IS it hard - Page 6

I'm a vegetarian too and have never eaten meat but everyone else in my life are heavy carnivores.  I am not against eating animals but I do believe that they have to be treated kindly at all times, and dispatched humanely.  I love raising my meat birds and enjoy making them happy and healthy and to be proud of selling a tasty, non medicated, hormone free product that enjoyed sunshine and lots of room to run and play. I like to spend time hanging out with them but I did not name any of them and am I do keep in mind that their date is already booked for processing.   I am really proud of what I'm doing and even though I'm absolutely going to cry when I'm putting them in their crates on processing day I can feel confident that they had great, if short, lives.  I'm not sure if I would be brave enough to process them myself but I would really like if they could be done on the farm rather than go to the processer down the road.  We're not allowed to sell them where I live though unless they are processed in an inspected plant so that's what I have to do unfortunately.

See, but the OP says that she thinks it's the animals "destiny" to breed so they should live at least a year and get to breed once before being food. That makes it inherently linked to spay/neuter for pets.

And in addition spay/neuter carries other benefits such as being a massive prevention measure in certain cancers and neurological conditions leading to a healthier pet... And what if a non-spayed animal DOES have young because of the choice to leave them unspayed. It's not worth the risk.

I don't see how someone can claim a respect for people who face up to the fact that they are killing animals and respect the lives of the animals... And put thier own animals in a situation that could create death in thier respective populations. It was brought up as an example because the situations are very similar.

I mean, by denying your animals the "right" to breed - through either isolation or spay/neuter. Wouldn't that ultimately be denying that "destiny" of breeding whether you spay/neuter the animal or not? But if you DO allow your animal to breed - even just once, you're essentially killing however many offspring they produce... Possibly even thier own. So spay/neuter simple removes that possibility.

The two are pretty much inherently exclusive... Either it's OK to eat them early because they live a fufilling life without breeding or it's good to spay/neuter your pets to prevent further death... Similarly it's hypocritical to say that it's better to raise and butcher your own food and know that it's a difficult thing every time you have to eat to live rather then buying it from the meat faries at the grocery store when one consideres it the "destiny" of every animal to breed and will not sacrifice other animals for that cause.

Just sayin'.

I am new to chickens and new to killing. We had chickens as kids but we were never involved with the killing. Up until recently I had never tasted farm raised anything as an adult and never thought about where my meat came from. I had eaten deer but never hunted. Had eaten fish but never killed them myself. I decided I would raise my own meat birds and was not sure I could do it myself. When the time came I was surprised that I could. I told him I was sorry but it really was the best for him. He had broken a leg that morning. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Will I do it again? Yes! I will not enjoy it though. I am proud my birds live a happy life full of nice bugs, sunshine, and treats. I have found my meat breed because I wanted a duel purpose breed that had none of the issues the CX's do. We decided on the Naked Neck Turkens.

On the side of spay/neuter. Sure you can keep your animals free of other animals. Thats not such a big deal. But the high risk of unterine infection, cancer, and other reproductive issues in females makes this a HUGE risk. Males can develope cancers and in some cases aggression.

i guess i will put my 2 cents in. like a lot people in the earlier posts. is it emotional to do a kill ? yes it is. ending  a life is never easy. however it must be done. treating the animal with respect and kindness for me is essential. i give my birds the best life i can give. i provide them. fresh air, shelter, good nutrition and companionship. when slaughter day comes i thank the birds for their service and the meal that they will provide. i make sure the bird is killed humanly and quickly. i often remember after slaughter their life. it is kinda like a tribute to the animal.

i remember i am the one who brooded them, gave them food water and shelter. for me i really never get over the fact for 3 months i saw them every day. so i get an empty feeling when i go to the coop.to feed the others. they are gone..

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmanvanatta 

Yes but somthing that has always befudled me is when people learn what happens to kfc chickens and tyson birds and they say its good tasting so they dont care! Even my best freinds say that and i love the fact that i could finde people like you all that respect them and showed me that not all people feel that if its tasty it dosnt matter were it came from. And if incase your wondering i asked to show my self that not all people see animals as objects but as real living things. So thank you all.

Feed lots are why I don't eat at McDonald's, love it, but won't buy it. Haven't ate KFC in a long time. We have a local IGA that uses local meat and they make a good fried chicken.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmanvanatta 

i know all this. But i was going to find was to keep them away from stray cats and dogs becuse i dont want them to have kittens that eventualy get killed. And i didnt take it as an insalt i just wanted to make sure you didnt take it that way.

Good luck with that. A female cat, at 6 months will go in heat and will act ill, cry and scream, and  try to rub on you and well, I won't try to explain the rest. Just when things quiet down, it starts all over again, each heat will become closer and closer until you have male cats stalking and peeing all over your yard and she runs out or you can spay or neuter and really let it have a natural life. Running around your yard, chasing chipmunks and bugs, climbing trees, spying on little birds, lying under a lilac bush in the heat, sleeping are on comfy bed during the day ahhhhhh the life of a good, strong, healthy spayed kitty.