anyone feels bad for eating their chickens?

[chick_magnet]

I know a lot of people that criticize me for eating my "own pet". but at the same time they're eating "my chickens" with me. they don't mean any harm it gets to me sometime. We're all buddies so there's no pun intended. I was thinking if my buddies think this there have got to be some people out there the hardcore about not eating their own pets.
feel free to say anytihg

 

[Liamm_1]

Quote:
Most people in the world eat chicken. So, we can eat chicken that was crammed in a factory and had a miserable life, or we can eat chicken that was hand raised, well taken care of, perhaps organic, perhaps free ranged, etc.
Given a choice, I'd choose the latter any day.
I'm guessing your friends may be just teasing you about 'eating a pet', since they are eating right along with you. Perhaps more teasing you that you would have chickens as 'pets', than teasing you for eating them.

 

[shareverwonder]

I don't consider meaties as pets. They ar etoo darn ugly to snuggle up to.

I haven't eaten on of my hens just yet but when her time comes, I'm sure I'll be ok with it.

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

Food first pets second, that keeps it straight at least in my pea brain.

I'm thinking chicken for lunch, wish I were my own, real farm raised but I don't have any on the eat list right now and no meat birds til spring.

I'v even been thinking of giving a couple of these free/$5 roos I see ads for a home for a little while, but I would feel bad taking a roo some one was trying to rehome to save his life.

 

[bigredfeather]

NO! Not one bit! Why would somebody feel bad about eating something that was made of meat? LOL

 

[Looking4ewes]

I doubt if my meaties would feel bad eating me, given I have to fight them off 2x a day. I'm beginning to fear them.

 

[bigredfeather]

Quote:

That's very profound, and true I might add.

 

[SteveH]

In my mind there is a great difference between livestock and pets . My chickens are livestock ; they're treated well , one is even named , but they were raised for both food and breeding for more food . My dogs are pets ; it would be difficult for me to eat them . My dogs are working dogs also and bred for that purpose . I have nothing against someone keeping chickens as pets ; but they certainly are not pets for me .

 

[matthewschickens]

Quote:
Most people in the world eat chicken. So, we can eat chicken that was crammed in a factory and had a miserable life, or we can eat chicken that was hand raised, well taken care of, perhaps organic, perhaps free ranged, etc.
Given a choice, I'd choose the latter any day.
I'm guessing your friends may be just teasing you about 'eating a pet', since they are eating right along with you. Perhaps more teasing you that you would have chickens as 'pets', than teasing you for eating them.

I disagree. First of all, what most of the world eats isn't "chicken". Second of all. There are many people that really believe it's mean to eat your "pet".

Me? I think they taste better than any at the store!

Matthew

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

We generally look at chickens as livestock and easily eat meaties.

It is a little harder to eat the non-meaties as heritage breed carcass looks so different from store or CornX carcass. The kids do tend to wonder "what if this one was the pretty brown one with the black spot on it's back?" To avoid this, I try not to present these birds as a complete carcass at the table. They are dismantled in the kitchen till they are just meat, no bones or skin to give anything away. Also often served in Chicken-n-dumplings type dishes to disguise any shape.

HOWEVER, there have been incidents where a favorite hen was mortally injured. Rather than process the lone pet-ish bird and try to serve it up that week, these birds tend to be quietly euthanized and buried. A waste of meat, but I am not certain I could have happily eaten a bird that happily sat on my shoulder either, knowing beyond a doubt it was her.

A weakness I know. I think we'd eat "pet" chicken if we really needed to.

We once considered raising rabbits for meat. To be certain we could do it, I went to a local rabbit keeper and obtained a perfectly processed rabbit, brought it home, cooked it, and presented it as parts at the table. NO ONE would eat it as it was a "bunny". How sad is that? I remember eating possum, rabbit, squirrel, pheasant and other "bush meat" when a child, but at this point in my life, I could not enjoy eating that delicious smelling rabbit.

At least it saved us the mortification of setting up for rabbit keeping only to find we could not eat them.