Live poultry

poppy13

Just saw this place on Classon and Pacific that is selling live poultry. I wonder how well they will actually do there. Any comments?

rbg

They've been there for at least two years, so I assume they're doing just fine.

poppy13

Oh wow... don't walk that way much. Pretty interesting.

erikka

That explains the chicken bones strewn everywhere.

caseopele

Yeah, I really enjoy walking by and seeing cages of live chickens stacked on top of one another 7-8 feet high. Especially when their garage door is wide open in freezing or sweltering weather.

I'm not a rabid vegetarian who thinks everyone should be one but I think that the animals should be treated better. I feel terrible for those chickens, I understand they're "only animals" but that doesn't mean they should be treated like food while they're still alive.

I try to steer clear of that block but I forget it's there sometimes. I walked by today to see the door open with the cages stacked close by. It was pretty f*cking hot today, even in the shade.

violet

Subject: poor chickens

Caseopele, I completely agree with you. There's a place on Atlantic between New York and Nostrand that sells live chickens (and I've seen goats and sheep there too). I can't walk past it anymore because it makes me cry. Even seeing the trucks going down Atlantic with the stacks of live chickens makes me cry. They must be so scared...
I wonder what hormones are released into the bodies of animals kept in these conditions before slaughter. There has to be a better way.

poppy13

I wonder how chickens stay cool in the wild?

When I first saw them I can't imagine people buying a live chicken, when there are the prepackaged and ready to go chicken at the grocery store. (I'm from the suburbs, we don't know about raising live chickens). Maybe the live ones are cheaper or something.

To me it is just so weird. It must be legit for them to run that kind of business in the neighborhood. Besides, they probably take care of those chickens better than you think... if they want to sell them, the chickens can't be dead/sick. Right?

rose

poppy13 wrote: Maybe the live ones are cheaper or something.

Well, they are definitely fresher!

poppy13 wrote: To me it is just so weird. It must be legit for them to run that kind of business in the neighborhood. Besides, they probably take care of those chickens better than you think... if they want to sell them, the chickens can't be dead/sick. Right?

They are probably in better shape than chickens raised in factory farms, if only because the customers actually see them before buying them.

I'm not defending this at all -- I don't eat meat and haven't for 20+ years -- I just doubt that the conditions are any worse than they are for the vast majority of chickens raised for human consumption.

sweet tea

i imagine the major benefits to buying a live chicken are 1) knowing for sure it was slaughtered in accordance with halal (it's been a while since i walked by that place, but i believe it is halal), and 2) it's fresher.

poppy13

Do they slaughter and pluck feathers for you? Or is that like an extra service charge?

Next time I'm near there, I've got to take pics of it. People back home will never believe me.

erikka

poppy13 wrote: Do they slaughter and pluck feathers for you? Or is that like an extra service charge?

Next time I'm near there, I've got to take pics of it. People back home will never believe me.

yep, they do both.

I don't know...I guess I can respect someone more who goes to one of those places vs. someone who buys a pristine chicken breast shrinkwrapped to a styrofoam tray. But, on the whole, chickens are not treated well on farms either.

That place on Atlantic--one time I was walking by and they were wheeling in skinned goats piled into a shopping car. It was the freakiest thing I've seen and I come from a family of hunters. there's also a sign on the window that says "sacrificed goats, half price".

dakotas way

Its a horrible thing, the way these poor animals are treated generally. Both the way they're raised, transported and have to wait for the end result.
I guess unless all of us stop eating meat, it will go on.
It's just such a shame to have these poor creatures look at you knowing theres nothing you can do to help them individually.
Several years ago in Newark, a bull jumped the ramp into the slaughter house and ran down the street into a truck garage and hid in a cornor. The owner refused to let the meat company come get it on her property and said they had owed her for work on a truck and this would be her payment. She felt if it was able to escape, she wasn't giving it back. It was retired to a farm upstate NY and named Liberty and has been allowed to live it's life out in the fields.
That's pretty cool

poppy13

LOL - I hope this isn't becoming a forum for converting people to be vegetarians.

