Do you let your children watch you butcher a chicken?

[mrszlopez]

I think im going to say most of what everyone else is saying as well. Its a personal choice. Everyone is raised differently & you know your children the best. If you feel that they can & WILL handle it accordingly for their ages, then go forth.
My little one is turning 5 in september - im currently trying to explain to her that when she eats chicken nuggets - it is a chicken. Beef, a cow - bacon, a pig. I do not butcher my own chickens, nor do i eat any meat (vegetarian). Her father is a meat eater so its two different sides for her. I dont feel it is appropriate in a way to have a child watch the processing at a young age because sometimes they tend to not fully understand. But i feel in your case & many others, its under your discretion. Good luck !

 

[Two Creeks Farm]

I meant to add this but couldnt find it.

This pic is a few years old but both kids like stated do their part. Here it isnt a choice, you want to eat you fill the freezer and you help process the animals. Ofcourse being raised this way my kids had no issues. I can understand this topic being very problematic for some especially if they have never had this lifestyle ingrained from an early age.

In 2006, my oldest son( he was aorund 13 at the time, youngest around 8) killed his 1st deer with a bow. I was flat on my back with an injury and could not help, wife was working. Both boys managed to get the deer dressed, out of the woods and hung up...a very proud moment for me as I watched out the window. They handle everything themselves now really, deer, squirrel, rabbit, any farm animals we butcher, skin and fillet their fish. Now they both can fully butcher a deer as well as most animals and have for a few years now. Its not uncommon to come home in the fall to find a deer in the freezer done 100% by them. They both help trap nuisance anaimals and during season know how to handle skinning the hides and make a few bucks selling them.....we dont like waste. The meat from Coons and possums are boiled and fed to the dogs.

We surely arent blood thirsty killers and ive never seen either of my boys harm an animal out of spite. My youngest who is now 12 has his mind made up he will become a veterinarian. So I hope your processing goes well, and I applaud you for trying to teach your kids how the real world works far away from huge processing plants.

 

[Bessie1994Snider]

I'm 16 and have been wanting to help my dad process all our animals since I was around 5-6 yrs old. And I am fine for it, but my sisters never really wanted to. My dad always explained it though before we did anything told me what he was going to do and why he was doing it. So I think if there ok with it you should let them see

 

[annabananaandfamily]

Have To agree with everyone so far, but grin a slightly different perspective.
I am a city girl, born and raised. A few years ago my husband and I moved our family to what is atleast to us the country. Ii love it here, close enough to all those great modern amenities I love, but far enough away that we havr a big yard, fireflies, cookouts, and chickens!
I have jumped on the rural bandwagon and love it...but I have hit a bump. Ii would love to raise out own meat, but I cannot bring myself to butcher it myself. I an terrified of it! Io want to be able to, and explain it to my kids, but justi can't seem to get over it!
Ii think if you can teach them about it young with compassion and common sense, you should go for it!

 

[Squishypuff]

My 4 year old daughter watched my last processing a month or two ago. I explained what would happen, and that there would be blood and the chicken would die, and she understood- and wanted to participate. I was worried it would scare her, but she was very interested and not at all disturbed. Actually, when I was dressing out the birds, she ran up and stole some feet and tried to take them to play with on the trampoline. First time I've ever yelled out "no playing with the chicken feet!!!"

I definitely underestimated the little one. Next time, I'll find a job for her, to help out with it.

 

[welasharon]

I know that if I had to, I could kill and clean a chicken. I think it was not a bad thing necessarily that we had to help, but 500 (give or take a few) chickens all in a day were a bit much. Heck I buy my peas already shelled now too! I think my thumbs are still suffering from all the pea shelling! And butterbeans...my thumbs throb if I see a butterbean! I think moderation is the key. I also think it is very important that they know where their food comes from.
sharon

 

[weaselslucks]

I actually saw a paper somewhere where someone wrote to the editor about another person in town killing his own food. it read something like that man should be ashamed of himself for killing another living being. He should just go to the grocery store and buy food where no animals were hurt. Really?

 

[Spires6]

My son and his friends killed and butchered chickens with my husband supervising and I didn't watch....

 

[mrsengeseth]

Mine don't just watch, mine help. With quail too. And when the day comes, they'll help with the rabbits. FWIW my daughter is the fastest of all of us. They do their own fish and have helped with larger game as well.

 

[MattMansChickens]

why not? ive helped butcher and cut stuff up since i was 3