Do you raise livestock humanely?

haypoint · #1 02/01/13, 02:58 PM

Are you sure? How can you be sure? Are you certified Humane? Are you moving your farming practices and animal husbandry towards full compliance with accepted humane standards? You may be well aware of the move away from chicken cages and gestation crates for hogs, but that is just the tip of the iceburg. To put it another way, those changes were just the nose of the camel. He'll soon be in the tent. You might want to review these standards while they are optional.

http://www.certifiedhumane.org/uploa...fCattle.1J.pdf

Hollowdweller · #2 02/01/13, 03:45 PM

I'm not sure but I'm pretty sure my animals are not treating ME humanely

Old Vet · #3 02/01/13, 03:58 PM

It all depends on who is defining humanely. Are we doing it the peta way no but I don't abuse any of them. It is like asking you if you abuse your wife.

mekasmom · #4 02/01/13, 03:58 PM

This is the type of message the GOP needs to present heavily during elections..... the message about government intrusion into our lives. It is just wrong that someone who doesn't even know how people treat their pets/livestock can cause problems for people who really aren't being mean to their animals. And it goes beyond animal care. It goes to how we raise our children, how we use our land, how we plant our gardens, etc. There is such a strong feeling among the general public about their rights, it would win elections. How many people think it should be ok for an HOA or even a city council to dictate whether or not we can have a clothesline? Or a homeschooling coop meeting at our house? or if we can have a couple of rabbits in our shed or whatever?

greg_n_ga · #5 02/01/13, 04:24 PM

Animals around here are treated better than I am !!!

nduetime · #6 02/01/13, 05:17 PM

I would say we do pretty darn good! The animals get top notch care around here. We are chemical free, safety consicious, and truly enjoy having them around....even the ones we end up eating are named and loved on with treats, scratches, petting, etc.

Ewww! Somebody said the P word "peta" ewwwww....lol...sorry but I think they are idiots for the most part. Just my lowly opinion.

pancho · #7 02/01/13, 05:33 PM

People can treat their animals any way the choose, they belong to them.
I will do the same.

LittleRedHen · #8 02/01/13, 05:42 PM

Probably not... I haven't given mine heated water and a sofa just yet

Johnny Dolittle · #9 02/01/13, 06:53 PM

Will we refuse to buy Chinese chicken raised in cages also ?.... I doubt it ... the ole double standard will continue until our higher over-head and production costs eliminate us from the market place.

sidepasser · #10 02/01/13, 07:09 PM

I don't know because the article would not load for me, but:

Goats (approximately 20 at the time African Pygmy) had over an acre to enjoy plus shelter, salt, feed twice a day, and all nec. vaccinations and worming when appropriate.

Cows - mmm, only had one cow with a calf and she had over 100 acres to roam, grass was coastal bermuda and she had a barn to go in if she wanted. Plenty of fresh water (two creeks and one lake).

Calves - all my calves raised for food had at least one acre each, plus supplemental alfalfa hay and bull test feed.

Horses - hell, they live better than I do. No comment there..all have stalls, misting systems to cool them in the summer, radio, mirrors for those that were "herd bound", matted stalls, coastal or alfalfa hay depending on horse, individual private wood fenced paddocks of NO less than 1 acre each, vet and farrier as needed, totally and completely catered to, even the work horse and mule..both were totally "uhm Out there"..lol...I love my horses and if I can make things better for them, well hell, I will.

Geese and ducks - had several pools that were changed daily plus a 1/4 acre to roam

Chickens - my land, those chickens had it made - auto feeders and waters..runs for each breed, plus a 1/4 acre out door run that they could eat bugs, grass, and dust in.

I don't know if I am "peta" proof or not, but I know when I lived on my farm, my animals were well taken care of and can be substantiated by vets, farrier and animal control that used me to take in a multitude of abandoned horses/donkeys/mules over the years as well as dogs/cats/etc.

Old Vet · #11 02/01/13, 07:22 PM

Oh now I see you are promoting you product here. I was never in to joing anything that did not benefit me. But if I had a lot of money with no place else to spent it I might join.

nduetime · #12 02/01/13, 07:36 PM

I don't get it Old Vet. Who is promoting what product. i admit to being dense at times....post concussion syndrome...yeah that's it.

Old Vet · #13 02/01/13, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nduetime

I don't get it Old Vet. Who is promoting what product. i admit to being dense at times....post concussion syndrome...yeah that's it.

He is promoting the Humane Farm Animal Care Animal Care Standards or at least Copyright 2012 by Humane Farm Animal Care. All rights reserved.
PO Box 727, Herndon VA 20172
I wonder if he makes anything from it or is he dong it for free.

mnn2501 · #14 02/01/13, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nduetime

I don't get it Old Vet. Who is promoting what product. i admit to being dense at times....post concussion syndrome...yeah that's it.

Yup. looks like an advertisement to me.

Quote:

Humane Farm Animal Care is a national non-profit charity whose mission is to improve the lives of farm animals by providing viable, credible, duly monitored standards for humane food production and assuring consumers that certified products meet these standards.

And a nosy one at that.

nduetime · #15 02/01/13, 08:52 PM

Ahhhh, yeah, don't need that for sure. ESPECIALLY nosy people. Stay away and be afraid, be very afraid.....of me and mine that is.

plowjockey · #16 02/01/13, 09:05 PM

This is about the same way, "Certified Organic" foods got started, before the government took control, of it.

Product marketing, control of competition and control of the producer, all at the same time.

haypoint · #17 02/01/13, 09:23 PM

As the OP I'd like to add that I have nothing to do with this group. Just letting you become aware of it. Seems most folks are pleased when a group demands big ag get rid of caged chickens or outlaws gestation crates. Plenty of folks got angry at the way down cows were treated at that CA slaughter facility. Well, now there are standards to humanly slaughtered cattle. Lots of big food chains are requirig certification in this type of humane acredidation. Folks like to know their steaks came from a humanely raised and humanely slaughtered cattle.
Now you know your voices were heard. It is strictly voluntary, for now. But if you aren't on the bandwagon, people might swing back to grocery store meats, certified humanely raised and certified humanely butchered.

I attended a senimar about Humane Treatment of Animals. Animal Expert Dr. Temple Grandon spoke, among others. I see her name is shown on the opening page of this web site.

Just something you might want to be aware of. Sorry if it looked like an ad.

**gone-a-milkin** · #18 02/01/13, 09:31 PM

I wonder how many folks here follow this groups standards for castration and dehorning?
Any bull over 6 months old must be castrated by a vet (for example).

Lots of room for grey areas in the non-ambulatory animals part too.

I found the whole thing very interesting.
Thanks for posting it.

Awnry Abe · #19 02/01/13, 09:47 PM

I am becoming less and less of a fan of certified anything.

coolrunnin · #20 02/01/13, 09:55 PM

They can take their certification and hang it where the sun doesn't shine. My animals are well taken care of but that Vet bill would be murder if I had to get the vet for everything they are proposing.