How to eat (your own) chicken (without losing your lunch!)

[yinepu]

That's the way I think of it. The meat birds are raised for that purpose. We know our layers will go to freezer camp too, even with their names, and it was all understood when we went with dual purpose birds for our laying flock. But we've given them all good lives and let them do what they do naturally all their lives.

As for smothering them with sauces or trying to pretend there's something on the plate other than a bird that was running around the yard a week ago, I'd rather see that bird in all it's glory and taste the full flavor of the meat. I've quit using marinades and doing anything that smothers the flavor - if I wanted chicken that you have to add flavor to, I'd be down at the grocery getting one of those cardboard chickens.

They're chickens, not pets.

-DB

all of our layers will end up in freezer camp too.. plus several of the emus we hatched out, raised, named and DNA tested to see for certain who was the boys and who was the girls (we just don't need THAT many boys).. lol
I know some people think of their birds as pets (which is fine for them).. but my mother broke us of that when we were kids. We were allowed to have birds as "pets".. but we also knew that sooner or later they would end up on the dinner table unless they ended up being a target of a predator..

One of my sisters had a fit when I explained to her son where hamburger came from.. she was teaching him that meat comes from the store all pretty in a package. It surprised me since she knew how we were raised and were taught from the very beginning where food comes from (I was 3 when I started helping with the slaughtering and butchering)

 

[booker81]

I was raised with food livestock, and I think it's a culture thing. There are many (especially in America) that just don't get that upbringing - meat and food comes from the store, placed there by someone else, instead of coming from the backyard or the neighbor.

I like my critters, and I like animals. I also like meat. I can raise and kill my own meat because I know what conditions it lived in, and what life it had, and it makes me more comfortable to eat meat that was raised well than it is to keep my hands clean and buy from the store.

My daughter is now 4 1/2, and is starting to be an active participant in processing. She has been active in the care of the animals, and understands that we must always treat animals with care and attention, and that we may eat them sooner or later.

Care and compassion don't have to be eliminated from the process of raising and butchering animals for food

 

[Appylover]

I have processed a total of five birds here. The first one was one I raised. The second one I had bought, the ducks were given to me, and a Turkey I had raised for 2 months. The first one was hard. Not because she had a name but because she had been running around in my coop. I worried about disease, making my family sick, and the like. I know she had been kept in a clean coop and run but I still had it in the back of my mind she was not raised in a "factory" setting. Even though I know comercial settings are gross. Second one was better for me as I had not raised her from a chick. But then I had the worry because I had no clue where she was raised. The ducks were a bust I had no issues eating them just they were too old. Now the turkey. He had gotten to where he was starting to attack humans. I can tell you I probably will not be doing turkeys again. The kill was not clean we were unable to break his neck and he slowly bled out. I feel he suffered needlessly. But boy was he tasty. I am for the most part done with having ick factors or being bothered with killing and eating my own meat.

 

[Peregrine]

As for smothering them with sauces or trying to pretend there's something on the plate other than a bird that was running around the yard a week ago, I'd rather see that bird in all it's glory and taste the full flavor of the meat. I've quit using marinades and doing anything that smothers the flavor - if I wanted chicken that you have to add flavor to, I'd be down at the grocery getting one of those cardboard chickens.

They're chickens, not pets.

-DB

I've actually never been to fond of chicken; I've always enjoyed whatever flavor soaked into it while cooking. Our homegrown chickens are a little tough, a little rubbery, so I still use recipes that have flavors mixed with the chicken. I know that free-range meat is supposed to taste better, but we are mostly doing it for the health reasons. The eggs certainly taste much better!

I agree that chickens are not pets, although I still grow fond of them and enjoy watching their personalities. But not enough to cry when their time comes to fulfill their duty as our dinner. Of course, if I were hungry enough, I would probably eat my cat. (Nobody shoot me, please!)

 

[Peregrine]

One of my sisters had a fit when I explained to her son where hamburger came from.. she was teaching him that meat comes from the store all pretty in a package. It surprised me since she knew how we were raised and were taught from the very beginning where food comes from (I was 3 when I started helping with the slaughtering and butchering)

A friend of mine told me how she was riding in the car with her two young children, and they were following a chicken truck. Her son thought it was facinating until he was told where those chickens were going. Horrified, he exclaimed, "I'm never eating chicken again!" His sister said, "But you love chicken nuggets!" to which he replied, "That's not chicken!"

I think if more children were raised to understand where our meat comes from when they are growing up, less will be disgusted when they find out the truth. I didn't grow up on a farm, we were a typical middle-class family, but I always knew where my meat came from. The wake-up call for me was learning what they put in it at the slaughter houses.

 

[Greyfox Farm]

I kind of like to chide my city friends who say things like "HOW can you KILL a chicken, "with: "When you eat a chicken sandwich YOU killed a chicken, you just subbed-out the "hit."" I didn't grow up farming but I've been killing and eating game since I was able to get into the woods so it's "no factor", but I gotta tell you I do get attached so some of the knot-heads. I have a few favorites that will have a place to live as long as they're healthy and happy.

 

[crazy4eggsJulie]

lol.. when i was a kid my mother would announce at dinner who we were eating (she even marked the packages with their names at slaughter time)

There's nothing quite like biting into a piece of fried chicken and have your mother ask how "Emily" tastes...

For some reason this strikes me as soooo funny! Our chickens are pets and we've never eaten one yet because the kids just adore them, but when I was little my grandfather raised all kinds of birds. I remember eating dinner one night at his house when one of my brothers told me WHAT we were eating. It was the same kind of bird that was hopping around in a brooder in the corner nearby! I refused to eat and cried the rest of the night! Ha! Ha!

 

[BullChick]

Imagine six city kids, I think we were 5-15, sitting in our aunt's kitchen eating supper. Suddenly, Aunt Betty says, "Yeah, I just had Moe slaughtered this afternoon!"
Now six kids are done eating, getting sick, and crying.

 

[UrbanviewFarm]

lol.. when i was a kid my mother would announce at dinner who we were eating (she even marked the packages with their names at slaughter time)

There's nothing quite like biting into a piece of fried chicken your mother ask how "Emily" tastes...

This has got to be the best post I've seen all week!!

I'm going to have to try this.

 

[tlcmama]

I kind of like to chide my city friends who say things like "HOW can you KILL a chicken, "with: "When you eat a chicken sandwich YOU killed a chicken, you just subbed-out the "hit."" I didn't grow up farming but I've been killing and eating game since I was able to get into the woods so it's "no factor", but I gotta tell you I do get attached so some of the knot-heads. I have a few favorites that will have a place to live as long as they're healthy and happy.

ha ha!! subbed-out the hit!

I've only had to put down sick birds but i am eerily looking forward to seeing if i am able to do eat one i've taken such good care of for so long
i'm more concerned with selling my 6yr old on it