how do you deal with those that don't get it?

[Tracydr]

Quote:
Ha! They sell dried cows feet with the entire bone structure intact at our feed store. No wondering about how they got those hooves.

 

[Garrisonkidsduo2]

I have that same problem. I had pigs, have chickens, turkeys. I got the pigs so we could raise and eat, but people started getting kind of hateful when they found out we were going to kill and eat them. Needless to say we did eat them and it saved us about $200 dollars on nothing but pork this year for food. The turkeys we are getting condemned for that to, but I bought them to eat not save. We did decide to keep a tom and two hens for next year. i started to incubate eggs from chickens and ducks and they started hatching out last week so my husband wants me to try and hatch turkeys next year. We are killing turkeys on the 23rd to deep fry for thanksgiving. All the turkeys are saving us about $120 dollars this year. We normally buy 3 turkeys for thanksgiving and 3 for Christmas but this year we raised them and if saved us enough money we bought a new turkey fryer since we didn't have one and we had to borrow someone else, and we have started to put money back for next year, since we are getting more animals next year so we can eat. i do understand we are being told we are cruel, inhumane, murders. okay I have told people after hearing some of these that look my animals that we plan to eat have big nice buildings to sleep in at night, food 24/7 and fresh water and are let to free range feed during the day but are put up at night so nothing gets them. None of my animals are stuck in tiny cages, left there to lay eggs get fat and die. Mine get to roost, get to stretch their legs, get to run and fly, I told them that if they didn't like what we were doing then they didn't have to come around my place anymore. I will say though after a year and they have tried our fresh meat and fresh eggs, some have actually changed their minds, and are wanting to pay me to raise some for them. Just give it time some people will change their minds and some will never change their minds. It is just something that we will have to live with. But think about this, you are saving money and eating much healthier then they are, and you will be the one surviving when and if the world takes a turn for the worst.

 

[clairabean]

I just explain that they need to educate themselves about what they eat. Meat is an animal. Period. We choose to raise ours with dignity and love, and slaughter them with a gentle, loving, hand.

Then I shrug it off. I KNOW what I do is right for us.

 

[Oregon Blues]

You would find it easier to dispatch with a hatchet instead of an ax.

It must be the area that you live in. I live in cowboy country and everybody hunts. If I mentioned butchering day, what I get is scheming about how to get one of the fresh ducks away from me.

 

[joymac]

My sister (a small-town girl) married a "country boy" and although she gladly ate the beef, chicken, deer, etc. that came into their house, she never actually processed it herself (as young girls we raised cats, dogs, flying squirrels, mice, baby possums, birds and chickens and ducks - but never ate them). She continues to love animals to this day. So one day a few years ago as she was taking her son to school, she noticed an injured guinea in the yard and told her son to get it and take to his grandmother who lived on the other side of the pasture and that she'd check on it later. Later that day she went to her mother-in-law's house and said "how's the guinea?" and the older lady said "it was GOOD!" That was NOT the answer my sister was expecting! We still laugh about that!

 

[terrilhb]

I personally don't eat mine. I am a sucker and fell in love with my chickens, guinea's and goats.

My DH and DS would not have a problem doing the deed if I would let them. They both hunt and I eat it. Just to me the thought of eating my babies I can't do it. But that is me. If I had to I would. But I know alot of people that do eat theirs. I completely understand. I say ignore those that don't like it and do what you want to. Good luck. Sure is a beautiful duck.

 

[erinszoo]

I just laugh and walk away ... or I don't tell them at all if I think they won't get it. I work for a lady that thinks it's horrible we eat our birds and she's telling me all this while processing chicken breasts for her dogs to eat. Uhhhhhh ...

I love being self-sufficient but I know most people, even my parents, don't get it. They are too busy living what they think is the "american dream" buying bigger houses and luxury cars and working thousands of hours a week to pay for it all. I, on the other hand, get to sit in my lawn chair most mornings watching the babies scratch in the yard while drinking my hot tea. Sure I may have to rake a little hay and pull weeds in my greenhouse all year long and pluck chickens when needed but I'll take that anyday over standing in line for thirty minutes at the grocery store to buy meat and produce that I have no idea where came from or what it's been treated with ... not to mention that finding jobs right now that pay enough money to buy enough food let alone pay bills as well is not an easy task. At least I know that I can make dinner every night and breakfast every morning for my family out of healthy food that have never seen a pesticide or hormone.

