Any of you eat your chickens?

[lovemyprettybirds]

It is difficult for me to slaughter a bird I've nurtured, protected, and enjoyed. Regardless, chickens are a common food source for people and if I offer my excess birds to other people, whether freely or for a price, they will probably still end up in the pot, skillet or oven.

Consider this: A local lady makes delicious tamales that she sells in the area. She buys chickens at the livestock auction (many of which are excess roosters and unproductive hens that the original owner could not bear to slaughter). Tamale Lady slaughters the chickens and makes tamales with the meat. Then, she sells the tamales to the same people who produced the chickens to begin with. After all of this disassociation, the original owners can finally enjoy their delicious tamales without guilt. Nevertheless, they are still eating Buffy, Fluffy, Snowball, etc. The only difference is the distance they've managed to put between themselves and the actual act of slaughter.

There is nothing wrong with eating chickens you have raised. Unless you are devoted to taking care of them their whole lives, they will probably end up as food for someone or something. That just seems to be the way it is.

 

[bluey]

We just butchered our first this month.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=259038

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
Same exact feelings here.

 

[lovemyprettybirds]

Hi again Bridgette,

I just wanted to add that if you have chickens that you can't bear to slaughter, but need it, you can probably find someone to do the dirty deed for you. Just be thankful that you actually know where food comes from and have the ability to produce it yourself. Apparently, some people don't know that hamburgers come from cows, french fries come from potatoes etc.

 

[honeydoll]

We have recently started processing our own chickens and I will admit I could barely eat the first one. It tasted delicious but going thru the processing kind of made me queasy about eating it. After six it doesn't bother me to eat my chickens. They are so good, I mean unbelievably good. Much better than the store bought ones. Knowing I am providing a good healthy meal for my kids and DH is such a satisfying feeling. I will raise and process my own from now on. I had to buy chicken from the store because I used the last of our ones and I could not believe how gross the store chicken was. I am now hooked. It does take some getting used to but when you do it's hard to eat store brand again.

 

[DaKid]

YEP these last 3 years , I raise some as my pets and for egglaying and some for eatting just like my turkeys at lease I know how there where raise and feed and I and my family knows that they are eatting natural feed anaimals and not shot up with what ever

.


HOME GROW IZ DA BEST

ALAN

 

[Miltonchix]

They taste more like.............CHICKEN!!!

Its never easy or fun. Kinda like cleaning the coop. One of those things you hate to do, but know its inevitable. We don't eat any of them for about a week after dispatching. Get the gory part outa the head first.

 

[2manychixs]

This was my first year raising meat chickens, layers, and I tried the ever hard turkeys. We purchased 30 meaters(lost on, two put down early from oversize stresss), and to save money we did ourselves. I had trouble with my husband cutting the heads and the dipping them in the water (smell). But with the water the 2nd, and 3rd, batch instead of using a propane tank to heat water we did the pot over a fire pit with wood, so much better the smell of nansty water was gone. Plus the gas we saved. Turkeys sent to buthcer. Meat chickens to me taste like store, but I feel much better that there is nothing but all natural/organic feed, no antibotics, by-products etc.. Turkeys huge taste difference, but lost one to mystery death, 4 to dog when young (thought they were toys). But wow awsome flaver beyond store.


flock-
14-araucana, 38- iza browns, 4 black australorp, 4-buff orphanton, 5-guineas, 8-speckled sussex, 6-partiage rock, 3- RIreds, 5-white rocks, 5-barred rocks!

 

[al6517]

I don't have a problem with it at all, we do eat our own chickens and turkey and quail. As long as you don't let yourself or kids name them put diapers & saddles on them and keep them outside where they belong, you shouldn't have a problem. I know that this whole feed yourself idea get's mixed reviews here but really it's not that big a deal, I understand if you are a little queezy doing it yourself. It is just a whole livestock vs a pet issue, our chickens are livestock some folks keep them as pet's it's all about what you feel comfortable with.

AL

 

[Bedste]

For me I have found that it is all in how I look at it. My original chickens were all named by grandchildren so there is no way. I gave away the ones that turned out to be roos and what they do with them is their business. NOW that I realize this may happen, I have told all my 11 grandchildren that they are not allowed to name any of the little ROOS unless they want to name them Soup or Stew because when their grandmother gets hungry I am going to eat him.

IT WORKED! I was amazed. They complained for a minute and I responded that God made chickens to eat and I am going to eat them if I get hungry. They moved on and started naming the new pullets and then we all started joking about "soupy" or "mr. dumplin" It was very light hearted and matter of factly.

I realized that if I was shipping all my Roosters off to someone elses FREEZER CAMP, I better hurry up and get ahold of this situation with the grandchildren or I wont ever be able to get in on the action. I have also videod the "dressing" of 4 roosters recentlly and this has helped me to get a grip. YES they are pets and yes i actually do love them and yes they all have different personalities, but if they stop laying or are one too many roo, then you do what you need to do.