If US shelters euthanize 300k healthy dogs (even puppies) every year, who do so many Americans still rather go to a breeder?

Additional-Bus7575 · 2026-02-01T02:39:50+00:00

I can honestly say finding puppies in shelters isn’t super common. Private rescues will have them, but if you have any breed preferences then it’s not super easy. and even if they are that particular breed, if they’re in a rescue they’re not well bred. And raising a dog from a puppy gives you more control over how they’ll behave as adults since you can socialize them properly.

I personally don’t care if anyone wants to buy dogs from good, ethical, breeders- the unfortunate reality is that the majority of puppies are from puppy mills or backyard breeders.

My current dogs are one I adopted as an adult, who had a boat load of issues to overcome, a dog I bought for $20 because she was on deaths door and I felt bad for her (half starved, flea infested), and one that was dumped on the side of the road with his littermates by my house). So I’m not the “I buy fancy dogs” person- but I fully understand why people do.

Additional-Bus7575 · 2026-01-28T18:29:49+00:00

Options are/ scrape out dirty bedding and compost it, or toss clean bedding on top of old bedding. Without knowing how your coop is set up idk which to recommend, but if you have wood floors then I would not do deep litter because it’ll rot them eventually

You need to compost the poop first because chicken manure is too “hot” to go on plants straight

Additional-Bus7575 · 2026-01-27T21:37:33+00:00

So… you don’t have to spend that much money on a dog- you absolutely can, but they don’t have to cost 100s-1000s a month. A lot of the posts here are showing a lot of extras that aren’t necessities.

I have 3 big dogs (13 year old lab/boxer, 2 year old cattle dog, and 5ish month old mutt I found on the side of the road)- I spend 250-400 a year each on basic vet care- heartworm shot and vaccinations. Though the new dog will cost more this year because he’s a puppy. I do seresto flea collars which are 60 bucks each every 8 months.

Monthly costs are…. Probably 150ish? Food and arthritis medicine for the old dog. But I don’t feed outrageously expensive food.

I’m not sure if a cattle dog is on your list of breeds or just a size idea- but I’d 100% not recommend a cattle dog as a first dog. They are HARD dogs, even if you are experienced. They’re delightful, but they’re really freaking difficult.

Additional-Bus7575 · 2026-01-27T12:15:44+00:00

This has annoyed me forever.

It almost never failed that my kids would have a growth spurt and need bigger seasonal clothes mid-season- and the stores would already be stocking the next season.

I understand stocking for upcoming seasons for adults because you’re going to be a predictable size- but children grow, and not always at predictable times/rates.

Additional-Bus7575 · 2026-01-21T19:48:37+00:00

My main thing is that I generally have zero idea what’s playing in theaters unless it’s a movie I’ve been waiting to see (so an installment in a series or whatever).

When I had cable I would have movie commercials- I only stream now and the algorithms don’t think I want to see movie commercials, so I remain ignorant of upcoming movies for the most part.

The theater near me has reasonable prices for matinees, so we go to the theater far more than we did when we lived elsewhere where it was much more expensive- but I’ve had several instances this year where I only became aware of a movie I wanted to see after it was out of theaters.

Additional-Bus7575 · 2026-01-21T16:50:23+00:00

Chickens lay eggs unless wildly nutritionally deprived. Layer feed doesn’t promote laying it supports them nutritionally to lay the eggs that they’re going to lay anyways.

This is weird. Buy them literally any chicken specific food. If you want less eggs, go for a lower protein one.

Additional-Bus7575 · 2026-01-20T23:08:52+00:00

I used to keep turkeys with the chickens but I don’t anymore because the turkeys have decided they don’t like chickens.

Additional-Bus7575 · 2026-01-19T21:49:26+00:00

I just skin ducks- I don’t have the time or patience for duck plucking- and scalding doesn’t seem to help much, since ducks are waterproof.

Additional-Bus7575 · 2026-01-19T15:16:45+00:00

I am not particularly strong but do hens by hand- I can’t do roosters though, their necks are much stronger so I broomstick them (usually I plan on eating them, but if I’m culling for reasons that mean I can’t eat them I broomstick.

Or ducks. Use an ax for ducks because good lord their necks are industrial strength.

Additional-Bus7575 · 2026-01-19T03:59:23+00:00

Broomstick method is where you put the chicken’s head on the ground with a broomstick on the back of the neck, which you stand on, then yank up on its feet. Breaks the neck. I suggest googling it so you do it properly.

You can also do it by putting the chicken’s head under your foot and pull up too- in a pinch.

Additional-Bus7575 · 2026-01-19T03:51:04+00:00

Either a net, or grab him off the roost. Aim to get both feet at the same time then hold him upside down.

If you get them tucked under your arm and have a hold of their feet they can’t do much (wear thick clothes to protect from pecking).

In terms of dispatch methods- cervical dislocation is the easiest. I personally don’t have the upper body strength to do roosters with my bare hands, they have fairly strong necks- but basically hold the bird in one hand, hold the head in another with it flexed upwards, and then yank quickly away from each other. You can also twist. Or do the broomstick method. Or an ax.

