People ever give you a hard time about...

[joebryant]

There's not much that can be said for anyone who cannot see the many, many benefits of raising as much of their own food that they have time to do or space in which to do it.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Are you familiar with the saying "You can't teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time, and it annoys the pig." I think the same thing goes with folks who want to debate the issue of butchering the animals you raise yourself. It's just wasting someone's time & annoying someone else.

Personally, I've had some good discussions with folks who wouldn't/couldn't do it themselves, but are impressed that we can. They will listen to us explain our rationale but won't make criticisms or complaints. Perhaps they think its wise to stay on the good side of someone who is handy with hatchets for decapitations and knives for slitting throats. Perhaps they don't want to alienate the folks they may one day need to supply them with meat if ever there's an emergency.

If your friends & neighbors are that sensitive to the issue of home-made meat then I just wouldn't discuss it with them. If they don't want to try it then fine, that's just more good meat for your plate. If it's family, especially those getting together for a holiday, then agree to disagree & find a compromise. If there are enough willing cooks, then prepare & serve both kinds of birds. If not, then serve the kind that most people want and make sure there is something to sustain the dissenters.

This is just an unfamiliar topic for most folks in our modern urban society. We are very disconnected with our food sources and tend to push unpleasant realities to the fringes of our awareness. Much of our food comes pre-made, processed, pre-packaged and often bears little resemblance to its origins. The whole foods available are also often pre-cut, washed, wrapped or bagged and many people have no idea of how they were grown, if it's the seed, leaf or root of the plant, if it grows on a tree, bush, vine, or underground. Many people now buy their meat pre-cooked, in addition to being pre-packaged, cut, cleaned & killed for them. So there may not even be any blood left to remind them that they're eating the flesh of a once-living animal.

Just be grateful you're able to appreciate life on a more genuine plane, and try not to worry about what others think about it.

 

[kees]

I didn't even know that any of my neighbors were gossiping about me until my friend mentioned it. At that point, I said that the turkeys were raised to be food and not pets. I also stated that those who took umbrage at me raising my own birds had the to deal with the problem themselves.

Suzy
go figure

 

[oldchickenman]

im raiseing 2 turkeys now there names are christmas and thanksgiving i rasied them i love on them feed them good but. my sister says how can i kill them to eat them i said i wouldnt any one else to kill them cause i know i will do it in most painlees way possible.

 

[TedsFarms]

You may want to process both of them at the same time actually. I processed one of my 40lbers and the other one fell over dead two days later.

 

[jaku]

Quote:
Oh, wow. That SUCKS!

 

[teach1rusl]

I respect people who can raise and process their own food. While I could raise an animal and have it processed, I couldn't kill it myself in an everyday situation (if I was starving that would be a different story though...lol). And I would have to stay detached from it; I couldn't name it and make over it like a pet. I'm sure many people who raise chickens for food make comments about people like me who just have them as pets "You mean you spend all that money on feed and supplies and you don't even EAT them?? Well that's just money down the drain." LOL!! I care more that animals are treated humanely and well cared for while they ARE alive...

 

[Miltonchix]

Quote:
DITTO!!

Only one person I work with understands. He raises and traps hogs. We trade chicken/eggs for pork.
Even the guy who raises his own beef cattle thinks we're nuts................
Just don't get it.

 

[kees]

I actually had a friend who cried tonight and refused to visit me because the turkeys were no longer there to welcome her. Now I feel like a real heel.

Suzy

 

[Eggs4Sale]

Get it from my mom, friends, well, everyone....