I am such a softie... Should I turn vegetarian?

[Kim_NC]

Quote:

And so true. By the time the young roos from our hatches are ready to butcher, I've had with them....even when I've separated them where they can't harrass the pullets.

Quote:
I agree. We raise pigs too. You cannot be too careful around pigs.

 

[herfrds]

The first time I butchered chickens I had a good friend over who had experience. She walked me through it.

Now I read a few comments on here that kind of ticked me off.
Sunny Side as a farmer I feed 197 people world wide. If we did NOT use our large equipment the number of people fed would be greatly reduced and the amount of food that is availible in the stores would be reduced by over half. If you think other countries will feed us, think again.

The remark about when Dorothy fell into the pig pen and her dress getting dirty was tasteless even if it was meant to funny.
I have heard stories of pigs taking people down and eating them. I find nothing funny about a person falling into a pig pen. I don't even trust the 4-H pigs nor will I allow my daughter to raise any.

 

[HLAC]

When I was a little girl, my father admonished my sister and I to stay away from the hogs and stay out of the hayloft. Of course, we'd sneak to the hog pen and feed them and we'd play in the dilapidated hay loft. The hogs were far scarier than the hayloft. They always looked at us like they wouldn't hesitate to kill and eat us if we fell in.

I don't have a vegetarian bone in my body but I feel a little sadness when I kill off some of my 'regular' chickens. Can't say I felt bad doing in my cornish Xs, they had about as much personality as a post.

 

[dancingbear]

Quote:
You might re-read that post. The writer said that was probably what many people these days think, being unfamiliar with pigs. The writer was NOT saying that was what originally made that scene scary.

 

[kelc1220]

I really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences. I also got layers first and plan to get broilers when the weather gets warmer. I had similiar thoughts about butchering day but these posts have helped. Thanks, everybody!

 

[comp6512]

Quote:
See, there is something about these Orpingtongs. They must know some magic...

to keep people from culling them.

All joking aside, thanks for all the great advice here. Even on hogs, although I don't think we will be raising any in a forceeable future, although, ya never know.

The Orpingtons, even they are almost four months old now are still pretty scrawny, even the three remaining roos. So I'm thinking the ducks will have to go first, if the fox does not get them before we do. But it was a great idea to keep the chicken in the freezer for a month till the blody experience wears off. It's just the problem is, I only have three roos left, and they each have their own personalities; hens don't but they are the "egg layers"

, so they are kept longer. There is an absolute must though that only one roo will be kept in the end, so whethere butchered or given away, two roos will have to go. Well, most likely they will have to be dinner. Just not yet..

Bottom line, I think I am chickening out on butchering these chickens, but, like many people replied, when the roos start assaulting the hens, I will have a change in attitude.

 

[kooltex]

Yeah start assaulting the hens is one reason, the crow-a-thons will be the other. hehe

 

[dancingbear]

Quote:
Maybe they'll make it easy to choose who goes. I've gotten so aggravated at some roosters, I felt I could have snatched their heads off on the spot. When you see one peck your favorite hen's head bloody, it's a lot easier to do him in.

We had one once that was just a brute with the hens. Absolutely terrorized them. I had another roo who was gentle and sweet with them, so of course, we ate the mean one. There are so many good-natured roos, there's no reason to put up with a mean one. We had a BO roo who attacked me, he went away, too!

I really had a hard time butchering for the first time. The roosters made it a little easier. Still, my DH had to do the actual slaughtering. These days I do it myself, even taught some of my friends how. It still gives me some uneasy moments, and that's ok. I don't think I'd like myself much if I could end a life without some regret.

However, I feel a lot of satisfaction knowing that I can do what's needed to provide food for myself and others.

Good luck to you, whatever you decide to do!

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Quote:
Well then, I'm going to apologize here in case anyone else took offense. I have no issues with large mechanical farming equipment, instead I was making the point that life takes sacrifice, no matter how hard you try not to. It's something that many people in our modern urban culture are unaware about. Many people don't even want to know about it and if they do, they would rather ignore it than come to terms with it.

And thank you for understanding, Dancingbear, I wasn't making light of how dangerous pigs can be. Again, in our modern urban culture most people's experiences with pigs comes from Charlotte's Web and Babe the Pig, and Arnold from Green Acres. So that today most people think the worst thing that would happen to Dorothy is that her dress would get dirty when she fell in the pig pen, they wouldn't think that her life could be in danger.

Please forgive me for causing any misunderstanding.

 

[herfrds]

Apology accepted.

I am sorry if I came across as harsh.