 

[ray2310]

I usually tell them that our chickens only have one bad day in their life. We love them and care for them as well as our pets. Then I go on to point out that factory farm raised animals generally live a miserable existence and are probably more than happy to be killed, and that I can't support that as they do.

My wife posted this on her Facebook the day before we processed our 5 turkeys we raised this summer. Yes, she cried until they were all dead.


Many of you know that we have been raising Heritage Turkeys for the first time this year. I've been honest about our intention from the very begining hoping, more than anything, to prepare myself for the difficult end of the journey. I know many people can't understand WHY we are doing this, or HOW we are going to be able to do it....

Every time you eat "meat" (beef, turkey, chicken, pork, fish, lamb, etc) an animal was killed, whether at your hand or at someone else's - it doesn't change the sacrifice. Every animal deserves to be raised with respect and kindness, just because an animal is being raised as food does not give anyone the right to treat them inhumanely. Raising animals the proper way takes time, effort and is expensive.. most importantly it's NOT EASY.... I know that the Thanksgiving Turkey we will have for dinner had an amazing thirty weeks of life. He was happy and loved. We treated him with respect and kindness. And when the axe dropped, someone cried, someone valued his life, his sacrifice, someone loved him very much and kissed him on the head every day ... and that's someone is ME.

Do you think a turkey at the grocery store for $ .49/pound was raised compassionately? Was it a happy turkey? Did someone shed a tear? I can assure you that all the cheap food factory farms produces lives their entire life in misery.. and I can't promote mistreating animals, I cannot give them money to continue their inhumane farming practices. When you buy cheap-mistreated meat you are just as guilty as the farmers that physically raised and killed the animal. About 46 million Broad Breasted White Turkeys are raised and killed, inhumanely just for thanksgiving... 46 million birds living a life of misery, raised as cheaply as possible and killed without compassion, all so american's can buy the cheapest food possible.

As I sit in our backyard, spending my last cool fall day, enjoying my Turkey-Friends, that I hatched and hand raised, my tears are not just because I will have to say goodbye to my turkeys in the morning but for the 46 million turkeys that never saw sunshine, never pecked at bugs in the grass, never had a caring, loving person pay attention to them. That's what breaks my heart. Turkeys are amazing animals that love interaction with people. They have huge personalities and are easy to fall in love with. Every turkey isn't raised in a tiny flock of 5 being treated as pets but they don't have to be raised in a cruel factory farm setting. There are small local farmers who are doing it right and you can feel good about supporting their farming practices.

With great sadness, today I am spending my last day with my Turkey-Friends. My big White-Tom Turkey awkwardly climbs up onto my lap, settles in, then gently pecks at the tears running down my cheek.... and it never fails, Jealous Red-Tom comes over and tries to get on my lap too, I can't hold nearly 50 pounds of clumsy Tom Turkeys on my lap! Laughing and Crying, I grab to hold them both, but alas they both go tumbling off my lap... I will miss them so much and I am not able to express how lucky i feel to be able to have this relationship with such funny, sweet birds. White-Tom, Red-Tom, Henny-Red, Six and my very special girl Uno... I love you. I will endure the sadness of saying goodbye and missing you - just to know you lived a happy life.

I don't know HOW I'll find the strength but I know I will.. if this didn't hurt then I didn't do what I set out to accomplish......

 

[galanie]

Quote:
Beautifully said. I do it, but I don't enjoy the killing part. Sometimes I cry, sometimes I don't. It depends on the victim. But I'm always sad. And always thank them. It's the least I can do.
I 1000% agree that, "just because an animal is being raised as food does not give anyone the right to treat them inhumanely." And in the end, the meat I raise always tastes manyfold better than any storebought bird.