How many people eat there chickens on this form

[Tracydr]

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I do.

 

[Tracydr]

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Funny, my husband says that about me, too.

 

[bchomestead]

We have raised barnyard chickens for decades. DH only kills the extra dual-purpose roos for the stew pot and we started raising several of the Cornish X Rock a year when our son took the 4-H meat project. DH skins them out, so we don't deal with feathers like our parents taught us.

The CXR skin out nicer than some of the dual purpose breeds. We raised a bunch of GBRL Wyandottes one year and he said they were the worst to skin.

I sterilize the kitchen, wash the birds with cold water and they're into food bags into the frig 24 hours (48 for turkeys). Then I can some with (usually dark) and without bone (usually white) and freeze some for frying/baking. I can broth from the water added to the breast and back bones in a stockpot several hours after the meat is done - very little fat. I can usually get 21 quart jars of chicken and 7 quart of broth done in a day.

Our home-canned chicken is the easiest and best chicken salad.

We're going to attempt to raise our own Cornish X Rock chicks with the buff varieties this year as a self-sufficient measure. We prefer to butcher after fly season, so hopefully we can get our new Buff Rock pullets to lay AND raise chicks to size before the end of the year. We'll see.

We let our older girls roam and they start hanging out in the barn and nature happens. Eating the lovely dedicated layers would be hard for me, too and DH says there's not enough meat on them for his efforts. Of course, if we were hungry he would. We try to keep the breeders and layers safe from the wildlife, but still on grass, which is not always easy with the limited fenced facilities we have.

In sum, yes and no here!

 

[BarefootMom]

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We eat our own chickens.

I would rather eat my own than a super over processed chicken with growth hormones at the grocery. We are on the road to self sufficiency and hope to soon have it where we only need the basics from the grocery.















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http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000256.htm

 

[mother o' chicks72]

I went to the poll post and the result was that about 8% of people eat their chickens, I personally do not and never will. My birds are pets, not to mention I'm vegetarian

 

[kota1369]

When I have to cull a chicken I feed it to the dogs. I do not want to eat them as they were my yard chickens and my buddies. I do have to freeze them for a few weeks before feeding them, as the dogs seem to know who it is by the smell. And they wont eat it. Same if they know a rabbit I cull out...... They are quite funny that way. So, I freeze them and give it a while before I feed them out. I do not want to waste the animal so this is how I take care of them.

 

[Attila the Hen]

That is really interesting about the dogs. I thought you were going to say you were concerned that the dogs would go for the live chickens if allowed to eat one that had died. How many times have you encountered this? Many? I don't think we give animals enough credit. There are many natural enemies (cats and mice for example) that coexist because they know the difference between a "family member" and an intruder. When my goldfish died last week from something I surely did, I fed them to the chickens. The fish were pets but I saw no point feeding them to the bugs in the ground or putting them down the toilet. I had mixed feelings about it, but decided the chickens will eat the fish (sushi) and I will eat the eggs-- all in good order.
I am overly sentimental about life though I accept death better than most. It's wasted death that troubles me. When I see an animal hit by a car I am saddened unless I know it will provide a meal for another animal. There's a connection to our wasteful culture. Have you ever been at a banquet for 300 people who each have at least half a chicken breast? That's 150 chickens of which much is thrown away. That is the insult--throwing it away without regard or respect.
Sorry if I have gone off on an tangent.
I have had the luxury of being a vegetarian on and off, but I realize it is a luxury of choice. I have come to realize that if it comes down to my own life, I will eat whatever I have to. (unless I am done with life)
I have great respect for those of you who love your animals and give them a good life before they are eaten. Factory farming is intolerable.

 

[FreeChicken!]

I don't eat my chickens. Being pretty young and an animal lover, I'm very attached to my chickens. They all have names, most of them are very friendly, they come when I call, and so on.
I still eat meat, just not my chickens.
And I don't cull either. I don't have the heart too. When one of my hens, Piyo, a Buff Orpington, got so sick that she couldn't even lift her head, I brought her back to health and she became not just my best animal pal but also one of our best layers.

 

[Ole rooster]

Freechicken has explained it. People peoplize animals. Give um all names, make dresses for all the girls, get little fuzzy birds for whatever reason. Really crazy stuff. But that's the world we live in now. Folks go to the store an buy all kinds of meat and fowl but it's from the store, it has no name. The greater majority have never skinned a coon, squirrel or plucked a chicken. They've never had to provide for themselves without the availibility of the grocery store. But the funny part no animal has a soul and all were put here for our needs. That is if you believe Scripture and it's instruction.

 

[wyododge]

Reading through again I have seen many, many comments of I don't eat my chickens they are my friends, or I don't eat chickens because I am an animal lover.

I guess I just don't understand the correlation. When someone states they don't or wont cull because they love animals, is that not inferring that because I do that I do not love animals?

I don't want to start a scrap or a flare ware or anything, I am HONESTLY interested in the thought process, or whatever it is. I am also not singling anyone out, I whole heartedly respect and support your choices and decisions. For those that are vegetarians, I completely understand, but for those that buy or eat meat in any form, how is it an 'animal lover' will not cull or eat their animals, but still eats meat (or beef, pork, etc.)? Is it emotion, fear, or????

If you simply don't believe in it, why don't you? What lead to your philosophy? How do you balance not culling and then buying the same thing? The hard self examining questions.

Again, this is not a 'shot across the bow' so to speak. I am honestly looking for a logical, respectful and informative debate. It may not change any minds or practices, but it may help me and others learn a little.

Just so you know, we name our cows, and our chickens. Just as we do cat's dogs, pigs, horses and the deer on our property. We feed, care for and play with them (we don't play with the deer), and love them. We also use them as a food source. I believe in the bible, and I also recognize that we all have to eat, so we produce as much of our own food as possible. I am sickened by extreme philosophies on both sides of the issue. I believe those who DEMAND anything, should probably be the first ones to be flogged.

Help me out.