Boy this is an active thread!
... and covers many topics!
Our society is becoming more and more disconnected with our food. What you are teaching is what food is and where it comes from. It is not the nice package from the store. It used to be something and even wheat that is in bread was a living thing that we grind into bread.
This part of chicken ownership is all new to me (a typical suburban mom). We used to give away all our males. I always hoped to find a no kill situation, but I realistically knew they were headed for the oven. I realized how much time, money, & effort we kept giving away. I also realized that it would be far kinder to allow the males to spend their short lives here.
I'm fortunate to have a farm-raised handy man friend who likes to hunt & knows how to process all types of animals. The 1st few times we needed to put a chicken down. we just asked him to take the bird away. This year, I asked him to teach me. I can now do a quail all by myself (with kitchen shears), but not a chicken. I can pluck & do some of the processing but I still fear cutting the intestine or gall bladder.
Thank you. Interesting idea. That may help me a lot since I can dispatch a quail with scissors. I may also buy a killing cone.
That part is true for me. I must decide on a day, make the plans, and gather the materials. It really does help having someone with you as you work. (It also helps me stay strong & stick to the plan.)
My hubby can't take the sight of blood, so he'll never be able to help. Our daughter gets very upset when she learns that
mom killed another chicken. talk about guilt!!! When she was 10 she had a vegetarian teacher & she wants to be one when she grows up. We decided not to hide the fact that we're eating backyard chicken. I usually have enough other foods prepared so the kids can decide whether to eat or not eat the meat that night. I found backyard chicken often tastes too intense for us. We'll eat it not to waste the gifts the animal gave us and sometimes it has been tough - requiring many additional hours in the slow cooker. Quail on the other hand is delicious - just not a lot of meat. I suppose my hope for a future helper is our son. He's only 7. He's already very helpful caring for the flock, but not ready for processing.
Go Mike! 
.....
