How do you do it??

[bj taylor]

such good input on this thread. i have a small handful of layers. i want meat birds, i want goats, i want pigs, i want rabbits - i want to know how to process them & have that skill - in reality, i haven't killed a thing & the killing part is hard. i don't necessarily want to do the processing my self, but i hate to think of the fear in an animal as it's taken to a processing place & killed. it makes me feel i'm responsible for this animal, so it's my job to do the hard part here so they have the least fear possible.
i know that makes me sound like such a weenie. what i wish is i had someone nearby i could learn from but so far no luck. there are alot of old timers, but most i've found don't seem to have a respect for the animal or regard for how it dies. argh

 

[lizanne]

That's why I'm having my dad do that part. The actual butchering doesn't bother me, the killing does though. I don't want to do it wrong and cause them to suffer. I'm kinda a weenie though....

 

[phalenbeck]

I have 10-15 layers that are semi-pets. I just got 15 CornishX meat birds for the start of this years meat. CornishX are lazy, and can be dirty and stinky birds. Look at pictures where they outgrow there feathers, and are poop machines. After having them last year I was happy to turn them into food. They are a whole differnt animal and just not that loveable. The other factor is better quality food that the factory chickens. I do not want store chicken anymore. Housing can be minimal tractor type, as there life is 6-12 weeks.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

I have come to think of raising my own meat animals as an act of respect. I eat meat and I want to respect the animals that I consume. I know that the animals I have processed have had a good life, a healthy diet, and a clean death. I butchered them myself and used every part possible with very little waste. I can not say any of the same about meat that I am buying commercially.

Processing my first bird changed the way I think about food and I am really glad I did it. (For a city girl that has never been on a real farm, it was a cultural shift and it was emotional but I would not want to go back) I think it can be a valuable learning experience for your kids about where food comes from and what they are putting into their bodies. The truth is you are eating animals whether or not you see those animals alive.

I also am limited to a small number of birds because I live in the city and have processed a few dual-purpose hens but I am seriously considereing some meat birds and maybe even a few meat rabbits in the future.

 

[Talihofarms]

Jessie and Kade...if this helps, the primary meat bird, the Cornish X, is a little less easy to like than the average heritage bird or layer. They have sluggish personalities, seem intent only on eating as much as possible, and don't seem to respond to people the way other chickens do. For those reasons it has never been an issue for me to process them. The ones I have had never develop "pet" qualities.

I agree with you about the Cornish X, I would also like to add that after feeding them out, you will be ready to get them into camp freezer as they can burn a hole in the feed budget.
Our kids have pet birds and meat birds, their only interest in the meaties were as chicks, but had very little attachment once they got older.

 

[gg706]

I too have raged this ethical battle with myself. I have killed 2 laying hens that egg bound and could not pass the egg. It was the first time I had killed anything. After that I said "no way" I am not going to butcher chickens for meat...a few months have passed and now I am thinking about it again. It is strange for me some days I am right on board with butchering my own chicken and the next day I feel the opposite. I guess I may raise up some meaties once and go through with it on a day where I m feeling good about it. After I do it once if I dont want to again I wont. I do think after it is done, I will feel a sense of satisfaction and will want to continue butchering my own chickens. Neither of my kids or husband want ANYTHING to do with killing meat birds. So I will be going to it alone.

 

[cassie]

This is one of the things you just do. Don't think about it. Just do it. I am the biggest wuss ever when it comes to killing things. Then one day, one of my butcher size Cornish X couldn't walk. My brother and husband, who did the butchering when something needed butchering, were out of town and would not be back for several days. I knew this chicken would not last until they got back. So. I could either butcher this chicken myself or let him die and put him in the dumpster. I went to the meat bird forum, found some instructions on how to kill and clean a chicken, printed them out, and followed the instructions step by step. Pretty soon I had a clean, naked chicken ready to cook. I didn't think about it. I just did it. Trouble was, after this, I was the one who ended up doing most of the chicken processing.

