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

[Elke Beck]

oh wow thank you so much for sharing awwwwwe  its ok to post that on my FB puppies page?  awe

Sally, it is all yours. I am sure that Sir Walter Scott would be honored to know his words have brought comfort, if reverted here today.

 

[Beekissed]

We always keep the bird nests that we find in the yard that contains the hair of the pet that is now gone. I have two sweet little nests in my keepsake chest with the hair of two of my finest dogs interwoven into the nest fibers. One golden, the other white. It seems to us like a symbol of life going onward but the memory of the dogs still lingering right in the middle of that onward march of life.

You could even keep them in a decorative glass jar on the mantelpiece so that you can tell their story. Or you can have the kids make a collage of the dog's things...the collar, leash, toys, their brush~with hair intact, pictures~and a story or two of his/her antics written by the kids and you on some pretty paper, and then frame it for the wall.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote:

 

[Sally Sunshine]

We always keep the bird nests that we find in the yard that contains the hair of the pet that is now gone. I have two sweet little nests in my keepsake chest with the hair of two of my finest dogs interwoven into the nest fibers. One golden, the other white. It seems to us like a symbol of life going onward but the memory of the dogs still lingering right in the middle of that onward march of life.

You could even keep them in a decorative glass jar on the mantelpiece so that you can tell their story. Or you can have the kids make a collage of the dog's things...the collar, leash, toys, their brush~with hair intact, pictures~and a story or two of his/her antics written by the kids and you on some pretty paper, and then frame it for the wall.

Awe what great suggestions, I cant help but cry thank you

 

[Happy Chooks]

Darnit, I was planning on processing some birds on Sunday and we are getting a rainstorm. Ugh! I need these birds gone before the end of the month when my meaties show up.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Dog treats? perhaps since I cant eat them myself..... lol



Barkworthies

All-Natural Chicken Feet

Top Dog Treats & Chews


http://jefferslivestock.com/barkworthies-chicken-feet/camid/PET/cp/0041228/c2p/hp/

 

[fisherlady]

Dog treats? perhaps since I cant eat them myself..... lol



Barkworthies

All-Natural Chicken Feet

Top Dog Treats & Chews


http://jefferslivestock.com/barkworthies-chicken-feet/camid/PET/cp/0041228/c2p/hp/

I can understand them being used this way.... but my only concern is that Mindy would freak out and Dillon would head to the coop thinking he saw more treats out there!!!

Though I was just eyeing up a bag of CX feet I have in the freezer. We just boiled and ground up 4 frozen carcass frames and made more chicken mush balls for treating the birds in the evening. We will give one to the dogs once in a while over their food as a treat, but it obviously isn't recognizable.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote:

http://jefferslivestock.com/barkworthies-chicken-feet/camid/PET/cp/0041228/c2p/hp/

I can understand them being used this way.... but my only concern is that Mindy would freak out and Dillon would head to the coop thinking he saw more treats out there!!!

Though I was just eyeing up a bag of CX feet I have in the freezer. We just boiled and ground up 4 frozen carcass frames and made more chicken mush balls for treating the birds in the evening. We will give one to the dogs once in a while over their food as a treat, but it obviously isn't recognizable.
OMG can you imagine!! oh I so pictured that in my head!!! reminds me of the kids fluffy slippers! the puppy thinks they are her toys, a many child on butts from the pup!! ha ha ha

how do you grind them so thin to feed back? I am interested in this.... I would assume all innards and everything could be fed back. I would have to cook in the garage as the smell would be overwhelming lol!!

 

[fisherlady]

OMG can you imagine!! oh I so pictured that in my head!!! reminds me of the kids fluffy slippers! the puppy thinks they are her toys, a many child on butts from the pup!! ha ha ha

how do you grind them so thin to feed back? I am interested in this.... I would assume all innards and everything could be fed back. I would have to cook in the garage as the smell would be overwhelming lol!!

Simmer on the stove for hours (though I am sure a pressure cooker would cut that time down to under an hour... gotta get me one of those soon)

Then run it through an ancient kitchen grinder to make a hamburger like product...






. Here is a better picture of the grinders, made sometime in the 1880s I think...

 

[Angelicisi]

My kids are busy nearby after we are processing (once birds were put down, kids were sorta watching the plucker machine and us gutting) I got a few "ewwwws" from the boy. The girl just stared like she was studying for a test lol. She's 5 and ALL about farming! He's going to be 4 on Thursday and gets that we eat them but just when I thought the boy would be ok with it, a dead headless chicken squaked while plucking. The boy thinks we are mean and hugs chickens now every chance he gets, but happily eats it when cooked for dinner lol
Not sure what age is ok for the killing part. Any age I suppose it depends on the individual child. One of mine wants to be involved, the other not so much. Both make me nervous lol

Here's my girl I tried to het video of her talking to her dad about the chicken he was making being one of her chicks she raised...don't worry we hid the bunnies.

I've thought about this a lot and don't know why I didn't think of this earlier.  I know that my watching lots of processing videos and getting all the hand holding from this group made my first processing okay with no surprises.  For those of us who do not have the experience of seeing the meat on our table from when it was new-born and then slaughtered, familiarity of the process really helps.  I think if a parent and child were to watch and discuss some of the processing videos, the parent would probably have a  pretty good idea if the child is going to be bothered by helping in processing.