BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[Fire Ant Farm]

Baby animals are great ambassadors for the non-farming family members. My partner never goes out to the livestock area of our farm but spent a good hour snuggling with a chilled piglet yesterday to bring it back to life. He's even learned to accept that all animals eventually die on the farm.

That's been one of the most important lessons I have reinforced for myself since starting to keep animals for food. (Not counting eggs). That it's possible to care for an animal's well being, and comfort them and derive joy from them, but that they are still livestock, not pets, and are being kept for that purpose. (And that every single bit of meat I have ever eaten came from an animal that had to die, often after living a much less pleasant life than my chickens.) I closed the loop on this for myself for good this weekend with my cull.

I was on the phone with my mother yesterday talking about all of this existential stuff, respect for animals that provide food, what it's like to cull chickens I raised as chicks, etc. - bless her for listening to me, she is a city person (as were her parents) who would never do this herself, but understands why I do it and doesn't judge. And do you know what she said (before I could)? She said (unprompted), "Maybe that's why kids who grow up on farms or in 4H and are around all of this are so well adjusted." I agreed, and I told her that while I didn't blame her and dad at all, but that I sure wish I had learned this before I was in my 40s. If I had kids, they would sure as heck learn this before age 10...

Glad your partner has the ability to ease himself into the process, participation-wise. I'm impressed that you're raising pigs - I no longer have the stomach for any pork that comes from big ag - I have a couple small family farms where I get it now. I'm not allowed to have pigs where I am, zoning-wise (not that I have the bandwidth for that right now...)

- Ant Farm

 

[varidgerunner]

My seven year old that names everything sometimes refers to entrees by name. The sooner you figure out that for you to live, something has to die, the better we all are. Even if you eat veggies and live in the suburbs, something died in the process, your smart car mashed a centipede, the combine responsible for your frosted flakes ran over a gopher, the boat carrying your clothes over the ocean chopped up critters with it's prop the whole way. If you don't realize these things, you live in denial. Sometimes living in denial makes people make poor decisions that impact people who are not in denial.

 

[Beekissed]

Amen X 2. It also creates a lot of suffering for the animals in their care...the very same animals they claim to love so very much. A lot of suffering going on out there in the name of love. Sad.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

My seven year old that names everything sometimes refers to entrees by name. The sooner you figure out that for you to live, something has to die, the better we all are. Even if you eat veggies and live in the suburbs, something died in the process, your smart car mashed a centipede, the combine responsible for your frosted flakes ran over a gopher, the boat carrying your clothes over the ocean chopped up critters with it's prop the whole way. If you don't realize these things, you live in denial. Sometimes living in denial makes people make poor decisions that impact people who are not in denial.

Just in case I need to clarify, I have realized this for a long, long, long time, I've just never taken an food animal life directly before (except a few fish, which I did not raise). Actual participation leads to understanding on a level not possible otherwise... And I agree, living in denial can lead to bad decisions. I was vegetarian/vegan for a short while when I was much younger. It was good in that it made me begin to think about the source of my food more than I had. One of the very, very many reasons I personally decided to go back to eating meat was when I realized the extent to which animal products are in essentially everything - including the stearic acid in our car tires.

- Ant Farm

 

[hellbender]

 

[Fentress]

"Actual participation leads to understanding on a level not possible otherwise..."

That is the key. For me, I have chosen to be a part of my environment. For many, so called environmentalist, they are as detached and removed from the environment as the people who callously exploit it and just as unaware. During the harvest season, when the earth begins to sleep and the grass starts to fade, the throats of are animals are cut and their blood spills upon the earth, completing the cycle of life and death, we begin are wait for the coming rebirth, that we know will arrive in due course, with the longer days. You can make this as spiritual as you want, for me it is very spiritual, but at a minimum, one should always feel compelled to have respect for our animals and give thanks.

 

[miss heny]

got christmas money from grandparents...now in a innerbattle at what breed on possible getting XD

 

[hellbender]

Fortunately I will soon be taking a VERY long sabbatical because it is increasingly difficult to curb my inclinations.

 

[Our Roost]

Ha Ha, reading up on the stock you already have, I can see why thats a problem!

 

[miss heny]

Hmm? What is the full stock do you have hellbender? XD

Why am I fearful of the reply?