Quote:"You said cull the roosters did you mean Kill because I cannot do that nor can my husband we cannot kill any animal"
I had never killed anything until I started keeping poultry. I couldn't even mercy kill a small creature when it was obviously dying, even when I really wanted to end it's suffering. I was incredibly soft hearted.
I think keeping poultry is a great way of connecting you to your food and the ways of the world. There are harsh realities in life and it isn't right to expect someone else to get blood on their hands, so that you can eat meat or even eggs and happily remain "innocent" of those deaths, as the majority of people do. Dealing with situations like you find yourself in should make you more aware of these realities..... that other people have the job of killing animals every day, so that you can eat meat or even just buy pullets for egg laying instead of cockerels. Those cockerel chicks that people don't want are mostly killed because people don't want them..... to me, those people are indirectly responsible for what happens to the male chicks that they don't want, because they create the market for pullets. And the people who drink dairy milk are indirectly responsible for the fate of bull dairy calves and the people who drink almond milk play a part in the rape of the landscape that is the almond orchards....... there is a price to pay for our lifestyle. Paying in money is relatively easy and sanitized, but killing and eating your own excess cockerels gives you a greater awareness of the real price and perhaps a greater appreciation and respect for it.
I can tell you that killing still does not come easy to me. Sometimes I still cry, but I am proud of myself that I have the courage to do it...... and it does take courage and responsibility..... If I can do it, so can you. It is the responsible thing to do.
