power.   

That said, roosters also will also not hesitate to throw themselves at any perceived danger to their women, no matter how big or toothy or certain the rooster's death will be.  So the hens kind of have a mixed bag with their dudes.

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23 hours ago, classylady said:

I have seen many people who love their pets as much as a family member. When we had to put our aged dog down, it was sad. But, the amount of sympathy and support we received from co-workers, extended family, friends, and neighbors was surprising to me. I grew up on a dairy farm and many of my “pet” chickens, calves, piglets, and lambs grew up and became our dinner. I guess I don’t understand the “pets are family” mentality.

Our little rabbit died after 8 years with us and some health scares in her last year. I had to leave early to help my son with the funeral arrangements. I had an obligation at work and asked if someone could take over for me - several volunteered and those who couldn't apologized for not being able to!  A little later, a co-worker whose wife passed away a few years ago gave me a little rabbit pin of hers. I thought his daughters might want it, but he wanted to give it to me. We have a daily status update email that usually has motivational or funny pictures. The next day when I came back, the update had several bunny pictures to honor our little bun bun. I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of sympathy, probably because they did see pets as family. 

Regarding chickens - my sister moved to a small town in NC. The house across from her has chickens, which get out frequently and hang out in my sister's yard. As a former big-city girl, where the chickens are dead and stay in the grocery store, she finds this both fascinating and terrifying. 

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