Is there anyone who does NOT process their own meat birds?

[AVintageLife]

Not ready yet to process my own birds. I am not interested in becoming a mobile poultry processor as I am already gainfully employed, lol.

 

[smilingcat]

If you are processing just few birds, you should do it yourself.

"I've never done that" really is a poor excuse. If that was the case, you would have never learned to drive a car...

It is not pretty to kill your own bird but it will give you a better appreciation about meat and food. You don't have to enjoy the butchering. It just teaches you to realize what it means to have meat on the table. And you begin to understand why people say grace before a meal.

 

[Greyfox Farm]

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It is not pretty to kill your own bird but it will give you a better appreciation about meat and food. You don't have to enjoy the butchering. It just teaches you to realize what it means to have meat on the table. And you begin to understand why people say grace before a meal.

Good point. Also, ever eat chicken from the grocery? Then you HAVE killed a chicken, you just subbed-out the "hit."


Dwen, in the Delmarva area the folks who process ducks and geese for hunters are known as "pickers." I bet a quick trip to the gunclub or gunshop and a few questions and you could find a name and number of a couple pickers in NC.

 

[Dwen]

If you are processing just few birds, you should do it yourself.

"I've never done that" really is a poor excuse. If that was the case, you would have never learned to drive a car...

It is not pretty to kill your own bird but it will give you a better appreciation about meat and food. You don't have to enjoy the butchering. It just teaches you to realize what it means to have meat on the table. And you begin to understand why people say grace before a meal.

True, however I wasn't given the keys and told "here, go figure out how to drive" either. I'd definately like to work toward independent, but I'm hesitant to jump in the pool before I learn to swim.

 

[puglady]

Taking 20 mama's boys to the butcher today. They're 18-20 weeks old. I've done them in the past myself but for me its very time consuming. I raised cx last summer and hope the mama's boys are just as yummy. I'm also taking my big Marans roo, he earned himself a trip by being the FIRST one into the coop when the hawk visits. He's huge and should be some good eating!

 

[Firefighter Chick]

I found a butcher near my area from a sheet from my state health department. It's USDA inspected and they weigh, bag, and label them for me. I figured if I had to butcher them myself I would refuse to eat chicken.

 

[AVintageLife]

I didn't say I wouldn't do it because "I've never done it"; I said I wasn't ready to do it myself. I grew up on a farm with pigs, chickens, ducks, geese and my father and grandfathers made their livings as fishermen so I truly do understand the connection between meat and food and the value of an animal's life. If one of my chickens needed to be put out of its misery because of an injury, I could and would do so myself in as humane a way as possible. When we decided it was time to cull three roosters, I could have just put them down but that would have been a terrible waste and I wanted the kids to have a better understanding of where their food comes from. I watched several tutorials on poultry processing but decided I don't have the proper set up and I'll admit I get hung up at the gutting part. It was important to me that this be done properly. I met the gentleman who ran the poultry processing place and inspected his operation, impressively immaculate and clean. (I've asked him if he could teach me.) And before we enjoyed our chicken soup dinner last night, we did say grace and give thanks for the rooster that made it possible. I wasn't sure if my 14 year old daughter would eat the soup since she helped me raise the chicks over the summer. But she enjoyed it along with the rest of us, even commenting that she could taste the difference in the flavor/texture between our home raised chicken and chicken from the store.