Please help me understand meat eaters not wanting to process a chicken!

[gg706]

Thank You for the kind words and much wisdom! I feel empowered as a result. If someone asked me if I would kill a chicken for my family the answer would be a resounding YES! So even though the animal is healthy and does not need to be put out it's misery....my family needs the healthy food provided by the healthy chicken raised here at my home. I did not really look at it that way before. Thank You, I appreciate your insightful posts!

 

[DeepFriedBacon]

Yeah, for it to be cost productive, the extra expense of a butcher eliminates and raises the cost past the store bought. Which is why I'm giving a go and doing "batches" thoughout the year. Get em all done on a Sunday and reap the rewards for a few months. Rinse and repeat. With the proper set up I could see culling as needed, reduces the cost/equiptment of a deep freezer, but being as both of us work, getting home then processinng just one or two wouldn't be efficient for us.

 

[DeepFriedBacon]

Trust me, just take a look @ a commercial broiler set up, and you'll be loping off your own chickens heads in no time. I'm doing it solely for that purpose. It's still cheaper to buy chicken from the store, but for me it's the life of the animal. I wouldn't even call those birds chickens. Never allowed to be a "chicken" in the first place.

Glad to hear you're opening up a lil into it.

 

[ctfeathers]

This is a really good question.
For me, I worry about not being humane enough. I am very attached to animals in general, and have been for my whole life. I have been "quilled" rescuing a porcupine from a trap, have jumped into a river to rescue a baby bird that fell from the nest (then raised it and released it) I have stopped my truck when I came across a squirrel that was "stunned" and moved it to the side of the road to recover - rescued turtles, baby animals of all types and kinds, the list is endless.
That being said, I also have a deep seated disgust for the meat industry, and the lack of humane treatment of the animals. I hate the conditions, the whole thing. We have our own chicks now because of this. We are also going to begin getting our meat from a local dairy and meat farm, because I just cannot buy it at a grocery store. We also have a 9 year old who is allergic to dyes, preservatives, and artificial sweeteners. When she had a reaction to chicken bought from a store (because they soak and inject the meat with "water" to enlarge, and it contains artificial ingredients, I nearly wanted to just go vegan lol.
We are slowly beginning the process of being more responsible for the food on our table - but I do not know if I can be the one to butcher. I have never had a problem ending the pain of an animal suffering, and I have helped along numerous animals hit on the side of the road, because I just can't turn a blind eye to it. But I do not know if I am ready to raise something myself for slaughter, either. I do support those who can - and hope they live close to me and enjoy doing favors

 

[SIMZ]

I used to be one of those people. I could eat a hamburger while telling you how thoroughly disgusting and heartless people who hunted or butchered their animals were.

I think most of it is ignorance.........even though they know they're eating meat, they don't connect it to the actual animal. No amount of logical discussion will make a difference - they'll still say, "I just don't see how you can do that. I never could!" Don't waste a lot of thought on it because it's based on denial and a lack of experience, so it won't make sense.

For me, the actual owning of the livestock helped me "get it". I love my chickens, especially my meat chickens (weird, I know - but they're so sweet!). We took them to be butchered the first few times and I could see how stressful it was. They weren't treated like I wanted them to be. They also stunk up the van and made an incredible mess!

Now I'm a reformed PETA person. LOL We processed right around 200 chickens last year -- by ourselves! It's certainly not my favorite thing to do, but it's just a fact of life that it needs to be done. I'm now very leery of store meat. I want to know how my meat was raised and treated. That seems a lot more logical to me. "Happy meat", I call it.

 

[shamrockmommy]

For me, it feels like murder. My heart pounds and I start to cry at the very thought of killing any animal. I've always had a very close connection with animals, and I can already see in a couple of months with my pullets that they each have personalities and emotions. Basic emotions, yes, but still.

I fancy raising my own chickens for meat. I have found a source for beef and pork that is grass fed organic but not chickens yet.

My rational thought process is our ancestors have been butchering their own for centuries. For the last couple generations, that skill has been lost... Out of sight out of mind. Nowadays, Americans have so many pets, not just dogs and cats, and adorable farm animals now get to go to sanctuaries to save them from slaughter. Yikes!

The whole mindset has changed about where our food comes from. Anyway my point of view. And I'm trying very much to change it back to the way of self sustaining farming.

 

[gg706]

Very well said. It doesnt make much sense to me. I think some very real common sense about animals have been lost. Now I love dogs and cats However I watch these animal cop shows now and then and they will have a VERY injured or very sick animal and will spend thousands of dollars, months of recovery, pain and suffering for the animal to get it ready for adoption. When there are THOUSANDS of healthy animals that need homes and are put to sleep because there are too many and not enough homes for them. Where has that started making sense in our culture?

 

[lookyhereboy]

I grew up hunting and fishing. If I shot it or caught it, I was the one that cleaned it and we ate it if it was something edible. We did have that summer where war was declared on skunks after a couple of incidents. Over 50 skunks that summer. They needed thinning out. I did not clean any of those.

We raised chickens and pigs for meat and butchered them ourselves. I raise chickens now, more for meat than eggs. We’re having chicken tonight.

I can’t explain that mindset. I just blame Walt Disney and don’t worry about it. What else can you do?

Agreed it is Walt Disney's fault just like people that won't eat delicious venison because of a stupid anti-hunting cartoon.

 

[Spifflove]

Wow ctfeathers has the most amazing avatar yet.

Ask any 7 year old. They all know that meat comes in pretty red packages from the grocery store.

The hardest parts for me were:
1. The first one.
2. The 2nd one.
3. The third one.

After that no problem! My wife now, if she sees a feather left on the carcass or blood in the freezer bag she won't touch it. Also the first time I cut a whole chicken down the back, using a huge butcherknife, cleaving and splitting with a crunching sound, it just made me queezy. Now no problem.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Wow, gg706 that was well said also. You've got the right idea IMO.

When I was young (hundreds of years ago) it was rare to use a vet. It wasn't prudent cost wise.

I have a friend that spends roughly half of her income every year on vet bills. Everything from chickens, turkeys, ducks, parrots, dogs and cats.
She had a 23 year old cat that cost her 10,000 over it's life. I don't get that either.
She makes a good income with nothing to show for it due to vet bills.