WTF: Backyard Chickens

Chicken Man said:
It's the brewing-my-own-beer of the aughts. Seeing as laying hens are generally "destroyed" anyways, I don't think anyone's really getting hurt here. If my passive research of chicken-keeping holds up, a chicken that's finished laying generally isn't good eating--it's transitioned from being a "fryer" to a "roaster", (i.e., is tough and stringy and needs slow cooking to be edible).

I'm slightly curious whether or not this population boom of antibiotic-free, amateurly-maintained livestock living in close proximity of humans will lead to a few new diseases being born. The first time folks started keeping animals around (maybe 5-10 thousand years ago) it was the breeding ground for all the various poxes, among other things.
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I'm not saying anyone is getting hurt, I'm shocked the they are surprised by the obvious things you have to deal with when raising livestock.
 
Mark Wein said:
A guest popping up unexpected and then being a douche in a private home isn't about being a vegetarian as much as it is about being a douche.
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Exactly. I've been vegetarian for about 15 years and vegan for about seven of those and never once just showed up expected someone (at their home, not in a restaurant) to accommodate what I eat. I can't really imagine any of the vegetarian/vegan friends I know doing this, either.

Truth told, it would really embarrass me to ask someone to make something special for me, even in advance. If I know someones meal isn't going to be vegan-friendly, I usually just ask if I can help by bring a side or two- then I'll have something I know I can eat, plus I'll be helping out with the meal.
 
reverend1 said:
To me butchering a chicken is no big deal. I buy them and eggs from the farmer up the road al of the time. I think most folks would be blown away by what a truly fresh chicken tastes like.
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I have never done it, but it doesn't seem to me that it would be that much worse than cleaning a fish. Mind you, I broke down (cut up) thousands of chickens with a nine inch chef's knife when I worked food prep in a commercial kitchen. But those had been stripped down and cleaned out already.

Now, butchering a pig or a cow would be more than I would want to do, but we are not big red meat folk at our house. Those that hunt deer and elk around here have a fairly big job on kill day. But they do get a good freezer full of meat after that effort.

I don't have a problem with people trying to learn to "home-brew" more of their food, but folks are going to have a learning curve along the way. Those urban/suburban folk that never had a job in restaurants, food service, etc., nor spent time on a farm would probably have the hardest time. City mouse/country mouse and all that.
 
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Chicken Man said:
I'm slightly curious whether or not this population boom of antibiotic-free, amateurly-maintained livestock living in close proximity of humans will lead to a few new diseases being born. The first time folks started keeping animals around (maybe 5-10 thousand years ago) it was the breeding ground for all the various poxes, among other things.
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thats actually something I had never considered.
BATCAT said:
Exactly. I've been vegetarian for about 15 years and vegan for about seven of those and never once just showed up expected someone (at their home, not in a restaurant) to accommodate what I eat. I can't really imagine any of the vegetarian/vegan friends I know doing this, either.

Truth told, it would really embarrass me to ask someone to make something special for me, even in advance. If I know someones meal isn't going to be vegan-friendly, I usually just ask if I can help by bring a side or two- then I'll have something I know I can eat, plus I'll be helping out with the meal.
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My wife is allergic to gluten (seriously, not in a "diet of the week" way) and she just looks for the stuff she can eat and doen't make a deal about it. And if we bring a dish to a family event I usually try and cook something I know she can eat.


sunvalleylaw said:
Geez, you beat me to it. Guess I should read the whole thread. BTW, I am sure they sell that in parts of Portland. I can think of an old pancake house in Portland that hipsters might think is cool, in an ironic way.
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:grin:
 
My brother brought his GF to my house. I didn't know or even think about her being vegetarian. She was a little put out that I had about 8 racks of ribs bbq'd and a brisket. We had other things like baked potatoes cornbread and Macaroni and cheese, but chose to go to the store down the street and get some squash to grill. It was kinda weird, but to each their own. She looked like she coulda used some BBQ to me.
 