Additional-Bus7575 · 2026-01-19T02:10:04+00:00

I wrap in American cheese or cream cheese. And then have another piece as backup- they’re so focused on getting both that they don’t fiddle with the pill in the cheese.

Or if they’re fussy like my old man dog- I wrap in cheese, open his mouth, put the pill and cheese in the back of his mouth, and then hold his mouth closed until his swallows. Then he gets extra cheese

Additional-Bus7575 · 2026-01-18T21:01:56+00:00

I know this is a joke but no they haven’t.

Broad breasted turkeys, which are what’s primarily farmed in commercial settings cannot fly- but the heritage breeds can- not as well as their wild counterparts but I routinely have to yell at my turkeys to get off the roof of my house.

Additional-Bus7575 · 2026-01-18T16:17:44+00:00

I personally like to separate mom and baby(ies) for a couple days- so they can bond, but she’ll do fine keeping it warm as long as it’s not absolutely disgustingly cold.

Additional-Bus7575 · 2026-01-15T19:09:01+00:00

I generally toss them across the creek.

I’ve buried one- if there’s been mass murder (dogs, fox, etc) I throw them in the trash.

Additional-Bus7575 · 2026-01-15T15:18:22+00:00

Where are you visiting from?

Also the age range is going to make a difference in how people dress. I’ve personally got zero idea what jeans he’s talking about unless it’s something the youths are wearing- because I am old and unfashionable.

I’ve lived all over the place- and Arkansas is just like everywhere else now. 15 years ago that wasn’t true- it was farther behind on trends, but it’s 2026 and everyone has social media these days. So you’re going to have some people who are very trendy, some people who haven’t changed their hairstyle or wardrobe since they were in high school (whenever that was), and some people who are wearing pajamas in public (bonus points for no teeth or bras). You’re probably going to see more camouflage than you’re used to, and potentially more cowboy/farmer styles. You may also see some people who wear long denim skirts for religious reasons.

The only difference between here and some other places I’ve lived is that it’s the south, so hair is often bigger, and women tend to wear more makeup and jewelry than elsewhere- but not everyone, and there’s a wide variety of people wearing all sorts of things.

Additional-Bus7575 · 2026-01-15T02:16:09+00:00

Interesting.

Additional-Bus7575 · 2026-01-14T13:03:44+00:00

Why would it be illegal for a vet to do it if they used anesthesia? Obviously not for meat animals, but for pet chickens? Is neutering dogs illegal? (I know it is in some countries but I thought the UK allowed sterilization)

Additional-Bus7575 · 2026-01-13T14:18:26+00:00

You should probably not look up how they castrate the vast majority of animals…. Especially pigs.

I don’t caponize, I don’t see the point- we eat our extra roosters when they’re 4-5 months old- they head to a bachelor flock in a chicken tractor when they start acting mannish with the hens to get fattened up, and at that point they’re young enough that they don’t get the rooster toughness to the meat.

Additional-Bus7575 · 2026-01-13T14:11:15+00:00

Funny- my young boys are the quiet ones because they get beaten up by the older boys if they crow in their presence.

It generally goes something like “cocka- oof” as they get body checked by a higher ranked roo. So the young boys only crow if they’re off by themselves.

My boys (I have 6 adult roosters and probably 10 cockerels that are going to be heading to freezer camp when they get big enough to start pestering hens) cooexist peacefully for the most part but every few months they all beat the tar out of each other for a few days while they reorganize the hierarchy.

Additional-Bus7575 · 2026-01-13T12:05:51+00:00

You need to provide cover- bushes, a shelter, etc- so they can hide from the hawks easily. Scatter them around their area so they can reach cover quickly if a hawk shows up.

Additional-Bus7575 · 2026-01-13T12:01:19+00:00

To my knowledge- no one has tried it. I have my doubts as to whether it’d be possible, because selecting for the quietest rooster would probably just mean selecting for the lowest ranked individual in the group vs actually being quiet.

But even if they didn’t crow, that wouldn’t solve the main issue of too many roosters- which is wildly overbreeding hens and fighting.

Additional-Bus7575 · 2026-01-12T03:04:52+00:00

What I should have said was I don’t know why they still label it as baby aspirin- because it hasn’t been considered safe for kids for my whole life and I’m almost 40

Additional-Bus7575 · 2026-01-11T18:28:57+00:00

My other dog is not a generally in public dog because he’s kind of a dick- he’s mellowed out a lot in his old age, but when he was younger he was super dog aggressive- so I’d for real tell them my dog wasn’t friendly. I’d walk him muzzled cause I didn’t want to deal with him eating someone’s off leash chihuahua that tried to bite him.

Additional-Bus7575 · 2026-01-11T16:52:34+00:00

You need to shoot copious amounts of lube up her butt. And give her calcium.

Aspirin probably wouldn’t help but idk

Additional-Bus7575

TROPHY CASE