Culling... To eat or not to eat? the bigger picture...

[Velvet Hairpiece]

What a wonderful thread. I'm brand new to chickens, and I've been thinking more and more about raising them for meat. I couldn't do it with my flock of 8- unless the roo turns into a jerk, but so far so good. It's nice to know that there are many others with a like-mind. I want to know how to provide food for myself and be sustainable, and know that the creatures that I eat were able to be what they are instead of stuffed into a cage never to see the light of day. That's terrible. I want to be connected with the earth and those things around me.

I'm already fortunate enough to have a meat store nearby that provides "happy meat"- i.e. cows, bison, and pigs that are pastured and never fed corn. They have chicken too, but I don't really believe that they're truly free-range. More like they get to walk around, sort of, in a big building.

I guess the next step I would need to take is to find someone and do it with them. Now if only I knew somebody...

 

[NYREDS]

If you're not a chicken I don't see why you'd feel "canibalistic" about eating chicken?
For me it's a simple question. If I'm going to eat meat why would I not be willing to kill it myself. It's like the difference between commiting murder & hiring a hit man. I don't see one as morally superior to the other.

 

[lizage]

Watching the documentary Food Inc. has all but sealed the deal for me. I already "knew" everything, but like the saying goes, pictures are worth a thousand words. We already raise our own cattle for beef, but they are processed by the butcher. I have quit buying pork because I cannot find a source locally that I can afford, so we may be raising our own next spring. I have hens for eggs and have already brought the idea of meat birds up to my husband. We both work out of the home though and between the work on our property (farm?) and a young child, careers, etc. I have hesitated based on the time involvement. We are able to purchase chicken already cut and clean from a local Amish producer, so I would have to weigh these options more carefully as far as time and cost involvement. I already raise the majority of our fruit and veggies for year-round self-sufficiency so this would be almost 'closing the loop'. I have always been a huge animal lover, but from day one, these animals are not, to me, looked at as pets, though we do treat them as we would any "pet". Even our outdoor cats have a purpose and we have lost them (to traffic, wandering, etc.) and while it's always hard to lose something, it gets a bit easier after a while. It is easier for me to not eat meat than it would be to buy it from a grocery store or McD's or any other factory-farmed source.

 

[Niss]

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Ha ha, chickens don't feel canibalistic--a pullet flew up and stole a BBQ chicken leg out of my hand a few weeks ago!

 

[off-grid hen]

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This.

 

[stuckinthecity]

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I just watched "I am Legend" so what you said made me relate it a little to the movie. I really wish my family had a planned out method of that "what if" situation like you do. Even though, we have land that belongs to family a little north of here... and it's a rural area so I guess we could find cows, hogs, horses, chickens, ect.. if we needed. I most definitely DON'T want something to happen to where we have no power, no clean water, or chaos... But I almost wish I could try to live out my ideas I've come up with. Then again, I spend way more time then I should thinking about what kind of animals I want to raise and what kind of plants I want to grow in future gardens...

 

[Rodster]

Wow, i am so happy with the amount of different and supporting replies so far. Im sorry it's been a while since i was able to respond but how time flies sometmes. I will definately find those 2 books that were suggested and maybe make a post later to discuss them. Wow, im at a loss as to where to start in replying. My flock now consists of 3 Black sexlink hens that are laying regularly, a Dark silky roo that isn't near as fond of me as the hens, but is gentle, docile and just the best roo a guy could want for his hens, now a 7 month old turkey hen that REALLY doesn't care much for me, and 2 10 week old turkey peeps that now have turkey pox. (not fun) the 2 peeps are very attached to each other and one of then comes to me. So, from a realistic point of view i really have nothing i need to worry about eating here yet. the turkey mom will hopefully eventually get used to me and provide me eggs and maybe some new chicks in time. Also in time the peeps may become less dependant on each other and THEN maybe i can name one of them thanksgiving dinner, but so far im in no hurry. I enjoy watching them immensely and they are enrichening my life in ways i did not expect. I wonder how many more I will need to get before i will have enough to start supporting a weekly meal? if that is even feasable. When it boils down to amount of feed, price of new birds, plus the gas to go get the birds to add to the flock, it's not looking like a money saving deal anymore. I also now have 2 sick birds with no money for a vet, nor for medicine for 200 birds when i only have 2 that are sick... see my point? Am i doing a 180? not really... i'm just seeing things a bit differently after having then for about a month now. i DO like the idea of being able to accept birds now as a payment for services as i am set up to keep them now and another mouth isn't a whole lot extra to the food bill. i also will have potential dinners "on ice", meaning at any time one of them could just kind of "take a walk" if really needed, but i think flock dynamics will play a MAJOR role as to who gets eaten and who doesn't. i think i have come to terms with eating one should the appropriate time come, and have decided to gas it first so it's last thoughts will be peaceful. (a "special" nest box for it's last 4 hours or so) After it's unconsious, it will go upside down into a milk jug to be bled out, then from there follow along with what i see on youtube that has the least mess and waste. IF i am able to eat it afterwards, I will continue growing with meat in mind. if i Can't eat it, i will re-assess then. So Thank You to everyone who has contributed so far, it has really helped me become more at peace with the idea, as well as resources, encouragement and tips.

 

[darkmatter]

Chickens (and Guineas) = Eggs, Meat, Fertilizer, and bug patrol. And for the last couple years added to their tasks, Garden fall/winter glean/clean and till to make it ready for spring planting---saves me a lot of work.

 

[zumzumfoxy]

I'll only consider eating mine after they've died of old age or if they've died of illness (not zoonotic/only if the illness cooks off during cooking). I'm under a spiritual code that prevents causing harm and I -definitely- am not the kind of person to be able to slaughter something that I'm attached to. I'll definitely be skinning them though, and saving the feathered skins and outspread wings in their honor! (With the meat removed- I'm not going to waste a single part of them!)

Originally I was in it for the eggs, but now it's Love/Companionship first, then eggs.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have not read all the posts here but from scanning it sounds like you are getting good responses.

My chickens would not be alive today if they were not destined for the cooking pot. That's a big part of why I have chickens. My daughter-in-law has chickens that are pets. She would never eat hers and the eggs are not even that important to her, though she eats the eggs. But she does not have any problem eating my chickens.

I do not name mine and I do not handle mine. They are not pets. I give them the best quality of life I can, letting them free range but trying hard to protect them from predators, giving them clean dry shelter, and plenty of food and water. If they are sick or injured, I treat them. Broodies hatch and raise chicks with the flock from eggs that my chickens laid. I do not enjoy the killing part, but it is something necessary if I am going to eat them. And if I did not eat them, they would not be here.

We all have different goals and situations. How you handle it depends n what works for you.