This is one case where morals and ethics do not enter into it. There is nothing immoral or unethical about raising and processing your own food.

 

[Bone143]

My kids help with all the animals, they do name them occasionally but are always warned not to. It happens they understand that if our animals don't get processed somewhere someone elses will be on our table and we know where ours have been and how they have been taken care of. The last one my son (7) named was a rabbit, he named it nibbles he helped me process it and then we made Rabbit nuggets out of it and there was some fun poked around the table about nibbling on nibbles. He has named one of the pigs Bacon, and seems more than willing to go ahead and process them LOL. They pray every night being thankful for the animals for our food and promising to utilize as much of them as possible since they died for us to eat and how blessed we are for having them. My daughter (5) hasn't had any issues with naming any yet I think she is holding out for a "Daddy, I haven't ever named one or liked on enough for a pet, BUT this one" who knows though they have both butchered rabbits, chickens, deer etc with me and have had no issues with it or eating the meat from any of them. We try our best to make them understand it is a responsibility to take care of the animals and a privilege to be allowed that responsibility. When we kill the animal it is our responsibility to do it properly and try and use as much of the animal as possible in some way. Even if its just for fertilizer it needs to have a purpose and not be senseless slaughtering. I honestly don't personally have any issues with doing it to a food animal because i know if I don't it will just come from some where else and with corporate money motivations the animals good be in any health or passed along through anything. I trust myself to make the decisions on what meat is worth my family eating more so then I ever will a government official!

 

[Farmer-John]

My kids help with all the animals, they do name them occasionally but are always warned not to. It happens they understand that if our animals don't get processed somewhere someone elses will be on our table and we know where ours have been and how they have been taken care of. The last one my son (7) named was a rabbit, he named it nibbles he helped me process it and then we made Rabbit nuggets out of it and there was some fun poked around the table about nibbling on nibbles. He has named one of the pigs Bacon, and seems more than willing to go ahead and process them LOL. They pray every night being thankful for the animals for our food and promising to utilize as much of them as possible since they died for us to eat and how blessed we are for having them. My daughter (5) hasn't had any issues with naming any yet I think she is holding out for a "Daddy, I haven't ever named one or liked on enough for a pet, BUT this one" who knows though they have both butchered rabbits, chickens, deer etc with me and have had no issues with it or eating the meat from any of them. We try our best to make them understand it is a responsibility to take care of the animals and a privilege to be allowed that responsibility. When we kill the animal it is our responsibility to do it properly and try and use as much of the animal as possible in some way. Even if its just for fertilizer it needs to have a purpose and not be senseless slaughtering. I honestly don't personally have any issues with doing it to a food animal because i know if I don't it will just come from some where else and with corporate money motivations the animals good be in any health or passed along through anything. I trust myself to make the decisions on what meat is worth my family eating more so then I ever will a government official!

Very well put... I think its great that you involve your children as well. I do the same with my children, as much as they love having all the animals around they know there purpose and how well they were cared for. We also hunt,and they help butcher the deer, turkey, rabbit, squirrel and the fish as well. I couldn't agree more with you.. I wish more parents would educate their children to where their food comes, how to care for it and most importantly be thankful and appreciate it.. I'm not judging those folks that have a hard time with it, that's a peronal choice and I can respect that. But at least teach them that milk, meat and eggs doesn't come from a grocery store food tree... Just my opinion of course.

 

[Yukonchick]

I did 30 last fall with the help of my sister-in-law. My husband would have no part of it. Strange because he was a hunting guide for many years but couldn't stomach slaughtering chickens. The only thing i didn't like was how long it took because i didn't have a chicken plucker. An all day job. We've got this sow pig we've been raising since last summer too but neither of us wants to deal with that business either, thats for sure.She was my little Annie and now she`s my big Annie. I don't know what to suggest except you might have to hire somebody to do all them chickens for you. That would be expensive though, I would think.