anyone feels bad for eating their chickens?

[kla37]

It only bothers me when I forget to make gravy.

 

[kla37]

Zaybird77, the purpose of the meat birds forum is to discuss meat birds. For eating. By people. Who eat meat.

 

[buzymom13]

We processed our first unruly roo the other week....He made delicious soup. If we weren't made to eat meat it wouldn't taste so good. As far as not being good for the environment and such...well... if you don't like it don't eat it.

Circle of Life and all....

 

[savingdogs]

I certainly admit to being a dedicated omnivore and planned to raise our own chickens for meat.....I feel that raised by my own hand would have a better life than the chicken I currently buy at the store.

But when we have had chicken deaths among our layers, we have found we knew them too well and did not eat them, we buried them. I know this is irrational and I hope to desensitize myself and my family by trying raising a flock of meaties in the spring. But we discovered some egg eating by our chickens and THEN discovered we just could not kill and eat these PARTICULAR chicken despite that being our plan. We have a little roo growing up right now and we plan to process him, but I'm not sure I'm happy about it.

I'll have to use the idea....how do you feel? Full!

And Zaybird, did you realize what category you were posting in? This section is for people discussing their MEAT chickens!

 

[Shifty Joe]

I would say that is odder that more people are not concerned about their lack of involvement in their own food supply. Even worse is the stigma they try to place on those who do take an active involvement. Be it raising animals or your own produce, you have decided to not be a part of the mindless food chain that leads to a fundamental lack of respect for the food itself. I ensure I give my chickens the best life I can, however I feel no remorse (ish) when I help the roosters take their migration to the freezer. I know that by doing so I make the other chickens life better and I am able to prove honest food for my family.

Either you get this line of thought, or you don't... and if you don't, BurgerKing appreciates your business.

 

[Xtina]

Quote:
I remain personally convinced that ethical management of livestock IS good for the environment. This vegan/vegetarian argument about the environment relies on judging the very thing that home meat raisers are against as well: factory farming and unethical farming of every kind. Yes, if you overload your land or make animals live on feedlots, then it's bad for the environment, just like overcrowding humans is. But calling livestock bad for the environment is nonsensical: do they plan to get rid of all the animals? Every animal on this planet plays a role in the ecosystem, and it's up to we the animal husbands to make sure that we strive for balance.

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

Being vegetarian does not always make for perfect relationships with animals. Witness African farmers trying to chase elephants out of their fields, mice and rats destroying entire fields of grain in Asia and me swearing at the racoons that decimated my sweet corn!

 

[chickenlorena]

I didn't know this forum "Meat Birds, etc." was only for meat-eating people. I have a "meat" bird and I'm interested in her breed although not in eating her. Does that mean I shouldn't post on this forum?

Of course that animals in a small farm are treated better than in a factory farm, thankfully. However, even in small famrs, livestock go through painful precedures (castration, ear-clipping, tail docking, etc.) and most are slaughtered at their prime and many before they even get to breeding age, which raises serious ethical issues. Also, even in small family farms, most animals do not get the chance to raise their young. Not too long ago someone posted about caponizing roosters. To me that's a barbaric practice no matter if it takes place in a small farm or a factory farm.

I do believe that most small farmers treat their animals better than big factory farms.

Interestingly, many people along this threat posted about trying to "desensitize" themselves in order to eat their animals. I think that is sad. Empathy for any creature's pain is what makes a human great.

And yes... I'll definetely enjoy my meat-free Thanksgiving! I'll give thanks than no animal had to die solely for my taste buds.

 

[Xtina]

Well, there's just no such thing as food that was made without animal death. When you think about all the field mice that get killed by the grain combines and all the bugs that die in silos and eventually end up in the diet of the vegetarian/vegan, making it possible for them to live without any significant nutritional deficiencies and then say to everyone else that meat isn't necessary in the diet.

 

[savingdogs]

Quote:
Why do you act like meat is somthing you have to have when really it's just a selfish, brutal, and unatural gorging of other being's flesh?
This is the sentence that I believe made a few of us want to remind this person what forum they were posting in. It isn't unnatural to eat meat, and it isn't brutal unless killed brutally. If eating is selfish, is it not selfish of this person to deprive PLANTS of their life? Ripping those poor baby plants out by their roots!

For those of us who are not, however, vegetarian, wouldn't you rather we desensitize ourselves to eating our own hand raised chickens than depending on store-bought? My natural inclination is to do what is easiest, buy it already cleaned and ready to put in the oven. But in this case I feel desensitizing would be a good thing for chickens overall, if I no longer bought them at the store for my family to consume since we are not stopping eating meat any time soon.