Don't you feel bad?

[RoosterML]

I feel the same way. It is the most difficult part of chicken keeping but necessary. I don't need 80 roosters running with 80 hens. And they taste just like chicken.

X2

 

[MissChick@dee]

@EggSighted4Life in the case of the cat you did what needed to be done and that's what I am talking about. You yourself did it. You did not continue to allow the cat to suffer.
For example in the case of a dog reaching old age and having to be put down. I am not saying you take it out back and do the deed yourself. Bringing to the vet to be euthanized is the responsible thing to do when the time comes. BUT keeping the dog alive longer just because you don't want to or can't bring yourself to do it to me is the definition of irresponsible ownership. I hope that clears up what I am trying to say. Heck I have a pet cat I would not take it out back and put it down myself. To the vet we would go, BUT and very unlikely to happen seeing how she is an indoor cat. If something traumatic where to happen I would do the deed myself if needed. I will not let an animal suffer.

Agreed...to Not would be cruel.

 

[Molpet]

Recently a friend had decided to put down their beloved pet dog. When the vet wouldn't come to their house to do it.. they took the dog out to their country property where they shot and used a tractor to bury it deep. This is an older gentleman who comes from a different time than me.. With all 3 of my dogs aging... I have to wonder what I will do... Yes we have firearms... but to me HUMANE is NOT just about the animal but also the keepers' well being... I think it would destroy me. It would destroy my husband even more. Bet if I was faced with it... I might call a friend... And be thankful that someone with the skill cared enough about me and my animals to help in a time of desperate need.

Not sure what I am going to do when the current dog gets old and needs scheduled mercy
the last dog that needed to be put down I took to the vet... before that they were dispatched and buried.. I THOUGHT it would be easier on me... I think it was easier on the dog, but I bawled like a baby in that little room for what seemed like an eternity... I think it was more traumatic for me waiting. than the ones I shot right off the bat.... and then there was the cost.... being a st bernard it was $150 to be put down and $150 to dispose of the body... I could have rented a backhoe for the disposal cost alone.

 

[RoosterML]

Not sure what I am going to do when the current dog gets old and needs scheduled mercy
the last dog that needed to be put down I took to the vet... before that they were dispatched and buried.. I THOUGHT it would be easier on me... I think it was easier on the dog, but I bawled like a baby in that little room for what seemed like an eternity... I think it was more traumatic for me waiting. than the ones I shot right off the bat.... and then there was the cost.... being a st bernard it was $150 to be put down and $150 to dispose of the body... I could have rented a backhoe for the disposal cost alone.

The end result is the same as long as it's done properly and swift.To each his own.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

As a kid, I would sometimes help dear momma with butchering chickens..... she would tell me to hold the chicken while she slit it's neck. That's the closest I came to killing one. I COULD probably kill a chicken that I didn't raise myself, maybe..... though I'd rather not do it and would rather head out to the nearest KFC to get me a bucket ol' chicken. Mash tato's and gravy too, thank you.

Oh yeah, I remember the old man took me to a pig slaughterhouse..... but that's another story.

I'd like to hear that story!

 

[Farmer Doc]

Thank you.

The respect and reverence you hold for your animals is just how it is supposed to be.

Thank you.

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

I'd like to hear that story!

It scarred me for life........ I'd rather not take a trip down memory lane. Although I do remember having a few good meals out of that poor pig though.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Oh, sorry for reminding you.

 

[JDN]

A Few thoughts...

I eat meat. I eat chicken bought at the store and the restaurant. Therefore, I eat commercially farmed chickens that were raised in broiler houses. That I don't have to see them as they go from broiler house to slaughter house to table, doesn't change the fact that they don't have the nicest existence.

Whether or not I do the manual labor involved in the process, doesn't make me any less responsible for it. If I don't get upset about eating McNuggets, why would I get upset about taking over the process six steps before it goes onto my plate? Does the life they live in your yard or farm make them "more worthy" of not going onto your plate?

Would you be less guilty if you paid a hitman to murder someone? Are you a more responsible pet owner if you pay a groomer to bathe your dog than doing it yourself? Are you a better parent if you homeschool vs send your kids to the public school? The answer to all of these is "No."

Try not to anthropomorphize your meat birds. Don't name them. Don't turn them into pets.

I also focus on the task at hand and try not to think about the wholistic picture while I'm doing it. First I have the cone, then slit the throat (or cut the head off) then on to plucking...

All that being said I do understand that death, blood and innards aren't nice to see, and that some people have a more visceral reaction to them than others. That's ok. I've paid to have my chickens processed and I've processed birds myself. But a real understanding of the way meat gets to your plate helps me.

 

[sunny022]

Hi,

I was wondering if any of you feel bad when you butcher? How do you train yourself not to feel bad? How do you kill the bird before thinking that you might not? I am wondering this because I am getting chickens....egg chickens. I will eventually be getting meat birds. This is my first time having chickens.

Thanks

I dont personally do the butchering. I have an Amish farmer in my area with processing equipment. $3.5/bird. Worth it to me. But the idea does not bother me at all. My birds live happy chicken lives. They are well fed, well sheltered, able to free range and handled humanely. I talk with them and know their personalities. When processing time comes along, i pack them up and head on down the road. My Amish folks handle them humanely also ... I watch. I will NOT buy store meat because of the inhumanity that takes place in the corp food industry. God gave us animals for food. I am grateful.