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

[LivingTheDream65]

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?

 

[AK Baha]

Always give thanks to the birds for providing you with nourishment.You cared for them and they had a good life. Now get to cooking.

 

[larry529]

1st don't name them, it makes it harder. That's easier said than done though. I try to tell myself that I know my chickens had a better life than store birds! Also I know what I am eating unlike store bought you have no clue. I know many butcher their own birds, but myself, I can not do it, I think that makes it harder, so I found an Amish group who do them for me and they do a great job. Its hard to drop them off, and corral them to go to the butcher. Once they are there, I know longer think about it, its just the 1 hour drive their that eats at me inside. When I did eat them the 1st time, I was like eeeek. But by # 2 or 3 its just chicken to me now.

 

[LivingTheDream65]

Thanks AK. I thanked each one as I was putting them in the crate to take to the butcher and will thank them one more time when I cook them.

Thanks for letting me know you thought "eeeeeek" when you ate the first one cause that's how I'm feeling.

 

[SIMZ]

You are not alone! It was a HUGE deal for me to eat one of our chickens. Cook one, taste it, and see if it changes your mind. Maybe it's not for you, after all. It's still difficult for me when it's a chicken that I "know", but I know they had a great life and were butchered as quickly and humanely as possible. It's definitely been a process for me.

By the way - people will always say things like "how can you do that?!" They don't understand and probably never will. Very few of those people are vegetarians, and none of them are willing to take my extra roosters to give them a home. Hmmm...

 

[SIMZ]

1st don't name them, it makes it harder. That's easier said than done though. I try to tell myself that I know my chickens had a better life than store birds! Also I know what I am eating unlike store bought you have no clue. I know many butcher their own birds, but myself, I can not do it, I think that makes it harder, so I found an Amish group who do them for me and they do a great job. Its hard to drop them off, and corral them to go to the butcher. Once they are there, I know longer think about it, its just the 1 hour drive their that eats at me inside. When I did eat them the 1st time, I was like eeeek. But by # 2 or 3 its just chicken to me now.

Larry -- I'm from Galion! Small world, huh?!

 

[larry529]

Larry -- I'm from Galion! Small world, huh?!

Are you from Galion and or living their now? I am not from this area, but moved here in 2008... Bad place to pick to live with all big cities a ways away lol. Been figid the last couple days here, water is freezing seems like as quick as I pour it in the containers lol.

 

[appps]

I'm a bit like that with the butchered meat hubby brought home from the calf. Its really hard to turn that cute before picture off in your head to let them be anonomous meat isn't it.

 

[SIMZ]

Are you from Galion and or living their now? I am not from this area, but moved here in 2008... Bad place to pick to live with all big cities a ways away lol. Been figid the last couple days here, water is freezing seems like as quick as I pour it in the containers lol.

I'm from Galion, but living in Indiana now. We're fortunate here since Chicago is just about 40 minutes away. My family is still in Galion, so we're there a few times a year.

 

[bstromgren]

My wife was raised in the city and it took her a while to get acclimated to the country life. When we raised our first calf, she named it, coddled and cuddled it, it was her pet. There was no way she was going to have any part of eating it. When it got big enough to butcher, I had to find a farmer to buy it and then we used the proceeds to purchase a cow that she didn't know. Then, it was ok for her to eat it. She has since realized that once the animal goes to market, it becomes part of our food chain. Since then we've raised beef, hogs, chickens, rabbits, all for food and there is no longer the emotional attachment after they are butchered. Sometimes it just takes a little time.