Ever since I managed to catch Breanna and give her to the kids to cuddle, she has become a favourite. She is so placid and friendly and does not mind that she spends more time in Frannie's arms than foraging for food. The other two are less trusting and can only be petted when they head in to roost at dusk. So we will have to gently work on them.
I've got to say that chickens make pretty cool pets. They are curious, self sufficient and cute. We are fortunate enough to have 5 acres for them to free range around daily. They have a purpose built hen house with dirt, a run and a roosting house. We let them out before breakfast and lock them away after dusk (just in case of foxes).
I am not looking forward to dealing with one of them needing to be killed because of ailments though. I don't really kill any creatures except mozzies and cane toads. Ask my kids - I rescue spiders and lizards from our house to put back outside. I even kill the cane toads humanely by popping them into the freezer in a double plastic bag. There has got to be a nicer way then chopping off a chicken's head. If you know, let me know.
Too cute.....we use to raise chickens just for the reason for being in the freezer for the winter. But our kids grew up knowing that...and were used to it. But it is so cute to see them carrying her around...lol
ReplyDeleteI use to play with my aunt's chickens when I was younger and stayed on her farm. Looked cuddling with them. We always knew though that the chickens where there for their eggs and occasionally for Chicken and dumplings, but my aunt and uncle tried hard to not let our favorites get hurt if they could help it but we knew it was a fact of life.
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures.
Great names! My grandfather used to keep chickens and when I was a little girl I used to love collecting the eggs.
ReplyDeleteI am hoping to get some of my own one day but I agree with you and I have no idea how to tackle the putting them out of their misery task!
You do not have to kill your chickens. Vaccines are often cheap. Get them ASAP. I honestly believe a chicken should never be slaughtered like that even if it needs to be killed. If you need to, take them to the vet and have them put down. It can be expensive, but its better than chopping your pets head off.
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