I posted this on my Facebook and got a few saying " oh, I could never do that". Made me really upset

[SunkissedChicks]

I agree with galanie, a lot of people CAN'T do it, even if they're not vegetarian/vegan. Most people like their rose-colored glasses or their blinders and would rather they didn't know where their food comes from and if they do know, they try to forget. Wouldn't let it get to you and I agree with your message wholeheartedly - except the god stuff, a trifle.

Thank you so much and yes, they need to clear away that rose tint and remove the blinders. I call that Hypocrisy!

 

[SunkissedChicks]

I do not sell my pork but we raise through our family one pig per household and then split the care and feeding. The place where we get our beef sells locally but I don't think they would ship to Florida. The meat looks totally different from store beef because it has a darker color and the taste is amazing. I don't process our pigs or the beef but I have a local processing center that does it and it is run by a retired slaughterhouse inspector. He is very conscientious about how the animals are treated at the farm and during processing so I have no worries about how they are treated. He will even come and pick up our pigs each year and is totally okay with waiting when they aren't sure about loading right away.

It sounds like you have a great solution to avoid factory farming. I am going to dig deeper and find someone out here that raises beef and pork. Surely this must be possible for me. Thank you for being kind to the animals that give our bodies nutrition

 

[LilyD]

Something to keep in mind for the small-minded militant vegetarians (most are not, but you know you get "those" ones) is that the vast majority of cheeses they feel justified in eating are made with rennet, I don't know where they think rennet comes from, but it ISN'T live animals. Talk about heads in the sand.

Not that I am vegetarian but rennet comes in animal and vegetable versions. I make my own cheese and have used both and haven't seen much difference in the end product with either. Most people wouldn't know about that but...still.

 

[galanie]

This is true. In order to make real rennet you have to kill a calf. But, there is another type of rennet they call Vegetable Rennet. No idea if you'd know which was used when you buy cheese though. I'd think the real deal was used when you buy "natural" anything but then that label is so abused, there's no telling.

 

[LilyD]

This is true. In order to make real rennet you have to kill a calf. But, there is another type of rennet they call Vegetable Rennet. No idea if you'd know which was used when you buy cheese though. I'd think the real deal was used when you buy "natural" anything but then that label is so abused, there's no telling.

Not sure. If you are making your own cheese or buying it from a farmers market it might not be labeled so you would probably have to ask what was used. I know we have used both and there is really not a difference in taste between the two so if you didn't ask you wouldn't know which was used.

I would love to have enough room to have a milk cow for making cheese and butter right now we use goat milk for making cheese but it has a stronger taste than cheese made with cow milk.

 

[galanie]

I'm thinking the laboratory made Vegetable Rennet would be what is mainly used. Just an opinion but we don't eat much veal nowadays and it would take a lot of calves.

 

[LilyD]

A lot of the big dairies up here do sell their bull calves for veal though so who knows maybe that's where the animal rennet comes from. I use a premade packet that contains dry rennet and cultures all in one packet that is the exact amount needed for setting up a gallon of goat milk for cheese. It's kind of like cheating because someone else is doing the measuring but for me it's much easier because I can just dump it in and go.

We are going to take a leap and make our own goat soap this year too I already have people saying they will buy it if I make it since it's supposed to be hypoallergenic.

Up here is seems most people are trying to get away from buying from the store. They either grow it themselves or buy it locally. It's really cool.

 

[boochaces]

Thank you Donrae, that is a very powerful and true quote.
One thing is for sure I have deleted two people from my Facebook over this.
Now if someone disagrees with me on my views that is fine but to come onto my page on their own free will and say to me in reference to the photos I posted of my husband and friend plucking the dead chickens" showing the death of anything is awful" . I pretty much had it already with her comments.
I said this to her before I blocked her and didn't have to read her silly response which I am fairly certain it would be.

" I am trying to do something outside of the norm, actually know where my food is coming from and be kind to it.
When you eat cheese, milk, butter, those are all by-products of factory farming. You are a hypocrite as far as I am concerned... As long as it has a pretty picture on the box thats all someone like you needs to know. Trust me that milk didn't come from some dairy farm with rolling hills and valleys, wake up and see what is really going on in the world. I stepped out and pulled my own head out of the sand, raise my own birds, nurture them and love them so much that I didn't want them to be afraid when they died so I killed them myself. I have never killed anything in my entire life.... One more thing, you were a mean bully in school, exactly what you are accusing me of now... So block me, I really don't care."​

You rule.

 

[SunkissedChicks]

So inspirational!!!

My children and I have killed our chickens, but you have shown me that it can be done even calmer than we did!

I would love to see a video for you preparing them. I can imagine that you are way more graceful at it than I am!

Thank you, I am glad that I have inspired you and so many others. I actually left the plucking and eviscerating up to my husband.He did an excellent clean job.

 

[mynamesjenelle]

I hold and love on my birds every day. In 4 more months they will start to lay eggs. Have you ever seen the videos of factory farms layer operations? Those birds don't get anything close to what I give my birds. They are crammed into tiny cages for their entire laying life, their beak ends are cut off so they don't peck at each other in their frustrations. These birds have and will never see the sun or feel it on their backs
Those birds will never be able to have a dust bath or create friendships with other birds, or live a normal life like mind do. At this very moment all of my birds are walking around freely me entire property.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this exchange. If I was in your position I would never have been so polite and thoughtful, because I'm hot-headed and would have been too angry at the 'blinders' people put on. Now I know how to respond if it comes up for me in the future. I only have a small flock of layers but I love them in just this way. I cuddle them and tell them they are beautiful and they get all sorts of treats. I want them to grow old and have full chicken lives. I hate the idea of having to euthanize my sweet girls if they get too sick or miserable but after reading these forums and seeing your video I know I could do it because I do not want them to suffer. If we ever get meat birds we will raise and process them in much the same manner you have - with respect for a living thing and as little suffering as possible at the end.

The sentence where you say "Those birds will never be able to have a dust bath or create friendships with other birds, or live a normal life" makes me want to cry. I eat eggs every morning. My mother gets cage-free because she has seen what factory farms look like, but for the longest time I had the blinders on as well. She would try and tell me and I just said no, the cruelty-free eggs are too expensive and I eat too many of them, so I will just ignore what happens to the birds that lay them. Now that I have my own chickens it makes me sick to think about the thousands of eggs I have eaten and the conditions they came from. This is the reason that I wanted them in the first place. Having my own girls is the best guarantee I can have that my food comes from animals that are treated well.