Drumstick Culled his first roo

[PurpleChicken]

My 7 year old son decided he wanted to cull a rooster today after processing
around 20 with me over the last year. For those who don't know he is a seven year
old awesome little kid and a member here named Drumstick.

He has had a good grasp on the food chain and eating chickens since we culled our
first. I wasn't sure what I should do but he was determined. He picked the roo,
handed it to me, and after I put the roo on the stump between the two screws holding
the roo's head Drumstick swung the hatchet.

He handled it like a strong young man, much better than I handled my first. He said he
felt bad but he knew he did the right thing. We plucked and cleaned the bird
and had a good old time doing it. We talked a lot about it while we cleaned it.

I am SO PROUD and a bit worried I let him do this too young. We aren't hunters
who seem to experience cleaning animals at younger ages.

It's all sorta wierd. I've tried so hard to teach him the reality of the food chain but more
so the value of life.

Why can kids handle these realities better than us?

 

[conny63malies]

Good job big guy. They earlier they learn the better. My younest has no problem whatsoever dropping live mice or rats in a snake tank and watch the whole thing.

 

[arlee453]

He will never forget the day he spent processing chickens with dad.

Kids handle things much more easily than we do in a lot of ways. Their world is so black and white in a lot of ways.

Kudos to the drumstick!!

 

[MissPrissy]

We adults tend to make life and death and the reality of both far too complicated. Kids tend to live in a more simplified world.

Yayy for drumstick. It is a lesson more children need to learn. A life is given for the meats we eat.

 

[Buster]

Well PC, I think it may be because (if you are like me) they are exposed to it at a younger age than we were. I was always a city kid before getting married and moving to a ranch where they ate the cattle they raised and went hunting every year. I was never opposed to these ideas, but it still took some getting used to. My three year old takes these things as a matter of course. He understands that we raise animals to eat and we eat what we hunt. I think it may be a lot in how they are raised. Congratulations to you for raising him right and congratulations to Drumstick for culling his first roo. Give him a big hug. Way to go!

 

[justusnak]

Congrats to the BOTH of you!! What a big step. My grandson was 7 when we culled our first chickens. As scarey as it was for me...he would ask every few days..." Grandma, can we process those fat chickens today"? He handled it alot better than my son( his dad) When we had the pig slaughtered, he kept asking when we were going to get the meat back. Today was his first taste of our home gromw HAM. He said " Grandma, stewie( the pig) sure is good eatin" LOL Kids adapt alot faster then we do. Give that little man a high 5 from me!!

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

I think that's great! Some kids can handle it (my nephew), and some can't (my kids). It shows great responsibility at a young age to understand. You should be proud!!

 

[jaku]

I think it's great to expose kids to NATURAL life and death as opposed to hiding them from the normal side of things, leaving them to learn the perverted version of it from movies and video games. I'm not sure which studies I've read to back it up, but I believe it makes kids much better adjusted in the long run, and keeps them from having unhealthy views of life and death which could lead to animal cruelty and other violent behavior. Great job!

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

That's amazing... good job to both of you!

Reminds me of a story in our family from last month. Emily (DW) and Alana (4 year old DD) were outside watching a mother and baby dove. As they got closer to see better the mother flew away and the baby was left alone. Just then a hawk swooped down and grabbed the baby right in front of my daughter. My wife was totally distraught (well, not totally, but a little upset) as she explained that hawks need to eat too. My daughter was totally fine with it... in fact, for the rest of the day she was going around the house flapping her "wings" and saying, "I'm a hawk and I'm eating babies.... awwwwk awwwwk!" Is that disturbing?

 

[HobbyChickener]

I think it is great that you as a parent allow him to do this and help him understand everything about the process. He is a good kid and will grow well for what he has been tought. And as a congrats to him, I think he needs a drumstick!