First time processing a white broiler...It was heartbreak!

[The Kibble Goddess]

Go read Barbara Kingsolver's "Animal, Vetetable, Miracle." She's got a good perspective on the harvesting of home-grown meat. Also, when I was getting ready to process my first batch of rabbits, my then mentor told me:

"I'm going to tell you what we're going to do, and it will be horrible. I'm going to show you what we're going to do and it will be awful. Then you're going to do yur first one and it won't be so bad."

And you know what, she was right. It gets easier. Especially when you have 32 bunnies in 3 cages and more on the way! I'd imagine it's the same with broilers.

 

[classicsredone]

It takes doing it a few times to get used to it for a lot of people. If you absolutely can't take it but still want to raise your own meat birds, you could look into finding a processor. We have a processor up here that will handle everything from dispatching to bagging for the freezer for a very reasonable price.

 

[silkiechicken]

It will get easier with time. I like to harvest my own chickens vs let someone else do it, because then I know the job was done with care for the animal.

Perhaps there is something you can do in the way you process to make it less graphic? There is more than one way to dispatch a chicken. If you don't plan on storing the meat for a long time, you can just break the neck and leave the blood in the chicken till you start processing. Or perhaps a killing cone will reduce flopping?

 

[Tam'ra of Rainbow Vortex]

Quote:
That's me too. My room mates can't stand the insides or bones or anything more chicken like than a boneless, skinless breast. I am squeemish about causing pain and/or death. Once it is dead I am fine. So the deal is that they kill it, I'll clean it. It IS hard. Every time. But we feel we earn our right to eat meat by accepting the death that comes with it. we wanted to be more self sufficient too. And each time we process a bird it brings about a new round of 'we should eat less meat' talk from my very carnivorous guys. Small steps in the right direction. We give the animals we raise a good life full of respect and love. Then they have one bad day and are at peace after. It doesn't sound so bad that way. I make sure no part goes to waste, which is an important thing for me. To reconcile the fact that I must cause death to live, I must show respect for the life that has ended. I keep the feathers and make things with them, so part of the chicken lives on. The best way to honor the dead is to remember them in a beautiful way.

And I second that you should read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. That book may be the reason I finally took the leap from 'someday I want to have chickens' to 'I am going to order the chickens today!' It is a fantastic book and I recommend it to anyone who will listen.

 

[ducknutt]

It is not for the faint of heart ... from day one i did not do any bonding like I do with my non meat birds. and still when my dog killed my baby chick .... I cried. he actually wasnt dead but dying so I had to do right by the birdie and put it out of its misery.. now the dog knows its not okay and I have not had any problems. but back to the first bird that I prepared. My husband was concerned over it not being cooked enough omg it s breast was tough.... but the rest was good very good. but the next bird he offered to clean it. as I was doing it.. Darn if that bird knew what was going on..my mistake for bringing her into the house to get a different knife. then i felt really really bad. .then i put my mindset.. That I was feeding my husband and it was my job to provide the meals on the table . He works out side of the house and I am lucky enough to take care of all the animals two dogs a shih tzu a red heeler two mini boer goats a pair and a pair of pygmy goats two roosters 24 hens five ducks and coturnix quail on the way. the yard and everything on it I love my life .. First set your mind and then only do when you are ready.. and if you are never ready it is okay...

 

[LuLutoo]

The first one in every batch is the hardest for me.

I bring them in the room one at a time so they don't see what is going on. After the first one is dead in the killing cone, I set it aside to process and go get the next one. that way I am busy processing bird one when bird two is in it's death throws. I keep on that way and it makes it a little easier, since I have my mind on the task at hand and not the dying chicken.

 

[trulyblessed]

This is our first year doing meaties, and I admit, sometimes I feel "bad" about the killing part, but thankfully my hubby does it. But the "bad" feeling is nothing compared to the "disgusted" feeling I get when I watch the treatment, living conditions, and slaugter of the chickens you buy in the store. Youtube this: Chicken Abuse: Shocking Conditions of Big Name Meat Brand's Animals. It overcomes any feelings I have and gives me pride that my meaties have organic food, fresh grass, fresh air, free range excerise, fresh clean water, and a biblical death.

 

[AlbionWood]

I grew up on a ranch; we raised animals for food, hunted and fished all the time, so killing was just a natural part of my upbringing. And yet I still had a bit of a rough time killing the cockerels last fall... those birds had personalities! Don't feel bad about feeling bad. Killing any animal is a serious business and should never be taken lightly, no matter how necessary it is.

So it is perfectly normal for your first slaughtering experience to be traumatic. If you are determined to take control of your food supply, keep at it, you'll get better with practice just like anything else. It may never be "easy" but it will be do-able. As I've said on this subject before: Yes, it's hard. Sometimes we have to do hard things.

 

[hhong3138]

Thanks for all of your kind words and suggestions! I think I will try one more time. If I still feel the same, I may find some local processors to do it for me.

I wish all of you a peaceful weekend.

Vanessa

 

[Tracydr]

Even with store bought chickens, I have to debone them for my husband to eat. He doesn't want any reminder that the meat he's eating was an actual bird.
The first time I baked a whole bird in the oven, he didn't recognize it. The only whole, baked birds he'd ever seen were turkeys and you only eat turkeys once a year for Thanksgiving.
He's learned a lot in the past four years, since meeting me. He'd never seen vegetables growing on the plant, certainly never imagined having his own chickens.
For some reason he's a little freaked out about bantie eggs for some odd reason but he's coming around. Fertilized eggs also freaked him out for some reason.
I do understand that raising meat birds is not for everyone, probably not for most. But, I highly recommend Barbara Kingsman's book, Animal, Vegetable Miracle. This will really help put things in perspective.