I grew up on meat and don't plan to change that. I tried to give up dairy once... it was impossible. Also, remember that the only truly domesticated animal is the dog. Every other animal will flee when given the opportunity. And most animals pretty much "care" about eating ... don't know any cows that want to be cuddled. Do you?

caseopele

I would never try to convince someone to become a vegetarian, I'm one but I made that choice. I just wish that people who did eat meat would be more concerned about the lives of the animals they will be eating. The only way anything will change is if meat eaters demand that the animals are treated better. Too many people choose not to think about how that hamburger got to their plate or like erikka said how that shrinkwrapped pristine chicken breast got to the supermarket.

Alot of my friends eat meat and so do my parents, they respect my decision to not eat meat and I respect theirs to eat meat. I do remember a few years ago after my parents got back from visiting relatives in Italy. My stepdad's cousins had a pig that was allowed to roam free and it was fed good food until it was slaughtered for a special dinner with my parents. My mom said it didn't taste like any pork she'd eaten in the US, it was much better.

poppy13

Did you see the episode on "This American Life" about pig farms? The only reason pork is white, is because they made genetic changes to do this. They thought Americans were happier with white pork instead of the natural color. Pretty crazy stuff.

http://www.sho.com/site/thisamericanlife/episodes.do (Episode #6)

violet

Subject: cuddly cow & funny chickens

http://www.slate.com/id/2140552/

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/17/garden/17chickens.html?ex=1337054400&en=118c0fe8c55ed3a6&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

dakotas way

What great stories these were, Violet.
And to think some people actually think animals don't have feelings or emotions.
Every last one of them do, and they feel love as well.
Gotta love the animals.

erikka

I don't think animals have emotions as much as we like to project emotions onto them. I grew up with cows and pigs who were all very nice and gentle, but I wouldn't go so far as to say they had emotions.

I do, however, agree that they feel pain.

dakotas way

I can appreciate what you're saying, Erikka. But I've worked with animals all of my life. For many, many years I was a horseback riding instructor and trainer and have dealt with all kinds of other animals too. My observation is that they do have emotions, such as when a friend of ours had a potbelly pig named Veronica. She was very possessive of her owner, and I once saw her butt a large dog across the room with her head with an all out charge at a party because her owner was petting it. I took it as jealousy of the other dog. Or the horse that is coming up to a jump and the rider makes every mistake possible, but the horse gives it's heart to go forward, not because of wonderful riding on the riders part. But because that animal loves the rider and gives even though it could quit the jump in a heartbeat. And I've seen horses quit fences when given that same choice but with unpleasant owners that don't treat them well many, many times. Given a choice I think an animal will go all out for it's owner if treated well because it cares and wants to please them.
Look into a dog's eyes when it's owner comes home or is petting it, it's unconditional love (if the dog is treated well.)Wtih it's tail wagging and wiggling about just because their friend is home.
Anyhow, those were my observations.

vagabond

I have not tried this place yet, but in general people buy live chicken (or freshly killed) because it tastes much, much better than the week old dead bird usually on offer at the grocery. Beef needs to age but chicken is best really fresh. And yes, they remove the feathers for you and often the skin with it.

ev965

They might remove the innards too (the ones you wouldn't eat, anyhow) and bleed the carcass. I stopped walking by the place on Atlantic because I couldn't stand stepping through the blood and gore sluicing down the driveway and sidewalk into the gutter. --E.

dakotas way

Thats disgusting and sounds like a health hazard, doesn't it?? With the blood and goo going into the sewer in the summertime? Eww

poot

I am pretty sure that if people who eat meat started to care about the feelings of the animals they plan to eat, it would make more vegetarians rather than change the way that animals are kept and slaughtered in the US. Let's be honest, people who eat meat - no judgements here - care about whether or not their food is safe and clean. They either chose not to think about how it got to their plate, don't care, or perhaps don't think they can do much about it.

On another note, there was an interesting book that came out a few years back - I can't remember the name - in which the author put forth a theory that we project feelings on dogs, and that in reality, everything dogs do is motivated by the fact that we are the hand that feeds them. I was all set to dispute the book with tales of the unconditional love lavished on me by my dog, but ultimately, the author did make some reasonable points.

restless native

poppy13 wrote: Do they slaughter and pluck feathers for you? Or is that like an extra service charge?

