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

[Sally Sunshine]

EDIT of OP.... I want to add a big THANK YOU to everyone who helped me! What a great amount of info y'all added to help me along! Thank God it was a smooth process, as well it should have been, I sure did my homework with y'all! Thanks for all the visual aids, tips, tricks and links too!! you all ROCK! I will be here for anyone who needs support as those of you were for me! Our chickens were THE best chicken I ever tasted, bet any awesome turkey I made! And I make some good turks! Thanks for the brining info too!
Thank YOU!! I LOVE BYC!

A SUMMARY OF THIS THREADS LINKS VIDEOS HOW-To's WILL be ADDED to this ARTICLE https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/processing-day-support-group-summary-of-thread for EASY ACCESS, IF I missed adding something you feel should go in the summary PM me and I will add it!




Don't worry about being gentle in response,
just be kind and honest.
I know this is the route we want to go. HELP get us through this please!
And maybe even help others down the road!


I have met so many people on here that cant get through the first steps,
suggestions to help ease our way in!


This week will begin a new chapter in our life, I know its not a lot but we have 4 Giant Sweet Brahma roosters that will be sent off for processing.


I chose to send off to start to ease into the process. I am having old age tender footedness! I have envisions of opening up zip locks and finding that I know EXACTLY which bird is which drumbstick!


How do I separate myself from them?
This is a step I not only NEED to take, but its a step I do WANT to take.
We are not vegetarians by far, we love our meat and we do spend a small fortune on chicken at the Grocery store.

If I could turn vegetarian then things would be different, but we are meat eaters and as these generations go by we are loosing touch with reality and what's on our plates, I know I have for sure.....


I am giving my own therapy aren't I!

​

 

[ozexpat]

what a girl!!

you know I am joking sally!

step1 stop naming roosters and bird you will eat. They are food not pets. If you must call them food names like stew, caserole, pot pie.

Step 2 - put a knife through their jugular, bleed em pluck em gut em and chill them. Do three or four at once Quarter them and then you wont know who you are eating.

You can cull a chick. its not much harder. once its lifeless, its just a process.

Good luck my friend.

 

[wildriverswolf90]

I know exactly what you are going through, I have gone back and forth with this myself, I know i NEED to and i WANT to, its just hard. I know it's cheaper to eat my extra roos then to give them away. I also know that part of me wanting to be a farmer also means living off the land, and that's what i want. I don't think the processing of the bird will bug me that much, its the killing part I have a hard time with

 

[chiques chicks]

Give thanks to your diety, and thank the animal for giving you sustenance. I don't let animals that are to be food become pets. I treat them well, but keep my distance.
Honestly, a chicken will flap its wings and flop around, it is just a reaction, not pain. It is never eas, but the results are worth it.

 

[3 NH reds]

You just have to do it. Do you have a killing cone? It keeps them from moving around and getting everything messed up. The other good thin about a killing cone is when they are upside down they are calm. Once you do the deed a few times it get better. You will not recognize them in the freezer at that point there is nothing to see other than its food. A good hot scald is also needed, I scald at 155*. You Will get over it. The not naming them is also great advise.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

what a girl!!

you know I am joking sally!

step1 stop naming roosters and bird you will eat. They are food not pets. If you must call them food names like stew, caserole, pot pie.

Step 2 - put a knife through their jugular, bleed em pluck em gut em and chill them. Do three or four at once Quarter them and then you wont know who you are eating.

You can cull a chick. its not much harder. once its lifeless, its just a process.

Good luck my friend.

oz do you process yourself? seriously I don't know what my problem is!

and I didn't name a single brahama honest I didn't! its big black roo or big blue roo or dummy

as for the cochin roo, well he just don't shut up and annoys me with all the crowing, seriously he has issues, again my fault because he thinks he needs to crow the minute he sees movement because he thinks I will give him some crackC or something, so again his demise is my own fault, but he is noisey as bejimennies.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

I know exactly what you are going through, I have gone back and forth with this myself, I know i NEED to and i WANT to, its just hard. I know it's cheaper to eat my extra roos then to give them away. I also know that part of me wanting to be a farmer also means living off the land, and that's what i want. I don't think the processing of the bird will bug me that much, its the killing part I have a hard time with

I know right! That's why I decided to at least attempt the taking them to someone first!

and I will have to admit, I said I would the last and I GAVE THEM AWAY, I cant keep feeding big brahma and giving them away for free!
If I were rich, then yes, but I am not even remotely close!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

You just have to do it. Do you have a killing cone? It keeps them from moving around and getting everything messed up. The other good thin about a killing cone is when they are upside down they are calm. Once you do the deed a few times it get better. You will not recognize them in the freezer at that point there is nothing to see other than its food. A good hot scald is also needed, I scald at 155*. You Will get over it. The not naming them is also great advise.

I searched this forum and I found that great processing with pics thread! What a wonderful thread!

I must go find it again and put it here so I don't loose it!

 

[ozexpat]

oz do you process yourself? seriously I don't know what my problem is!

and I didn't name a single brahama honest I didn't! its big black roo or big blue roo or dummy

as for the cochin roo, well he just don't shut up and annoys me with all the crowing, seriously he has issues, again my fault because he thinks he needs to crow the minute he sees movement because he thinks I will give him some crackC or something, so again his demise is my own fault, but he is noisey as bejimennies.

I grew up on a 1000 acre sheep farm Sally. We put a lamb in the fridge every 3 weeks, a pig every 3 months and vealer twice a year. God knows how many chickens and ducks.

My pre Bernie gardener was stunned when he watched me get a goat from bleeping to refrigerated in quarters in less than 30 minutes

Now Bernie is a softie, I will have to process the first batch with him. He culled a chicken with a bad leg - but buried it rather than eat it, Oy Vay..

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Give thanks to your diety, and thank the animal for giving you sustenance. I don't let animals that are to be food become pets. I treat them well, but keep my distance.
Honestly, a chicken will flap its wings and flop around, it is just a reaction, not pain. It is never eas, but the results are worth it.

you know Ray, I am a hunter, well WAS a hunter

HOWEVER I haven't killed a deer or a bird in over 13 years now, and that stuff NEVER bothered me. I guess I have grown too old and fond of animals.

I agree I need to separate from them. With my spitz and Whiteface Spanish I am very separated, and maybe that's what I have to do, just get ugly meaties that all look the same and feed them and walk away. My stupid Brain stops me at the brahma pen and I have turned into an observer, just like I observe the kids and think how lovely they are or how bratty they can be I reflect and wonder in thought and notice that stupid stuff, like how awesome the tail feathers span like a turkey and how beautiful their hackle feathers are and so on..... see I am a nutcase!