Managing old hens with a chicken-attached daughter

[ralleia]

differently. Now we're rotating out the spent hens and eating the excess roosters. They're not as meaty, but I won't raise the cornish cross anymore.

Bobbi--

Is there a reason that you won't do cornish cross any more? Or is it because you have enough poultry to eat from your own stock?

We've always raised and processed standard-breed roosters in the past (australorps, rocks, orpingtons, etc.) so this will be our first time raising a batch of true "meat" birds. If there is a reason to avoid the cornish cross then I want to avoid a mistake!

I've helped with the processing before, and it was never an issue until we got to the hens. I wonder if when we get new pullets if we go with all of the same breed this time instead of getting a mixed batch, if that will help keep anyone from having favorites. If they all look the same, then she wouldn't get attached to the turkens, or the tortoiseshells, or the RIR she named 'Penny.'

 

[donrae]

A coworker of mine grew up on a farm and grew attached to a calf (was 5 or so at the time). At some point her family butchered it and as they were getting ready to eat they said, "guess who we're eating, Becky". Needless to say shes been put off of beef ever since. Shes in her 50s now and eats it once a year, if at all.

This isnt a helpful post but it came to mind as I was reading.

And my Mom's story is...

We raised a steer to butcher, and us kids named him Torro. First night we sat down to beef for dinner, 5 year old Rachel asked "Are we eating Torro?" Mom was hesitant but replied yes, we were. I replied "He sure was a good old cow, wasn't he?" and dug into dinner.

Different strokes.......

 

[bobbi-j]

And my Mom's story is...

We raised a steer to butcher, and us kids named him Torro. First night we sat down to beef for dinner, 5 year old Rachel asked "Are we eating Torro?" Mom was hesitant but replied yes, we were. I replied "He sure was a good old cow, wasn't he?" and dug into dinner.

Different strokes.......

And our story is....

When my boys were 10, 8 and 6 we got a baby holstein bull calf from a friend who was quitting milking. It was a week old and needed to be bottle fed. He grew up not knowing if he was a horse, deer or steer. When we'd take the horses out, he'd go through any fence we had him in and follow us down the road if he was able to catch up with us. If he didn't get out soon enough, he'd wait by the house (we have a picture of him lying next to the doorstep with the dog). The first winter we had him was a hard one and we had a herd of deer that would feed around our grain bins. One day he got out and joined them - even trying to leave with them when it was time for him to bed down. When it came time to take him to the processor, we sent the dog in the trailer first, steer followed him right in. Shut the back gate, let the dog out the escape door. The steer's name? Butch. My sons named him that "because we're gonna butcher him anyway, Mom." My aunt asked me how we could stand to eat him. I told her, "When I think of every fence I had to fix because of him, he tastes better and better!" My boys would just say, "Oh, we're having Butch-burgers tonight."

So yeah, I think it's all in the way you approach it.

 

[bobbi-j]

Bobbi--

Is there a reason that you won't do cornish cross any more? Or is it because you have enough poultry to eat from your own stock?

I've helped with the processing before, and it was never an issue until we got to the hens. I wonder if when we get new pullets if we go with all of the same breed this time instead of getting a mixed batch, if that will help keep anyone from having favorites. If they all look the same, then she wouldn't get attached to the turkens, or the tortoiseshells, or the RIR she named 'Penny.'

For me, I think they're just too fussy. They grow so fast and tend to be prone to health problems. Bowed legs, sudden death, and they can eat themselves to death if you let them. I plan to raise Freedom Rangers again this year. They took a little longer, but were much healthier. (At least the red ones were, the black ones I wasn't happy with - several deaths within the first couple of weeks, and they just didn't get as big) The Freedom Rangers will go out and forage for food, the Cornish x won't. They're happy just hanging around the feeder all day. Others may have better experiences with the Cornish, but I never did like them to raise. They do get a lot of meat on them, though. It also depends on how long you want to feed them. The Cornish are ready to go in 7-8 weeks. Another plus is, they're all white. No chance of favorites. Well, white where the feathers don't rub off their bellies and chests from them laying around all day... My FRs took about 12 weeks, and come in all different colors. We did have a couple with leg issues, but not like the Cornish.

 

[Naser]

Eating them is out of question. I think the best thing to do is to euthanize one of them every now and then and be sure you bury the carcass in a respectful way and tell her they are so old now and they die. it would be a full disaster for her to see you eating her pets, or worse you tell her that she is eating her pet.

 

[bobbi-j]

Eating them is out of question. I think the best thing to do is to euthanize one of them every now and then and be sure you bury the carcass in a respectful way and tell her they are so old now and they die. it would be a full disaster for her to see you eating her pets, or worse you tell her that she is eating her pet.

