November
2006
Awareness and values; the power of choice
One thing that I find horrifying in our community, is the way we treat our household animals. I am not against humans eating animals, because that is the way of nature. However, the way we treat our animals is – in my mind – disgusting, especially considering hens and chickens. I believe no other animals suffer as much as they do in the name of capitalism and cheap chicken wings and eggs on our tables.
Why do we treat them in this fashion? What gives us the right to do so?
I believe most people prefer to turn a blind eye to the facts, because to take a stand would disrupt too much of their daily life. If one were to take a good look at how we treat our animals and what conditions they live under, it might lead to some not being able to buy meat or eggs with a clear conscience any more. And to not buy those products would be such a different way of life, that I believe just the thought of it sounds impossible to most people.
However, I believe it is important to be a conscious consumer, to have knowledge about the products we buy, i.e. awareness of the conditions hens and chickens live under so that we can have cheap and easy access to chicken and eggs. Only then can we take a conscious stand to which ethics we want to live by, and take the consequences of our values and convictions. I believe the latter part here is the difficult one. It’s easy to say that one find it wrong to mistreat animals. It’s easy to say that one think it’s horrible to let three hens stay in one small cage. But to go from there to actually follow ones convictions, and stop buying meat and eggs from those hens, is a whole other matter.
I have done it myself. They way I see it, it is a matter of breaking a habit. And to break a habit, one needs a deep and true conviction. To stop eating meat (or i.e. to stop smoking) based on impulse seldom leads to any lasting change of habit or life. One should give the matter a lot of thought, search out information and gain knowledge, and then find out for oneself what one feels is right, which values and attitudes one wants to live by. Afterwards, I believe it important to give that conviction time to grow, time to settle deeply into ones set of mind and frame of thinking. And then, when one is intellectually, emotionally, and personally convinced, is when one should make the decision: “I will not eat meat from caged hens.” “I will stop smoking.” In my experience, only then will one succeed in actually changing ones life.
It is an interesting topic, but the answers aren’t so easy. Would chickens even be alive if it wasn’t for men ?
I once had quails here in my back yard (long story involving a little boy jealous of his sister hatching chickies at kindergarten). Quail eggs are delicious and my 10 quails were pampered to the max in a 2 X 2m cage or during summer on an enclosure at my vegetable garden, full of worms and bugs for them to feast on. Me, my husband and the kids ate their tiny eggs knowing that they were a gift.
How do I know it was a gift ? Japanese Quails are an interesting example of men / animals depending on each other. Having been bred for over 1,200 years they have lost most of their natural instincts and don’t build nests or sit on eggs. All Japanese quails in existence have been hatched by people in a hatchery.
They can be kept in very small cages and even need to be, as they are very sociable and naturally flock together even on huge spaces like my yard. My first quail was desperately lonely and complained non-stop, until her brothers and sisters hatched 3 days later. The poor thing was miserable until she got some company!
Unfortunately, last summer, nature took it’s course. Their flight is stunted, not very efficient and they have little chance against predators. Shortly before they were 1 year old a badger or racoon feasted on them during the night, taking the advantage of the fact that my dogs were not around. A gruesome scene awaited me and the kids in the morning, with headless birds, feathers and blood all over the vegetable patch.
Until today I debate with my husband if we did any better than the poultry farms. Their death was so gruesome! We certainly didn’t do much better than the commercial breeders, as Japanese Quails can live up to 4 years and mine never saw their first birthday.
Hi Ren, thanks for your comment.
Of course, if we were to treat animals with respect and let them live as natural lives as possible, that would of course lead to much less amounts of household animals. The shear number of cows, lambs and hens that live today is unnatural, and they are only there to become food for mankind. Eating the animals is something I don’t really have a problem with, but when we start to treat them like goods and products instead of living animals, that’s when I get disgusted. And that’s why I can’t support this industry - because that is what it has become, an industry - any more. So, if the number of hens and cows decreased dramatically, that would only benefit the cows and hens and would therefore be a very positive thing in my opinion.
When it comes to your quail, I would say that their death - how gruesome it obviously was for you - was one of the most natural things in their existence. Their deaths are not what’s horrible; it was their lives. If they are bred so that they have lost most of their natural instincts, that is just another example of the egotistical nature of humans, in my mind.
Great written, I really agree.
Thanks, Kristin!