Butchering First

[sdpbowen]

My peeps are now ten weeks old. I initially bought six and after a week I bought six more because I fell in love with them. Of my now 12 chickens, I wound up with 4 roosters!! My county ordinance doesn't allow any so although I never intended to have to, I decided to butcher one of them myself this week. It was a hard decision for me but I decided that I raised them and if anyone was going to kill them, it would have to be me. We had a meeting at the coup, the chickens and I. We discussed the matter and I asked for volunteers. Mr. Lawton Dixon Hamrick stepped forward as my guinea pig. I thanked him as it was tough for me as I am sure it was for him as well. Afterward, I realized that God must've provided them for us to eat because cleaning it was so easy (skinned). I didn't enjoy the task at all but there is alot to he said for raising your own food...
SDB in Macon, GA

 

[wyoDreamer]

Congratulations on your step toward self-sufficiency. I hope you enjoy your meal. How are you going to cook it?

 

[AA Maple]

Don't feel so bad. In "the wild" animals like chickens likely have a 50% mortality rate before they get half their feathers and probably 9 in 10 out of the remainder get picked off by predators before they're 10 weeks old. (I think this is why they lay an egg a day.... adaptation to being low on the food chain).... from there the surviving cocks would kill each other fighting over hens if you don't cull the herd.

Figure their 10 weeks are on average mostly borrowed time courtesy of your good parenting.


I'm about to do up my first drake this week myself. Wish me luck.