Can you raise chickens to eat, and still love them?

[Wifezilla]

Just because you are going to eat them doesn't mean you can't give them a great life before they become dinner. I think people who really know where there food comes from have a greater appreciation for life (the universe and everything

).

Give them love. Treat them great. (I hear that makes them taste better anyway

)

 

[Nikki28]

Quote:
Thanks. I'll see if there is someone in my area that can do it . We have thought about doing it ourselves the issue is space we are surrounded by neighbors and kids who probably wouldn't appreciate witnessing the process.

 

[patandchickens]

I didn't name most of the 10 broilers I raised and et this year (and the ones with names were along the lines of "twisty" for one with a slightly funky wing, or "snuggly" for the one pullet that would usually stay put to let me pet her). But the main reason is just that I couldn't reliably tell the dang critters apart -- four of my Speckled Sussex hens, all of whom I love to pieces, have no names for the exact same reason

Pat

 

[bigredfeather]

I agree with those who said they are here for one reason and one reason only. FOOD! My daughters are very attached to our layers, and I think that is okay. Everyday when we get the eggs, my daughter gives them the "Thank you chickies for the yummy eggs." However, she has had limited access to the meaties. I have only handled the meaties twice: First time, I moved the chicks from thier shipping box to the brooder. Second time, from brooder to outside pen. And the last time will be from the pen to the chicken crate in route to butchering facility. I read what some of you pay for butchering. CRAZY! I will only be paying $1.40 each, and it was only a dollar each up until recently when they became USDA inspected. The place is only about 10 minutes from my house. I guess I'm pretty fortunate.

I think you can love them to an extent, but you need to understand thier purpose and respect it.

 

[NoelTate]

Miss Prissy-I do still eat seafood, therefore pescatarian instead of vegetarian. Most pescatarians do it because of the level of self-awareness of animals. It's sometimes a health choice, but usually more of a moral/compassion choice, which is my case. Wikipedia has a wonderful article explaining it. I do not eat other meat, though, regardless of who kills it. It still had to be killed. However, for those who do choose to eat meat, I think they should be fully aware of the process of raising and killing the meat. Having someone else do it is part of why cruelty is allowed in the meat industry. People see those plastic wrappers in the store and never make the connection that a living, feeling creature died to provide it. I think raising and killing it yourself or buying from a local farm that does is a much more healthy and humane (hopefully) choice.

Michigan-I can relate to your husband's experience. The first time I gave up meat, I quit cold turkey. One day I ate meat, the next I did not eat any at all. I got very sick and felt bad for quite a while, so I started eating meat again. Later, I slowly weaned myself off meat (other than seafood) and learned what healthy alternatives I could replace it with to still receive the nourishment my body needed. Now my friends and family actually comment frequently how I never seem to be sick. Giving up meat was not an easy process, and eating HEALTHY without it can be a challenge at times, especially since so few restaurants offer nutritionally complete vegetarian choices.

 

[MissPrissy]

Quote:
Thanks for clarifying that. If you read your other post is says you are not a pescatarian. I was a bit confused.

 

[farmergal]

MichiganWoods --
"Vegan" is another one of those misunderstood terms, I think. Vegans don't eat any animal products whatsoever -- no dairy, no eggs, many vegans won't even eat honey because it's a bee product. So if your coz ate eggs, she wasn't a vegan.
I used to be a vegan (although not a crazy strict one). I actually started when I was working on a small sailboat for 5 weeks with no port -- the meat onboard was really yucky and so it was easy to give it up. (And we ran out of eggs and cheese partway through the trip.) Plus, the cook was a vegan, so she made really tasty veggie dishes.
Now I don't know what the right term for my diet is... but I only eat animals that I know have lived a good life. I haven't raised meaties myself yet (need more coop space!), but I'll eat animals raised on friends' farms. My feeling is -- I do feel guilty eating an animal that I know has suffered. (Lived in a cage its entire life, constantly fed antibiotics, etc.) But I feel great eating an animal that I know has been raised well and killed decently. That's more than you can say for a lot of human lives, isn't it -- a good life and a good death?

Also, I have *tons* of respect for people who do raise and process their own animals. We tend to be so out of touch these days... so many of us forget that the bloodless, skinless, boneless chicken breast wrapped in plastic wrap at the grocery store actually comes from a real live bird!! We prefer not to think about what goes into our food. Just the other night I was talking to someone who didn't realize that the egg comes out the same hole as the you-know-what. They were totally grossed out, and I was just laughing!

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

We can't eat our own because we socialize with them so much, but we respect people that can.

We're okay with other people taking our chickens, even if they may end up having them as dinner, but we practice a don't ask / don't tell approach. If someone is going to eat one of our hens we don't want them saying how they are going to cull her and season her as they are putting her in the box.

"Thankfully" we've either found homes for our hens or the older ones that we couldn't bare to make a decision on were taken by predators. Example: Our first chicken ever, "Blacky" was just killed by a dog. While we were sad to see her go, we were also relieved the decision was made for us.

Maybe in 10 years when we have a lot of land we may raise some hens for food, but I don't think we could ever eat hens that we interact with, pet, and name.

But again... kudos to those that can.

 

[Nikki28]

Quote:
Very good point.

 

[greyfields]

I think those of us raising our own are sitting on moral high ground, even though sometimes it feels bad when you take your animals for processing.

At any level, the 'processing', 'slaughter' of animals is cruelty and does cause them some pain, even for the briefest of moments. The difference between humans and nature is most of us take every step to minimize the cruelty and pain the animal faces. We understand 'humane' slaughter as we're confronted with it. Nature affords no such privelages and the horror and pain an animal goes through being eaten by a predator must always be considered when comparing how we process our chickens.

It really is in our face. People just buying grocery store chicken, though, are inflicting as much pain and cruelty on an animal that we are. They are just at a comfortable distance so are able to live in denial. It's the privelage of living in a consumer society.

So, I always remember, even when you feel bad watching your chickens be processed (or doing it yourself) you sit atop nearly all your peers in confronting reality. It is ethical to eat and raise your own meat. You can always challenge someone who doesn't do this and they'll quickly discover they're treading in more of the "gray area" than they'd care to admit.

In the end, rejoice in the fact that we at least get to make this difficult decisions. For most people out there, the decision is made for them.