Processing Day Support Group ~ HELP us through the Emotions PLEASE!

[MontanaDolphin]

My boys (ages 8 and 10) could not WAIT for dispatch day, which I kept putting off because of this reason or that reason (I was stalling...I'd never killed anything before bigger than a spider). They watched the whole process and helped with the plucking. When I sliced the jugular and Boring Boy (first cockerel to be dispatched) and he started flapping around, my boys giggled...while I'm thinking "Lord I hope he's not suffering". Then when I cut his head off (and he still flapped) they laughed hysterically, and they wanted me to take him down so they could watch him flap around without a head on the ground.

Sigh. Boys.

Then just a few days ago I trapped a coon that was getting into my chick feed...and hubby went to the gun cabinet to get his .22. My eldest said "Dad, can I do it?" and hubby said "You sure you want too?". My son replied, "Yea, Dad, I'm sure. If I'm gonna go hunting with you for deer when I'm old enough, I need to know how to kill an animal, right?". So my 10 year old put the barrel to the coon's head and pulled the trigger. Now, the reason hubby was gonna do it was because I couldn't. If it had been a huge, vicious male, then perhaps I could. But this was a juvenile male, and was more scared than anything. But by law for my county, I couldn't relocate the coon, nor release it back on my property (which I wouldn't do anyway...wasn't going to face future slaughter of my chickens), and the coon had to be dispatched. My son took care of it, without batting an eye.

Sigh. Boys.

 

[Beekissed]

Yes! Aren't they wonderful???? Your boys sound so completely boy that I had to laugh....mine didn't laugh at chickens flapping but they didn't cry either. They've been killing and gutting their own deer with a bow since they were 8 yrs old, so killing a chicken is very mild to them.

It's a part of that male rights of passage, that being able to kill the food. My boys have never cringed away from it, though my youngest had a hard time the first time he saw his aunt butchering the 4-H rabbits...he was around 6-7 yrs old and insisted on helping. I warned him not to do it, but since he had helped PawPaw gut deer and such, he thought he could help in this.

Never saw a kid turn white so fast! He came in the house stuttering and pale and all I could say was, "Mmmm-hmmm! Told ya to stay away from there....." Rabbits are so cuddly, soft and white...a little different prospect than killing animals with pointy things coming from their extremities.

He got tough after that, though.... 9 yrs old with first bow kill, second deer kill.

 

[MontanaDolphin]

Yes! Aren't they wonderful???? Your boys sound so completely boy that I had to laugh....mine didn't laugh at chickens flapping but they didn't cry either. They've been killing and gutting their own deer with a bow since they were 8 yrs old, so killing a chicken is very mild to them.

It's a part of that male rights of passage, that being able to kill the food. My boys have never cringed away from it, though my youngest had a hard time the first time he saw his aunt butchering the 4-H rabbits...he was around 6-7 yrs old and insisted on helping. I warned him not to do it, but since he had helped PawPaw gut deer and such, he thought he could help in this.

Never saw a kid turn white so fast! He came in the house stuttering and pale and all I could say was, "Mmmm-hmmm! Told ya to stay away from there....." Rabbits are so cuddly, soft and white...a little different prospect than killing animals with pointy things coming from their extremities.

He got tough after that, though.... 9 yrs old with first bow kill, second deer kill.

That is awesome! Although my eldest is (IMO) mature enough to go hunting with dad, it still scares the crap out of me...so I told hubby I'd feel better if we waited at least another year. My youngest...the way his maturity level is, he'll be lucky if he gets to fire a weapon at 16. He forgets too much...wouldn't be a concern if it wasn't important stuff he forgets, but it is. So he will have to wait a long time before he gets to hunt.

 

[wlhtx]

My six year old shot his first deer last season - with dad sitting right here, of course. It made me a nervous wreck, but I have a very responsible boy. Old soul type of kid. Dad took a video of it as it happened, and it is hilarious to watch. I'm not sure who was the most excited, dad or boy. We also let him shoot snapping turtles in our pond, which he loves.

