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

[Beekissed]

I think that's called acceptance and maturity. The first time I had to stick a needle into someone's vein I thought it was a horrible feeling and I felt like I would hurt them, botch it up, make them scream, or worse, hit an artery and have to staunch the flow of their life's blood from pumping out on the floor. But..as time goes by and you do it hundreds of times, it's just a job that is best done fast, done well and gotten over with. I got good at it and I'm glad I didn't let that first fear keep me from practicing until I could be confident that I wouldn't hurt people when I took their blood or gave them an injection.

That's the whole thing with butchering chickens too...it's a hard job, a dirty job and it never feels right to take the life of a warm, living creature with your bare hands. But then you do it, you get good at it and you're glad that you are proficient at it so that the bird doesn't suffer, die of illness and old age, etc. It doesn't bother me anymore either, though I still don't really like to do it...I'm just glad I know how and I can give my birds a good life and a good death and that's all the matters in the end. It's all a part of good stewardship and it makes me proud to do that well and honorably.

 

[off-grid hen]

Yes! And I also know that I've never been truly hungry. I wonder how many people in the world right at this moment would give anything to be able to kill a chicken for their family. And here we have folks throwing it away by the pound.

 

[kacklinkelly]

Yesterday I processed my rooster of over a year after he decided that I was his mortal enemy. I have some cockerels in the brooder and another batch of eggs due to hatch soon, but it will be a few months before I have a rooster strutting around again. Hopefully my poor hens will use that time to grow some feathers back!

It was sad to see him go (I always get attached to my breeder birds,) but at least someone got a sweet deal from the whole thing.

OMG Best picture! Two things came to mind after I stopped laughing. One was I think you should post this on the thread named "what is this chicken thinking"
the other is the caption contest. "what chicken?"

 

[kacklinkelly]

Wax this may sound stupid but, when I look at your roo avy I see an eye watching me in his tail feathers! Anyone else notice this? or is it my blindness and laptop zoom level at 150% ????

I hadn't noticed it at first but after you post, I SEE IT TOO. How bizarre.

 

[Elke Beck]

Elke - you asked about treating myself, well let's just say I have a ball of egg noodle dough resting as I type, and I'm planning on making stroganoff. Beef - its what's for dinner tonight.

Wax Myrtle,

When I butcher chickens I always have something non-poultry planned for dinner. Beef Stroganoff sounds wonderful!

 

[LemonMeringue]

Wow, off grid! Great job! I doubt you will be disappointed in your chicken dinners. Your birds will taste so much fresher, cleaner than the chickens from the store. Good job!

 

[hillfloweranch]

I got to process my birds today in the pouring rain. And I mean POURING. I felt like I was walking around with a quart of water in my boots for 2 hours. I may as well have processed them while standing in the lake, lol. Oh, well. At least the yard is rinsed now.

The process part went well, my dad came by to see the Featherman plucker in action. My mother-in-law and father just stared in awe at the birds being totally plucked in less than a minute.

This was my first time processing at home, I have only harvested one chicken before this at processing class.

Things I want for next time I process:

1. More than 7 birds to do at once. The amount of time it took to set up, clean, and dismantle the equipment wasn't efficient for the few birds I had, but I didn't know how to pluck by hand. Now that I've done birds twice now, I could do it if I had to.

2. Birds of a different breed. These jumbo cx from mcmurray are as big or bigger than the big roasters you get in the store. I don't have a meat scale, but I weighed them on the bathroom scale (which I disinfected, and the birds were in plastic that I wiped after.). I don't know how accurate that is for just a few pounds. They all weighed at least 5.5 pounds, some weighed almost 7. We'll see how they taste.

3. Sharper knives that are only used for processing, nothing else. I had to get a different knife after the first bird, it didn't go as well as I wanted it to. The rest went ok after I switched knives.

4. My husband to be home, and dryer weather. .

Here are photos of one of my birds. I am proud of myself, and I think my dad was shocked that I could do it. I was a vegetarian for years.

Now I'm off to drink some angry orchard hard ginger cider.

WELL DONE! But it's missing the beer can in its butt!! LOL love beer can chicken! So yummy!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: LOL only you hill!! ha ha ha

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Wow, off grid! Great job! I doubt you will be disappointed in your chicken dinners. Your birds will taste so much fresher, cleaner than the chickens from the store. Good job!

I love your avy!!!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

I think that's called acceptance and maturity. The first time I had to stick a needle into someone's vein I thought it was a horrible feeling and I felt like I would hurt them, botch it up, make them scream, or worse, hit an artery and have to staunch the flow of their life's blood from pumping out on the floor. But..as time goes by and you do it hundreds of times, it's just a job that is best done fast, done well and gotten over with. I got good at it and I'm glad I didn't let that first fear keep me from practicing until I could be confident that I wouldn't hurt people when I took their blood or gave them an injection.

That's the whole thing with butchering chickens too...it's a hard job, a dirty job and it never feels right to take the life of a warm, living creature with your bare hands. But then you do it, you get good at it and you're glad that you are proficient at it so that the bird doesn't suffer, die of illness and old age, etc. It doesn't bother me anymore either, though I still don't really like to do it...I'm just glad I know how and I can give my birds a good life and a good death and that's all the matters in the end. It's all a part of good stewardship and it makes me proud to do that well and honorably.

are you a writer? you need to be one! you need a blog or do you have one?