Processing for the first time?

[Kanga77510]

Did it feel weird when you processed a bird or birds the first time?

It freaked me out; my first processing was last week. I grew the birds from chicks and took care of them, then I ended their lives. At the time of harvest I was really upset about it, not crying but had a good touch of the nerves. I think I may have offered up a little prayer of thanks to the chicken for its life.

Today I was telling someone about my accomplishment and they were quite freaked out about the whole thing. A week later, I'm pretty darn proud that I know everything those chickens ate. I know they got sunlight, fresh air and had happy little chicken lives.

What about everyone else?

 

[Beekissed]

The very first time I helped butcher and process an animal was when I was 11 years old. Starting young that way and having watched my grandmother process her birds, it was just part of life and no big deal. Just a dirty job that one had to do to make food for the family.

It always surprises me when adults carry on about doing something as basic as killing animals for food. People have been doing it since the beginning of time and it should be pretty ingrained and natural by now.

I realize that most folks have become quite separated from how they get their food and have become a generation that are not conditioned to thinking of it as just part of living....but it still surprises me.

I don't over think the death of food animals but I do take pride in raising my animals the right way all the way through their lives. How sad for folks who enjoy them from chicks to adulthood and cannot see it through to the end~that their lives end humanely and their bodies are put to some good use.

I'm proud of you that you saw it through and could rationalize that you have provided your animals with a good life and followed that with a good death.

 

[scubaforlife]

We have become Tyson hunters. We look for things in a little pretty package. I know some people that won't eat meat if it is still on the bone. Crazy.

 

[Beekissed]

I had a lady tell me the other day that in all her 52 years she had never had to cut up a chicken....she had always bought hers already cut up. She also said she hopes she dies before she becomes so poor that she has to kill her own food.

She did, however, quite enjoy one of my CX broilers.....

So disconnected with reality, aren't they? She said she didn't want to watch Food, Inc. as it may upset her and her teenage daughters.

 

[Salt and Light]

If I bring home a fresh caught fish, fillet and cook it, my daughter won't eat it. Yet, she will go to any number of nasty quick food restaurants. She thinks fresh caught fish is nasty (because she sees me bring in the fillets which still have blood on them) yet she goes out to a restaurant to eat sushi.

 

[MMPoultryFarms]

Quote:
Truly amazing. One time I took my ex to her first camping trip I prepared a 12 hour marinated T-Bone caught Some crappie and Sun perch off the dock I prepared it for her with heads and tails still attached. It was a dish you would have seen in a 5 star resturant, It was perfect.
She squirmed and said I am not eating that its looking at me, So I quicky scrapped the meat off her fish skeleton and she enjoyed it.

 

[Beekissed]

My sister used to fight over who would get the trout eyeballs on our camping trips!

Funny how what we eat every day here in the country is a very high dollar meal in a fancy joint in NYC....we must me RICH!

 

[PunkinPeep]

Quote:
We are! That woman who said that she hopes she never gets so poor that she has to kill her own food just doesn't understand. I feel richer than i ever have in my life.

 

[Morgan7782]

There are a bunch of "wife swap" type shows where a farmer/rancher goes to a city home and the culture shock is amazing. One family is disgusted and shocked that the other family raises, and butchers their own meat. It's like people don't know where grocery store meat and food comes from. I have a friend who refuses to eat my chicken's eggs, because they came directly from the chicken.. Bizzare. I am tempted to show her a battery hen video, just to prove a point.

I live in city limits, but when I move to the county I would love to raise and butcher my own meat birds. For my own families consumption. At least I would know the chicken was raised right. And I like the idea about sending a little thanks to the chicken after, sounds native american to me and I love that idea

 

[Beekissed]

I'm sure, if we were swapped to the city, we would be just as appalled at their food choices and eating habits as they are at ours. Foods that have a shelf life of 25 years have always been a turn off for me.

One time I visited D.C. and was told by a native to "stop giving the vagrants money!!!" when they asked for it....what else was I to do? I had extra money and they obviously needed it...I really don't care what they use it for after I give it.

I'm sure everywhere has its customs that are hard to understand...but everyone on the planet EATS, so I'm always amazed at their willful ignorance at just WHAT they are eating.