The kicker is that I haven't been able to talk him into letting us kill his "favorite" chicken yet. Bee, I mentioned her to you on another thread. She's a 9 yr old RIR that hasn't laid an egg since we've had her. (She was part of a mature flock that was given to us when we first started out with chickens.) She is still healthy, but slow moving and post-menopausal - so, as I'm trying to become more practical in our chicken keeping (especially after reading Bee's Gnarly Bunch thread), I would like to cull her. I have my husband convinced to do it now. (He previously was under the impression that you couldn't eat an old bird.). But now I have to convince our son. Any other one of the chickens, I think he would be fine. But this particular one is his favorite and I don't want to scar him by letting his first experience with a cull being his favorite bird... Both of my boys (husband and boy) are such softies when it comes to certain creatures...

I on the other hand have no qualms about the chicken, but when my husband shot the stray dog that kept coming around a few months ago, I absolutely sobbed. It's funny how some things effect you while others don't.

 

[ronott1]

My six year old shot his first deer last season - with dad sitting right here, of course. It made me a nervous wreck, but I have a very responsible boy. Old soul type of kid. Dad took a video of it as it happened, and it is hilarious to watch. I'm not sure who was the most excited, dad or boy. We also let him shoot snapping turtles in our pond, which he loves.

The kicker is that I haven't been able to talk him into letting us kill his "favorite" chicken yet. Bee, I mentioned her to you on another thread. She's a 9 yr old RIR that hasn't laid an egg since we've had her. (She was part of a mature flock that was given to us when we first started out with chickens.) She is still healthy, but slow moving and post-menopausal - so, as I'm trying to become more practical in our chicken keeping (especially after reading Bee's Gnarly Bunch thread), I would like to cull her. I have my husband convinced to do it now. (He previously was under the impression that you couldn't eat an old bird.). But now I have to convince our son. Any other one of the chickens, I think he would be fine. But this particular one is his favorite and I don't want to scar him by letting his first experience with a cull being his favorite bird... Both of my boys (husband and boy) are such softies when it comes to certain creatures...

I on the other hand have no qualms about the chicken, but when my husband shot the stray dog that kept coming around a few months ago, I absolutely sobbed. It's funny how some things effect you while others don't.

It is actually kind of funny the way they are before the dispatching and then after. My Daughters did not like the idea of processing the Bresse Roosters but right after they were dressed and chilling they wanted to know when we would be eating them!

Old chicken Hens boiled down to make Chicken and Dumplings is one of the best things to eat. Hens do not have Testosterone, so they do not get that "Taste" to them like the Roosters. I know some like that taste and it is not that bad but there is not much of a taste difference between a Pullet and an old Hen.

In a lot of ways it is more humane to cull an old hen. All birds hide their illnesses. At 9 years old your hen may be hiding a lot of pain.

 

[wlhtx]

In a lot of ways it is more humane to cull an old hen. All birds hide their illnesses. At 9 years old your hen may be hiding a lot of pain.

Oh, I totally agree with that. She is an active forager and still lets our rooster mount her, but she walks much slower than the rest of the group. It will happen - most likely soon. We are all discussing it and setting the stage for it to happen. I just don't think our son is quite there just yet.

We have some extra roosters (Marans) that are only 15 weeks. I would like to process them all at the same time, so I'm thinking another 4-5 weeks or so and we'll do it.

 

[jajeanpierre]

But this particular one is his favorite and I don't want to scar him by letting his first experience with a cull being his favorite bird... Both of my boys (husband and boy) are such softies when it comes to certain creatures...

One extra chicken isn't likely to bankrupt you. Let him have his chicken. It is a good lesson to teach, to value something just because you like it. There's nothing wrong with having a soft spot for one. The problem comes with people like me, who are have a lot of trouble dispatching anything.

 

[Beekissed]

Yes, it is! Some things just hit me harder than others....

