How do you live with yourself eating the birds you raised?

[Judy]

Quote:
X2

It took me a while -- I used to raise chickens but buy chicken at the store. Finally decided that was ridiculous; I give mine so much better a life than those poor birds had.

Just had to adjust my thinking a bit.

I never did name my chickens, except a few, and a few have been pets, but I would eat the one that needed eating, regardless.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
x3

 

[PunkinPeep]

I only see eating my birds as a bad thing if i look at is as a waste. But providing food for us is not a waste. In addition to enjoyment and eggs, chickens were created for the purpose of feeding people and other mammals. I respect my chicken by allowing it to live a full and happy life, putting it down as quickly and kindly as possible, and using every part of of it that i can.

I agree with whoever said that we would all take animal care and respect and feeding, etc., more seriously if we all raised and slaughtered our own food.

God provides me with sustenance through these animals, and i am very thankful. And in that light, i try not to support those who sell similar meat, raised in horrible conditions.

 

[woodmort]

First of all, from day one you know you're going to use them this way. Second, you don't name them anything but "dinner". Third you have to have enough of them so by the time they are ready to butcher you are sick to death of caring for them. Follow these and it isn't that hard. BTW, we have dairy farmer friends that we have picnicked with--they always seemed to relish telling us we were eating "Daisy" between burg buns. In fact they labeled there meat in the freezer with the particular cow's name. It sounds callous but it is the way one is growing up around farm animals--we respect them but we also use them.

 

[matthewschickens]

Simple for me. God said to take dominion over the world.. The animals also. So there. I eat them. And they're much healthier than Tysion.
And if you've ever raised Cornish... You don't love them.

 

[Ariel301]

I don't get attached. We know from very early on which animals are food, and they do not get a name other than the meat goats getting a descriptive "name" like Brownie, Blackie, Fatty, etc so we can talk about them easily. Otherwise, the meat animals are treated kindly, their needs are met, but we don't baby them or play with them or pet them. Honestly, I don't even find meat chicks "cute". They look like monsters from the start to me, and they are not babies long, and they are certainly not cute come butchering age. Some of my layers/show birds have names and are treated as pets, as well as my head rooster, but only the bantams which have no chance of ending up on the table because they're so little. I feel like I am doing a good thing by eating my own birds and not buying them from the grocery store--I am not supporting cruel factory farming or the "evil corporation" that sells us our groceries and mistreats its employees. It is a very sad day when we have to kill them, we do not enjoy it and sometimes end up putting it off for days or weeks because we don't look forward to kill day. It is very humbling to have to look an animal in the eyes (especially a goat, I can't even watch with them!) as it dies at your hands, and I think it really gives you a greater respect for the price of your dinner.

 

[Tala]

Quote:
Yeah that.
It helps me the most to start off thinking about them as future dinner from the time you get them. I usually don't name every chicken-dinner bird, but we usually give the steers names like "Steak" and "Hamburger" etc.
I agree on the third point as well.

My laying flock, is just that layers. I generally am not ready to eat them. THEY are my "pets" ones that I keep because I LIKE having them around. If I were more into self sustainability or making profits, I'm sure I'd learn to eat the non-productive ones, but at this point my girls are not on the menu.

 

[Moabite]

Cooking is all about the love you put into it. I just start putting love in to my chicken sooner then a chef can.

 

[HeatherLynn]

I will be honest, its not hard. I thought it would be but its not. I know my roos will be dinner at some point but I don't feel bad. They have a good life, better than the chickens ever even dreamed of at the grocery store. So when its time I comfort myself with the knowledge they had an awesome life so far, they are healthy, and had the best life I could offer. Because I was able to offer them such a happy, healthy stress free life they offer my family a healthy meal. Its a bit sad when doing the actual deed but its necessary. I cannot have that many roos and rooster are a fact of life when raising chickens. They have a purpose other than trying to kill each other because there are not enough females for all of them. So they become dinner.

Oh yea and never name your chicks till you definitely know their sex. In this house once its named its a pet soooo only those who are not to be dinner get names.

 

[justbugged]

I haven't ever eaten one of my hatched chicks yet. But I have found that with the meat birds, I just treat them differently than I would a bird that I am going to keep for laying. Once the bird has been done in it is fairly simple to dress them out and by the time I have de-boned and in the freezer i don't have anymore feelings about them as living animals. The meat is a safe organically raised protein source, and I know that it safer than commercially raised meat.