Which is why you explain to the child that they are no longer pets, they are old and going to die slowly and possibly painfully at this point so you end their life humanely, and then put them in the freezer for a while. When it's time for chicken dinner you do not say, "Oh, we're having LuLu for supper tonight." You just serve the meal. I am not feeding my chickens just to waste that money by killing them off and burying them once in a while. Their first purpose was to give me eggs, their last purpose is to sit in a jar in my pantry until I'm ready to use them. Eating them does not have to be out of the question if handled right. Each to their own, though.

 

[centrarchid]

Eating them is out of question. I think the best thing to do is to [COLOR=333333] euthanize one of them every now and then and be sure you bury the carcass in a respectful way and tell her they are so old now and they die. it would be a full disaster for her to see you eating her pets, or worse you tell her that she is eating her pet.[/COLOR]

Avoid lying. With birds in question the pet situation is secondary and a complicating issue that can be overcome.

 

[pdirt]

Quote:
Very well put, I think, thank you.

I think the word "pet" could be confusing to a child. Perhaps the chickens are "friends" but the real pets are ones you'd never eat, like dogs, cats, gerbils, etc.

To @ralleia : It all is going to depend upon your child, though, and you know her best. Find that balance between your needs and hers. Some children have been traumatized (and turned vegetarian due to trauma rather than that is what their body needed) because their parents failed to recognize their child's nature and tried to force their worldview on them. Teased them about their attachment to LuLu by telling them as they swallowed what they were eating. You don't sound like that type of parent and I think you're (and she) going to be fine. She may have a hard time at first but it will likely get easier for her. It's a strong maturing point for her.

Perhaps if you brooch the idea with her and see how she reacts...give her some time to let it register. Bring it up again later and see how she is with it now. If she is REALLY attached to a certain hen, it might be best to let her keep that one as a pet, but explain that old age will be hard on the hen and if she ever changes her mind, to let you know. Also, try to sift in other experiences she has had with death so it has some familiarity to her and she can then relate it to her beloved chickens. Perhaps keep human death out of the picture because we don't apply the same rules to humans as we do to pets and livestock, ie, euthanasia.

My point being, for most kids, it is probably going to be easier to come to a healthy place of choice about being okay (or maybe even very okay!) with killing things they care for, for food, if they have some time to come to grips about it and that there is CONVERSATION about it. The guillotine approach (ie, not involving the child in any manner of choice or conversation) might work for a select few kids, but I think most kids would be traumatized. Sounds like you are already doing such a good job with your daughter, just keep doing it!

 

[seminolewind]

This is coming from someone who does not process, but is okay with and respect those who do.

IMO, I think that the ones she has now should not be processed. I think it would be much easier for your daughter to accept you getting those Cornish huge chickens that become a roast in like 12 weeks, and tell her straight out that those are raised for meat and if they don't get butchered, they die from being too fat. I think maybe it would be best to separate the pets from the eating chickens and let her know the difference.

 

[ralleia]

Perhaps if you brooch the idea with her and see how she reacts...give her some time to let it register. Bring it up again later and see how she is with it now. If she is REALLY attached to a certain hen, it might be best to let her keep that one as a pet, but explain that old age will be hard on the hen and if she ever changes her mind, to let you know. Also, try to sift in other experiences she has had with death so it has some familiarity to her and she can then relate it to her beloved chickens. Perhaps keep human death out of the picture because we don't apply the same rules to humans as we do to pets and livestock, ie, euthanasia.

My point being, for most kids, it is probably going to be easier to come to a healthy place of choice about being okay (or maybe even very okay!) with killing things they care for, for food, if they have some time to come to grips about it and that there is CONVERSATION about it. The guillotine approach (ie, not involving the child in any manner of choice or conversation) might work for a select few kids, but I think most kids would be traumatized. Sounds like you are already doing such a good job with your daughter, just keep doing it!

I broached the subject with her again a few days ago, and she has indicated that she doesn't like to watch the old hens suffer and die (two died in the last week), and would rather put them down. That was encouraging, and I think she is starting to emotionally distance from them a bit. We also discussed how hens are most productive in their first two years, and how it is a good idea to start with an entirely new flock and new or sanitized coop periodically to try to stop parasites in their tracks. We have been experiencing issues with scaly leg mites.

So I think we are certainly moving in the right direction, and inputs from the forum have been invaluable in putting together a plan for how to manage this necessity in a way that is both practical and the least emotional. Thank you.

I am also getting her involved in the design of the new coop, and the decision of what chickens to order and when. With her involvement, her experience of witnessing the discomfort of the hens as they decline, and steps to avoid becoming too "close" to the layers in the future, I think we will handle it.