That is precisely what I told my daughter (that this topic was nothing but needless drama) (chick fire's mom here again) but she wanted to engage. Thank you for your response. I think she needed to hear it eventhough she quite didn't want to.
Thank you chick fire's mom for reminding us that this thread was started by a 12 year old. I think this is a very healthy question for her to be asking, essentially, why are some animal's lives more valuable than others? Whenever we eat meat, we are deciding that our lives are more important than the lives of what we are eating. Someone made a comment that no one should ever eat their pet chicken because they are cute. Have you ever seen a piglett or a lamb? OMG they are cute. I have ultimate respect for those who have given up meat because of this ethical delemma. I do, however, have less respect for the folks who look at me like I'm horrible for raising and yes, killing my own meat who are not vegetarian themselves. In my mind, by eating chickens I've raised myself (whether they were originally for eggs or raised specifically for meat or an unlucky rooster who was sold to me as a pullet) I have DECREASED the suffering in the world by not purchasing one of the poor creatures who never saw the sun or got take a dirt bath or scratch for bugs, who were dispatched in a factory with no concern for their fear or stress.
I don't really want to go vegetarian but I find myself eating less meat and making sure absolutly nothing of the chickens I raise goes to waste.
By asking her question, chick fire shows that she is aware of the value of life and is perhaps wrestling with a concept that many city-raised kids never really consider. While there is a bunch of drama on this thread, it's an emotional topic and one I wrestle with every butchering day.
On a side story, my older sister once purchased some rabbits with the idea of a renuable source of protien for the family. Her then 8 year old daughter named them Wheat, Milk and Chocolate, because she was alergic to wheat, milk and chocolate and she figured that way she would never be asked to eat them.