Mark Wein said:
While I feel that people have every right to chose what they eat or do not eat I tend to agree with Anthony Bourdain on the behaviors of MOST vegetarians: http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/1124.Anthony_Bourdain

Having said that, one of my best friends was a vegetarian for many years. All they served was peperoni pizza? He'd pick the meat off without comment and eat the pizza. Never complained, just did his thing.
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“We know, for instance, that there is a direct, inverse relationship between frequency of family meals and social problems. Bluntly stated, members of families who eat together regularly are statistically less likely to stick up liquor stores, blow up meth labs, give birth to crack babies, commit suicide, or make donkey porn. If Little Timmy had just had more meatloaf, he might not have grown up to fill chest freezers with Cub Scout parts.”
― Anthony Bourdain, Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook
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This dude is my new hero!

Lerxst said:
I think the problem there isn't necessarily vegetarians but asshole vegetarians.... Which are identical to plain old assholes

I've got a bunch of restricted diet/vegetarian friends and they all come with food even when I tell them not to or we have them covered with options. None go over another person's house expecting special treatment or act entitled. They are polite and courteous guests.
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I believe many assholes seek out lifestyles that cater to being assholes.
Not that all veggies are assholes, but there seems to be a fair number of militants in their midst.
 
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Gary Blanchard said:
Yep. They become...






guitarists. electricguitar054
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douchebag_guitarist-83140.jpg
 
So the city council here in Lowell has been debating this exact issue for about the past couple months. Since before I was a kid, there has been an ordinance basically stating that farm animals are not permitted within city limits. Most of the 'pro' argument centers around folks wanting better eggs and such. Most of the 'con' argument has to do with the spread of disease and the other negative aspects of animal husbandry. The 'con' argument points out that the spread of disease was why the ordinance was enacted in the first place.

As far as the vegetarian diet thing goes, I'm not much of a fan. Mebbe I just don't know how to cook it right. I did this volunteer cook with my better half last month, she was running the cookshack at a cancer walk. On the menu, to my total surprise were a couple vegetarian options instead of the usual burgers & dogs. Boca, plus wheat & soy burgers & dogs to be exact. Anyhow,after a couple hours there, a rather fit looking couple ordered a couple of the wheat & soy burgers. Plain or with lettuce, tomato & pickles I asked. They wanted plain, so I grilled up a couple of these in a skillet like the instructions said. The lady & her hubby gave me this 'are you kidding me?' look when I gave them their plates. A couple of burger buns plus the vegburgers inside. I guess they were expecting a lot more. The woman said to me that those burgers should be cooked in such & such a way. To which I responded that I usually cooked meats then grilled fresh veggies as sides. They ate their food, but I could tell they were not happy with it.
 
I believe many assholes seek out lifestyles that cater to being assholes.
Not that all veggies are assholes, but there seems to be a fair number of militants in their midst.
well put.
 
Foo said:
I believe many assholes seek out lifestyles that cater to being assholes.
Not that all veggies are assholes, but there seems to be a fair number of militants in their midst.
well put.
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While you have a point, that could be said of many types of groups. Whenever people have strong feelings and beliefs, they can go to extremes. Just ask Mark about ***** guitars. :grin:
 
Gary Blanchard said:
While you have a point, that could be said of many types of groups. Whenever people have strong feelings and beliefs, they can go to extremes. Just ask Mark about ***** guitars. :grin:
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Good point, but then again I've never seen a "broccoli is murder" rally. :tongue:
 
reverend1 said:
Good point, but then again I've never seen a "broccoli is murder" rally. :tongue:
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True, but I've seen a number of bumper stickers like "Vegetarian is Native American for Bad Hunter" and "I didn't get to the top of the food chain to eat grass". It is the obnoxious few that people will cite to indict a whole group of people. Judging a whole group based on the bad behavior of a small minority is never right. Power to the People! :hippie:
 
But...painting whole groups with a single brush stroke is what we do in Amurica. ???
Next you'll tell me all women aren't closet lesbians waiting to put on a show solely for my viewing pleasure!
 
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