How to Not Get Attached to Meat Birds :/

[corgiscatsandchickens]

Had a friend with the loveliest longhorn steer. She named him "Hamburger". Said that helped a lot when the time came.

 

[Kaitie09]

I have my first batch, and they were cute. Now they are all just ugly and fat.

I have a problem with one of them, I think its a leghorn that got thrown in by accident but it could also be a runt. I'm getting a little bit attached to that guy.

 

[greenhorn]

Broilers get down right ugly by the time they are ready to harvest. They eat like pigs, stink and are a mess to clean up after. They taste great though and are way better for you to eat than chicken bought form the store that has been fed who knows what.

You can get more chicks and do another run as soon as you harvest. In fact we have two broiler coops. We keep them in a small "brooder coop" until they are about 3-4 weeks then we let them finish in the larger coop. This way every 4 weeks or so we get a new batch of chicks and a new fresh batch of freezer meat.

Our kids love eating our own farm raised chicken but like to see the new chicks too. They do a good part of the work and a great job.

We get great satisfaction from raising our own chicken meat and the kids are quite proud of themselves. It's all about the meat.

 

[Tracydr]

Quote:
They are not pets. I don't play with them, name them, talk to them or cuddle with them. If I raise a steer or anything else that will be eaten it's the same thing. Herd cows can be named, steers for the freezer/ no names, no training/playing, etc.

 

[al6517]

All very true statements and some good advice, I don't find it very hard to stay detached from them emotionaly, however I do get excited on processing day and relish the task and the reward. Yes I don't play with them or name or talk to them or anything like that but I don't do that with any of my birds so it's not a big deal. My DW helps me on processing day and she is as rock solid and dedicated to the task and never ever shed a tear and the DD is the same way, and she is the main keeper when they are little ones and have to stay inside to brood until they are big enough to go outside.

we do however take a moment at the end when they are all lined up and resting ready for the freezer and the work is done to refleck on how good they were and the pleasent life we helped them live, and how thankful we were to have them. IMHO There is nothing wrong with detaching ones self from emotional attachement it actually helps allot because you get to spare yourself any ill feelings and that goes along way on the farm or the backyard.

 

[CALI CHICK]

Our family just processed our first 2 meat chickens last week. There were mixed emotions the entire 8 weeks while they were getting ready! We couldn't help getting attached to any of our chickens. Even the Cornish X we had, had unique and funny personalities. However, I always told my son (10 yrs old) the following -and it helped me to justify it too:

1) These chickens aren't breed to have long, healthy lives as pets...They would die of heart failure or broken legs if you let them live too long.
2) We are giving them the best life a meat chicken could have -humanely speaking...We've watched Food Inc. and seen the contrast.
3) By last week, my son was reciting these reminders to me. I think he could sense my apprehension.

My husband did the actual killing. But once the blood was drained, I brought out the hot water. We all helped in the plucking. By this time, the chicken really begins to look like a supermarket chicken and you remind yourself of the purpose you've decided to do this...to provide food for your family. I also helped with the gutting. It was actually interesting to see the beautiful little organs and how they are attached. You'll probably surprise yourself (like I did) and have a peaceful feeling about this whole process. Good Luck!

 

[CALI CHICK]

Oh, and shame on us, but we named them. They were Denny and Stew!

Tonight my son asked if we were eating Stew and I said, "No, this is Denny!"

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

I just feed and water them until the day, I don't spend time with them or name them. They are walking drumsticks

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

Quote:

 

[Illia]

If they're Cornish X meaties, don't worry, you won't get attached to them. . . .

They'll get piggish, go through some seriously ugly phases, they'll get sluggish, sometimes to frequently stupid, very messy, dirty, etc. They certainly aren't like normal chickens. I don't think I could find myself getting attached to them even if I did raise them. Which, I don't.