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

[Beekissed]

I have similar issues with my step-son. His step-dad has been playing some zombie shooting game and now he's been obsessed with violence lately. He has such a hard time separating reality from fantasy as it is, so we avoid TV and too much games (especially violent ones).... the other day he's looking at the chicks and says "when they're big we're gonna stab them with a knife!" Egh... I tried to explain to him that's not quite how it works and they are killed carefully and quickly and no knives are used until they're already dead. He has not watched us dispatch a bird yet, he's only seen the plucked and eviscerated end result... I worry about that boy.

He's almost six, thinks time machines are real, he's Sonic the hedgehog and says things like "When I was an adult, you were my kid, daddy" and has false memories about his mom living in my house. I'm sure it's the age, but it's hard to have him understand what's real. Seems one has to shelter such a child from killing chickens, or he may try to butcher the cat next

Maybe a little dose of reality is just what he needs! All boys have that need for violence, it seems. They just have to cut, hit or break something all the time and I've never understood it but have watched it in my own three for years...it's not a learned thing. Mine weren't allowed to play video games and such, nor see violent movies while they were growing up but they still managed to have violent type games and playing.

I'd let him see you kill the chickens and also help, help gut, let him look in the gizzards, etc. Reality is much different from games and even my boys who have been around animal death since they were babies had a hard time putting a knife to a chicken's throat and killing it...said they didn't want to. Wanted to shoot it but didn't want to really kill it with their hands. And these are boys that had been killing their own deer since the age of 7-8 with a bow and helped with all the gutting and processing of them, even doing it themselves.

Killing a small animal with a knife is a different prospect altogether and many men don't have a stomach for it. Could be it would help him understand death, life and all sorts of things if you make it an educational moment without any drama on your part.

 

[fisherlady]

To the folks brooding the meaties... we have found that they seem to not want the same heat that 'normal' chicks seem to. I am not saying to not provide it, but make sure that they have plenty of space to get away from it if they want.

Also, we had better luck with keeping the food and water in well separated areas which weren't near the main heat source. If they are all too close together the little meatballs will just lay down and sleep with their beaks in the feed dish! By separating all of the areas it kept the little things moving more.

 

[KelsiNS]

I am sincerely hoping i can be the one to dispatch since i hunt and my soft hearted husband is usually left to do the job with raised animals >.<

And i have to ask-for the hunters...is the processing similar at all to game birds or am i going to relearn at Step One?

 

[Beekissed]

I am sincerely hoping i can be the one to dispatch since i hunt and my soft hearted husband is usually left to do the job with raised animals >.<

And i have to ask-for the hunters...is the processing similar at all to game birds or am i going to relearn at Step One?

Depends on what kind of game birds and how do you dress them..field dress or full out plucking and evisceration back home at the table?

 

[KelsiNS]

Maybe a little dose of reality is just what he needs!  All boys have that need for violence, it seems.  They just have to cut, hit or break something all the time and I've never understood it but have watched it in my own three for years...it's not a learned thing.  Mine weren't allowed to play video games and such, nor see violent movies while they were growing up but they still managed to have violent type games and playing. 

I'd let him see you kill the chickens and also help, help gut, let him look in the gizzards, etc.  Reality is much different from games and even my boys who have been around animal death since they were babies had a hard time putting a knife to a chicken's throat and killing it...said they didn't want to.  Wanted to shoot it but didn't want to really kill it with their hands.  And these are boys that had been killing their own deer since the age of 7-8 with a bow and helped with all the gutting and processing of them, even doing it themselves. 

Killing a small animal with a knife is a different prospect altogether and many men don't have a stomach for it.  Could be it would help him understand death, life and all sorts of things if you make it an educational moment without any drama on your part. 

Sounds like my nephew. He was all, "i want to shoot a rabbit so it bleeds to death!" So his uncle and i took him rabbit hunting to show him the reality of taking a life. He shot-hit a large hare in the back-shattered its hips and one thigh. We made him find it in the brush and SEE how badly it was hurt and HEAR how much it cried and he had to put it down quickly. We told him, "THIS is what happens when you dont kill it in one shot. Imagine how it eould have felt if you justleft it to die." He was really upset and his uncle taught him how to clean it. Nephee wanted no more to do with it but we explained that if you shoot it, you kill it. If you kill it, you process it.

 

[Tomtommom]

Maybe a little dose of reality is just what he needs! All boys have that need for violence, it seems. They just have to cut, hit or break something all the time and I've never understood it but have watched it in my own three for years...it's not a learned thing. Mine weren't allowed to play video games and such, nor see violent movies while they were growing up but they still managed to have violent type games and playing.

I'd let him see you kill the chickens and also help, help gut, let him look in the gizzards, etc. Reality is much different from games and even my boys who have been around animal death since they were babies had a hard time putting a knife to a chicken's throat and killing it...said they didn't want to. Wanted to shoot it but didn't want to really kill it with their hands. And these are boys that had been killing their own deer since the age of 7-8 with a bow and helped with all the gutting and processing of them, even doing it themselves.

Killing a small animal with a knife is a different prospect altogether and many men don't have a stomach for it. Could be it would help him understand death, life and all sorts of things if you make it an educational moment without any drama on your part.

Those are some very valid points. Perhaps he will come to realize that it's not that 'fun' and 'cool' and whatever little boys think it is.

Expecting a final court hearing next week (hope to God it's the last one.... been dragging on far too long), which means when it comes time to dispatch these guys, everything I say and do will not be used against me. Because, you know, somehow it'll be turned around and I'm a bad person for having the kid experience some reality for once.

I can't do the knife thing, we use the broomstick method (breaks the neck). I don't know what it is, but piercing skin of a living being with a sharp object gives me the heeby jeebies. Hate needles too

Killing is never easy, but part of life. He's experienced a lot of death in the family in the past two years, but it's always softened with the "they've gone to Heaven" story.... Reality is needed.

We're very much down to earth, nothing comes for free and every up has it's down... it'll do him good. Thanks Bee

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
Maybe that's why he is acting out, do you think? I can understand going easy until the court date is over.....they can nail you over the stupidest things about kids. It's hard enough blending families without having to walk on eggshells about such things. When they get done pulling rabbits out of the hat and making you jump through hoops, it's the kid that suffers in the end with all this dispute and manipulation. You poor thing....

 

[Happy Chooks]

To the folks brooding the meaties... we have found that they seem to not want the same heat that 'normal' chicks seem to. I am not saying to not provide it, but make sure that they have plenty of space to get away from it if they want.

Also, we had better luck with keeping the food and water in well separated areas which weren't near the main heat source. If they are all too close together the little meatballs will just lay down and sleep with their beaks in the feed dish! By separating all of the areas it kept the little things moving more.

They were all comfy cozy this morning. I'll probably reduce the heat bulb today to the 25 watt party bulb. (for light, not heat)

 

[chicken junky]

Does everyone sing Jimmy cracked corn and I don't care while feeding corn to fatten up mean roosters before processing or have I totally lost it?

 

[fisherlady]

Does everyone sing Jimmy cracked corn and I don't care while feeding corn to fatten up mean roosters before processing or have I totally lost it?

Nope... but I have to admit that I have hummed 'Grandma's feather bed' a few times when processing!