Does the killing get easier ?

[giasmom]

Okay, Today was the day I processed my 1st chicken. It wasn't planned. We had a hawk attack this morning, lost 1, 1 was injured. The injured one got a broken thigh bone, it was snapped into, also a broken wing. So I knew I had to cull her, figured while I needed to do that I would go ahead & process her since I really wanted to know how & see if I could. I got my father (whos in his 70s) to guide me thru it. Honestly I think I handled it very well. Once the head was off it wasn't that hard. It was easier to think of it as working for my food after that. Although there was quite a bit of damage to her ( more than what we had origanally thought ) I just worked around it. This was a small bird so not really much meat to speak of. However when it was all done & over I put her in a pot and boiled her up & fed her to my dog as a treat with her supper. So all in all her life was not wasted. I think I will be okay with the killing & processing as long as it is on a need to basis. Plus I guess what made it somewhat easier in my mind was she had no name. Thanks so much to all who have responded to this thread.

Tammy

 

[Tam'ra of Rainbow Vortex]

My roomies and I have a compromise... One hates the feel of guts and cant handle sticking his hand in a carcass, the other is a hemophobe with a warrior complex... They kill and pluck, I do the cleaning and the cutting. It sucks, and we all hate it, but we can do it and we know it is nobler than buying factory farmed meat.

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
The routine gets easier...the technique gets easier....and it maybe even gets a little easier~in your mind~ because you know it really HAS to be done. But killing doesn't ever really get easier.

I've been killing animals since grade school and I've never really gotten used to taking a life. I've gotten tougher and more practical.....but it never comes "easy".

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Awww, I'm sorry your first time had to be so abrupt & unplanned. It's not usually like that. You were brave to have attempted cleaning & cooking the bird after the culling. You'll probably learn something during each session to make the next one go easier.

To answer your original question, I am finding that it does get easier each time to handle the actual killing part. I am at peace with what I'm doing and why I'm doing it, and feel no guilt or remorse, just the slightest bit of "wouldn't it be nice if the world was different" sort of feeling, something I attribute to a longing for life back in the Garden of Eden, the way it was supposed to be. I also am more confident in my skills and more capable in making a quick clean kill, so I know the birds aren't suffering more than an instant. It is my final kindness to them, to give them a swift & painless end.

 

[giasmom]

Quote:
Thanks for your thoughts, & yes I agree with the " final kindness to them" part. I used a hatchet so I knew it would be over quickly. She is in no more pain now. I'm just glad to know I could & can do it if needed. I am okay with it , mentally and physically. She had a good lfie & was treated with kindness to the end.

 

[Crickett]

Having never done it (but for culls) Is it better to use a hatchet or the cone? September 1 is coming, the day I've planned for processing some of my roos, so I'm trying to get all the info I can.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Some folks prefer the hatchet to chop off the heads, because when you can get the head off in one neat blow you know for sure the chicken is dead. The disadvantages include not being able to chop all the way through with one swipe (my problem) and the mess from a bleeding chicken flopping & running around the yard. You can have a wash tub or even milk crate handy to toss them under to prevent that.

I prefer to hang & slice, for several reasons. And I don't use a cone, just duct-tape around their wings to keep them from flapping. I can kill them quickly with a deep slice through the neck artery, I can contain the blood right into a lined can, and they bleed out more thoroughly because the heart is still beating and pumps the blood out.

I wish you great success with your processing, whatever you decide.

 

[Dennis A]

Quote:
Note To Self: Never visit Dennis A's home.

You should see what we do to people that are not friends

 

[agnes_day]

the few times i have done it (or had my son do it), we wrapped the chicken in a plastic bag up to his neck, placed his neck between the 2 nails on our stump and lopped his head off...no flapping around and less mess!

 

[Milliemay]

We did our first bird last night. I was a little dubious about the whole thing. I agree, it is no big deal after the "killing" is done. We are already talking about ways to improve our set-up. We have quite a few meaties to process.