How many people eat their chickens when they stop laying or have too many roos?

[AK Baha]

Put it in a crock pot all day it will be tender.

 

[donrae]

There are actually lots of threads on this same topic. You'll find the board is all over the place. Lots of butchers, lots of forever pets. It's whatever works for you, no right answer. BUT, I always encourage folks who want to hatch to have a plan for all the roosters they're going to get, don't just hope for good odds.

I keep my birds for eggs and meat, they're not pets. I eat extra roosters, got 6-7 coming up this year.

 

[Wednesday]

Agree Donrae. Hope is not a strategy. Do you butcher them yourself?

 

[donrae]

We have in the past, yes. As I'm doing chemo this summer/fall and will be neutropenic/immune suppressed most of the time, I'm not sure what we'll do. I feel bad asking my husband to do them himself. I can just imagine my hematologist's reaction if I told them I was butchering animals! They don't even want me drinking my well water right now.........

 

[Wednesday]

My heart goes out to you and your family. I bet if you have friends or family that farm or hunt, they would be more than willing to help out during this difficult time. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

 

[sepaditty1]

Our flock is pretty young. This is our first year and we just got our first eggs this week. Yay!! But right now, our plan is to eat them when they're done. I will be hard, of course. But we'll try. I didn't think of taking them to a butcher. That would make it seem more like the meat I buy at the store. Doing it myself may take the enjoyment out of eating the meat.

If you are planning on adding them to your food chain, a friend of mine told me that it's a lot quicker and easier if you don't pluck them. Just take all the skin off. Obviously this wouldn't be the choice if you were wanting the delicious, whole roasted chicken on the table. But since I usually buy boneless, skinless anyway, may as well save the time, right?

 

[humphrey farms]

I'm a new chicken owner and hens are not laying yet but when the time comes we will butcher and eat them.We live a mostly subsistence life style hunting,fishing,and harvesting what we can so I have no problem doing the deed.

same here. My son hunts, we have chickens for meat & eggs. We have gardens for veggies.

I do name all my chickens & when we have them for supper we say " Thank you______ for this nice meal you contributed too." Enough said.

 

[tcmstalcup]

I process all spent hens and extra roos. I do ask on the Texas thread if anyone needs the extra roos that are really nice. I have not problem at all with eating this animal that I have humanely fed and housed. We prepare older hens in the pressure cooker and use them for things like chicken salad. I do see it as hypocritical to not allow a chicken to be eaten when the individual eats meat.

 

[Wednesday]

In Orlando, there is a muslim butcher (Halal butcher) who processes live birds only. Just like in the Jewish Kosher butcher shops, the animal has to come in alive so they know it was killed in accordance with their stands and practices. My guess is this kept people from getting sick in ancient times. Here is information on the practice itself. I have much respect for hunters and farmers that can process their own meat. I admit I don't think I am strong enough to do it myself:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halal