anyone feels bad for eating their chickens?

[ChickieBooBoo]

For me its hard to process any animal, I can, will and have done it before. And it gets easier everytime. All of my chickens are pets, they are all treated the same. Whether they are meaties destined for the pot or a fancy pet who sits on my shoulder. I feel good eating them, its satisfactory knowing that YOU raised and fed this bird. YOU processed this bird and did they deed, and now YOU are eating the bird. Just my 2 cents

 

[AinaWGSD]

If the chickens are truly your pets, then yes I think you should feel bad for eating them unless you are somehow in a life-or-death situation where not eating them would mean a human death. However, if you got chickens to raise specifically for meat, or for eggs with the intention of eating the spent hens, then those are not "pets," then they are livestock whose intended purpose is to provide food. In that case, then you have absolutely no reason to feel bad about giving them a good life and a humane death before cooking and eating them. You aren't eating your pets, you're eating an animal that you've raised for the purpose of eating.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

Quote:
Why would you feel bad? You gave them a good life and a humane death, what is there to feel bad for? Why can't a chicken bought specifially for meat be considered a pet, you treat them as you would a pet and then in the fall...

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

We must all be careful of the word "should" as it implies a judgement against a person who thinks differently than yourself.

On this issue, I don't think any "should" feel one way or the other. Much of what we are feeling is conditioning that we had little control over.

I believe no one who is happily eating chicken needs to feel guilty because some one else feels they "Should" be horrified to eat something they raised themselves, however it was raised.

And I don't feel badly about NOT eating a chicken that would make me feel uncomfortable to eat or have another person eat. No one is going to "should" me into feeling bad about it (unless they are starving and I am depriving them of a food source).

chick_magnet, eat your chickens as you see fit and don't listen to the "shoulds" on this issue.

 

[Tiffrz-N-Kidz]

I haven't eaten one I raised yet, but I have been petting the calf that will eventually be part of my family's dinner(s). I got hooked up with a local farmer who is grass finishing a steer - first time buying local beef - I'm a little nervous but determined to go through with it.

At first I felt weird petting the little guy knowing that I am planning to eat him, but then I thought, "Why should I ignore this poor calf and be mean to him when all he wants a head scratch? Beef cows need head scratches, too."

 

[Dogfish]

Never felt bad about eating them. I do feel a bit of remorse when it comes time to have them hit the kill cone. Once they hit the scalder, I'm fine.

 

[dsqard]

Quote:
I like this! I haven't had to eat any of the chickens that I have raised yet mainly because they are for eggs and most of them have not started laying yet. If the time comes to butcher one of them I hope I would have the courage to do it. I see it as a sign of respect and why shouldn't meat animals be raised with kindness as well. Don't get me wrong, I have and will continue to eat store bought meat even knowing that most of it is not raised in the most humane conditions but knowing that the animal was well taken care of during its life might make eating it easier in some ways.

 

[Sundown_Farmer]

You wouldn't eat a stranger would you?

 

[shareverwonder]

Quote:

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

So true. When I fill my meaties food they just about attack me to get to it. All summer long I had dreams about the attack of the killer meaties.

 

[Brunty_Farms]

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

The amount of chicken meat consumed around the world is in the billions of pounds higher than any other meat, making it the majority staple in the world.... as far as meat goes.