I am facing the culling of Ol' Bertha and Middle Sister this fall...or maybe sooner. They aren't having any health problems yet~actually, Bertha just finished brooding a clutch that didn't hatch(Toby's shootin' blanks now, poor old man) and has now adopted some juvenile birds Kathy sent me~but they are both waddling more due to a sagging abdomen and suffering more in the heat than the other birds. I've slimmed them down but they are just....old..and with the saggy bellies, it draws their vent open and thus their butts are messy all the time.

I don't want to let them get caught by a predator due to being too slow to evade and I don't want them to have laying issues due to just age and a saggy belly...so I'm faced with killing my old, faithful and hard working hens. Not because I want to...but because I want to spare them any suffering due to this old age.

I'm dreading this particular cull because these birds have been with me so very long and have laid their hearts out season in and season out. Calm and true every day of their lives..it is never easy to part with old livestock. But..I'm not looking for an easy life at the expense of my good old birds, so it must come. It will be a heart ache, as it has for old and good birds in the past, but it is a part of this thing we call good stewardship and I cannot duck that bullet. I love these birds too much...yes, I said LOVE. Crusty ol' Bee loves her chickens with a deep and abiding affection.

I will not have them suffer.

 

[fisherlady]

I think much with the kids is that their true curiosity hasn't been tainted yet by societies 'taboo' things attitudes. They are willing to accept things at face value in ways that other people aren't. Although I didn't 'farm' anything as my son was growing up my Mom had a couple of beef cows. Even as a youngster I didn't hide the realities of animal rearing from my son...from the facts of life that all animals die and sometimes babies don't survive right through to the fact that some animals are food. This young fellow absolutely loves animals, and has the patience of Job (sp?) when dealing with any animals... but he eats meat and has no qualms about it. He appreciates the fact that the animals butchered by our family have led a good life and doesn't hesitate to sit at the table. He is older now, and hasn't been at our place for chicken butchering days, but I have no doubt he would participate in any way needed.

If we present the kids with reality and facts they can form their own opinions about what they can and can't do... the biggest disservice we can do to our kids is to avoid exposing them to reality or squashing their curiosity because of our own bias. I don't mean that you need to force your kids to participate, but giving them factual info so they can decide for themselves is a better option once they are of an age to make some decisions... each parent will be able to judge what that age is for their particular child... some it may be 5 or 6 yrs old, some maybe not till much later. Guiding them rather than forcing will go a long way toward helping as they get older.

 

[chicksooner]

I think much with the kids is that their true curiosity hasn't been tainted yet by societies 'taboo' things attitudes. They are willing to accept things at face value in ways that other people aren't. Although I didn't 'farm' anything as my son was growing up my Mom had a couple of beef cows. Even as a youngster I didn't hide the realities of animal rearing from my son...from the facts of life that all animals die and sometimes babies don't survive right through to the fact that some animals are food. This young fellow absolutely loves animals, and has the patience of Job (sp?) when dealing with any animals... but he eats meat and has no qualms about it. He appreciates the fact that the animals butchered by our family have led a good life and doesn't hesitate to sit at the table. He is older now, and hasn't been at our place for chicken butchering days, but I have no doubt he would participate in any way needed.

If we present the kids with reality and facts they can form their own opinions about what they can and can't do... the biggest disservice we can do to our kids is to avoid exposing them to reality or squashing their curiosity because of our own bias. I don't mean that you need to force your kids to participate, but giving them factual info so they can decide for themselves is a better option once they are of an age to make some decisions... each parent will be able to judge what that age is for their particular child... some it may be 5 or 6 yrs old, some maybe not till much later. Guiding them rather than forcing will go a long way toward helping as they get older.

Nicely said. I have had some looks from strangers for telling my kids the truth. Sometimes it is a simplified version of the truth because lets face it there are just some things little kids don't need to know. As far as how we get our food to the table is something I want my kids to know and understand and make educated decisions about.