Next time I'm near there, I've got to take pics of it. People back home will never believe me.

Yeah there's another 'real New York story' for you to tell the kin back home huh. I'm sure they'll get a huge kick out of it.


Those poultry places have been in Brooklyn forever, at least since I was a kid. My father brought me to one to buy a rabbit one time, like we were going to the pet shop.

armchair_warrior

yeah they been here forever.

whyfi

Restless Native wrote: [quote=poppy13]Do they slaughter and pluck feathers for you? Or is that like an extra service charge?

Next time I'm near there, I've got to take pics of it. People back home will never believe me.

Yeah there's another 'real New York story' for you to tell the kin back home huh. I'm sure they'll get a huge kick out of it.


Those poultry places have been in Brooklyn forever, at least since I was a kid. My father brought me to one to buy a rabbit one time, like we were going to the pet shop.
It must be nice being so morally, ethically, genetically superior just by virtue of being born in NYC... my condolences on the not gettin' laid thing, though...

homeowner

Live poultry places exist in Brooklyn to cater primarily to those folks whose religions require animals be killed in a certain manner. There are kosher and halal butchers and slaughter houses which provide meat for many people who cannot consume meat that has not been slaughtered according to religious doctrine. With the influx of people from other countries to NYC they are also popular among people who are used to purchasing live meat versus prepackaged animals. Its not that weird, its just different.

There are also people who practice religions that require animal sacrifice. They mainly slaughter chickens and goats, and these places provide animals for those services. Contrary to what you may think, my experience has been that folks that are involved in those religions are actually very in tune with the "emotions" of the animals and are extremely respectful of the animal's role in their religious observations.

caseopele

homeowner wrote: There are also people who practice religions that require animal sacrifice. They mainly slaughter chickens and goats, and these places provide animals for those services. Contrary to what you may think, my experience has been that folks that are involved in those religions are actually very in tune with the "emotions" of the animals and are extremely respectful of the animal's role in their religious observations.

The people running the place on Classon Ave don't seem to give a flying f*ck about the chickens there though. Like I said above, they leave the garage door wide open in freezing and sweltering weather. The chickens are in cages stacked 4-5 high about 6 feet from that door.

restless native

WhyFi wrote: It must be nice being so morally, ethically, genetically superior just by virtue of being born in NYC... my condolences on the not gettin' laid thing, though...

It is a good feeling not being so bland and uninteresting that I feel the need to make a pilgrimage to some other city, where others just as bland and uninteresting gather to meet their brethren and drink copious amounts of coffee and beer together in pretentious storefronts while having conversations that make the Clear Eyes guy sound like Chris Rock. 8)

As for getting laid, something tells me I probably do just a tad better than you, although pasty drunk chicks aren't my thing so you've got me there.

I could care less about the born in NY part. I'd be thrilled if NY were taken over by West Indians.

caseopele

Right, aren't you living in Japan now?

whyfi

Restless Native wrote: It is a good feeling not being so bland and uninteresting that I feel the need to make a pilgrimage to some other city, where others just as bland and uninteresting gather to meet their brethren and drink copious amounts of coffee and beer together in pretentious storefronts while having conversations that make the Clear Eyes guy sound like Chris Rock. 8)

I guess that it's quite telling that you have nothing better to do than constantly comment on how bland our lives are...

Restless Native wrote: As for getting laid, something tells me I probably do just a tad better than you, although pasty drunk chicks aren't my thing so you've got me there.

Yeah, I saw the pics that you posted of those little Japanese robots that you like so much. Tell me, do you insert your yen in the same place you inser-... never mind.

Restless Native wrote: I could care less about the born in NY part. I'd be thrilled if NY were taken over by West Indians.

And this is why the first thread you started was titled "Who's a Native Brooklynite?"

Anyway, this is getting off topic, which seems to be your primary goal in every post that you make. For you, the only topic seems to be, "why 'you all' suck." Just give it a rest, okay kid? You're making yourself look bad. Oh, and be nice.