Help! Trying to get up the nerve to eat my own chicken

[SIMZ]

LOL. This reminds me of my 5 year old daughter, when we bought two day old calves to raise for beef. The kids named them Hamburger and Sirloin. They would suck my daughters thumb....even when they got bigger. So Hamburger went to the freezer, and when we at burgers after that, she asked if if was Hamburger hamburger. We told her it was, and she said, "He sure tastes good"!! I guess she had her priorities right. She is 22 now, but she found the first chick from our first incubator hatch, so she adopted him, understanding he was going to be a meat chicken. He is now a capon, and she will have no problem having him on the table. Sometimes kids are more pragmatic than we adults are. I don't see her in a covered wagon, though

That's another good reason for kids to be exposed to the realities of where our meat comes from!

Your story reminds me of when we had to butcher our first pet chicken, Tracy (the accidental rooster that was extremely mean). "He" was my daughter's choice of chicks and I had a terrible time deciding that he needed to go because he was daughter's "pet". Through my tears, I heard my two daughters bickering. My younger daughter said to her sister, "You never even liked Tracy! I don't think you should be allowed to taste him!!!!" lol

It sure made me feel a lot better!

 

[BCMaraniac]

That's another good reason for kids to be exposed to the realities of where our meat comes from!

Your story reminds me of when we had to butcher our first pet chicken, Tracy (the accidental rooster that was extremely mean). "He" was my daughter's choice of chicks and I had a terrible time deciding that he needed to go because he was daughter's "pet". Through my tears, I heard my two daughters bickering. My younger daughter said to her sister, "You never even liked Tracy! I don't think you should be allowed to taste him!!!!" lol

It sure made me feel a lot better!

LOL. A prime example of a pragmatist!! Kids handle things a lot better than we think they will. What did she think when it came time to eat him??

 

[SIMZ]

We all ate him (some type of caserole) and liked it.

 

[Natalijaasbj]

Some people would say :" never get attached to your chicken and never "name" them if you are going to eat them."...
Well... I reconciled inside myself loving them, naming them and ....eating thewm. They are not pets, they are livestock.... But I still can love them and cuddle them, take good care of them, thank them for being great chicken and butcher them when they need to go. I feel they had a great chicken life, they were respected and enjoyed themselves, now it is time to go . does not bother me too much anymore. I would feel more guilty culling them without eating them, when they are old.

 

[offgridhermit]

We've always bought our chicken to eat at the grocery store. A few months ago I had my 4 chickens butchered and are now in the freezer. Still trying to decide if I'll get more chickens because that part of chicken raising was emotionally difficult. Just me and DH in the house now and he doesn't eat chicken. We live in a small town and the reaction from others is mostly "You're going to eat them? But they were your pets!!!!" First off I made the mistake of naming them. It makes me nauseous thinking about eating them but I know it's what is supposed to happen.
How does a city girl get past the sick feeling of eating them?

I'm going to be going through the same emotions next year. I plan to buy a run of meat chickens and do my own butchering solo. I will keep them separate from my laying hens and not name them. I do know for a fact that homegrown tastes so much better than store bought. I will take the advice of others and thank the chickens for providing food for the table.

For the hubby you can turn the chicken into tacos, enchiladas, spaghetti, BBQ sandwiches, stir fry or whatever. Once he tastes homegrown he may feel differently about eating chicken. We had a friend living with us that said he doesn't eat chicken, and in my house you eat what is cooked. He now eats chicken without a problem. But I never fix it the same from meal to meal. And sometimes I add leftover pork or beef roast to the chicken mixture.

The reactions and thoughts from some people are funny. During a "Man on the Street" question, college students were asked where meat comes from; and they said they make it in the back of the store. They gave the same answer when asked where does milk come from, "they MAKE it in the back of the store".

Makes me wonder if they know that eggs come from the hind end of a chicken.

After eating your first couple of birds, you'll be able to handle it better. Good luck.

It's nice you are able to provide food for your family.

 

[BCMaraniac]

I'm going to be going through the same emotions next year. I plan to buy a run of meat chickens and do my own butchering solo. I will keep them separate from my laying hens and not name them. I do know for a fact that homegrown tastes so much better than store bought. I will take the advice of others and thank the chickens for providing food for the table.

For the hubby you can turn the chicken into tacos, enchiladas, spaghetti, BBQ sandwiches, stir fry or whatever. Once he tastes homegrown he may feel differently about eating chicken. We had a friend living with us that said he doesn't eat chicken, and in my house you eat what is cooked. He now eats chicken without a problem. But I never fix it the same from meal to meal. And sometimes I add leftover pork or beef roast to the chicken mixture.

The reactions and thoughts from some people are funny. During a "Man on the Street" question, college students were asked where meat comes from; and they said they make it in the back of the store. They gave the same answer when asked where does milk come from, "they MAKE it in the back of the store".

Makes me wonder if they know that eggs come from the hind end of a chicken.

After eating your first couple of birds, you'll be able to handle it better. Good luck.

It's nice you are able to provide food for your family.

I thought everyone knew that chicken grows in a package on the chicken tree growing behind the grocery store...

. It's kinda sad, really

 

[aoxa]

I also had a hard time with the first. Now I am totally fine with it.

I found it easier if I was the one that killed them, but that's just me.

 

[LivingTheDream65]

Well I cooked one of the chickens today in the crock pot. Once I set it out to thaw it just felt any other chicken. Usually when I'm getting a store bought chicken or turkey ready to cook I think of how awful their life was and it would make me sad. Not this time! I was thinking that she had a really good life and there was no sadness. When it was time to taste it to see if it was done cooking I put some on a fork and thought about telling my husband that I was getting ready to take the first bite of my own chicken. But decided to not make a big deal about it and just put it in my mouth...delicious! I had no problem eating it and actually felt better about it than the store bought ones. There was no guilt at all.

Thank you sooo much for all of your comments, it really helped me prepare for this day.

 

[mrchicks]

Well I cooked one of the chickens today in the crock pot. Once I set it out to thaw it just felt any other chicken. Usually when I'm getting a store bought chicken or turkey ready to cook I think of how awful their life was and it would make me sad. Not this time! I was thinking that she had a really good life and there was no sadness. When it was time to taste it to see if it was done cooking I put some on a fork and thought about telling my husband that I was getting ready to take the first bite of my own chicken. But decided to not make a big deal about it and just put it in my mouth...delicious! I had no problem eating it and actually felt better about it than the store bought ones. There was no guilt at all.

Thank you sooo much for all of your comments, it really helped me prepare for this day.

 

[Chicken Happy]

Had issues when I processed 5 of my babies that went roo. When it came to plucking them, it became easier - is was slowly becoming a chicken you would see at the store. Then no problem.