Questions about children's reactions to butchering chickens

[joebryant]

I used to help my grandmother butcher; in fact, I'd wring their necks, and there's nothing wrong with me, with me, with me, with me,...

 

[queenbeezz]

I grew up on a farm and my father butchered the steers and chickens we raised. There was a no nonsence attitude about the animals destined for the table. First, it was made perfectly clear that they were NOT pets. They were not given cutesy names and treated like pets. They were table food, period. We did have our favorite chickens, not for butcher, that were our pets. We helped with the butchering (to this day I HATE pulling plucking feathers).

Make it clear, from the beginning, that these are food and don't waiver. The first butchering is the worst. Put up with no tears about it and don't give in. Next time is easier. After that it becomes a part of life.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Another thing I noticed when processing animals with children was a higher level of respect for the animal. A "nothing wasted" attitude came very naturally to them. When we buy meat at the store it's just meat. Meat that is raised by our own hands has a sacred type of feeling to it.

 

[chocolate m'scovy]

I believe your children are at the age when any squeamishness will probably be something they picked up from their parents, a.k.a., you. So I'd just be perfectly natural and honest about the whole butchering thing. They'll probably be intrigued. Remember...enthusiasm is contagious!

 

[ams3651]

when we were young it was just a fact of life. I accepted it but didnt want a part of it, my sister on the other hand was right there helping. Maybe it depends on the sensitivity of the child as well.

 

[TeamChaos]

We just got chickens this year and with our batch of hens came 10 surplus roosters "for warmth". We raised the boys just as we did the girls, but I was honest with my 7 year old daughter that we wouldn't be able to keep ten roosters and that no one would 'adopt' them, they would take them for meat. After some thought, she pointed out "Well, if anybody is going to eat them, it should be us". Huh. The time came last week to butcher 8 of the roos. We had been talking about it for quite some time and life had gotten pretty stressed around the hen house with 10 mature roosters trying to beat down their door, so it wasn't a surprise when I told her the morning it was going to happen. She wanted to be sure she wouldn't find "feathers and heads" anywhere (of course not!) and when she got home she ran to the 'fridge and said "hi roosters!". She's been remarkably at peace with the process and really proud of the fact that we cared for our roosters and they will feed us. She knows that animals raised for meat in commercial farms don't get to be "real animals" and that has proven more confusing and distressing to her than anything related to the raising and butchering of our first batch.

 

[chickensducks&agoose]

we've got 20 meaties, 2 got processed today, both my girls promptly announced that they are vegetarians.... so....

 

[Kelsykin]

Every child is different and they will react differently to processing chickens. Some are okay with it, some will go vegan and others don't care either way. Just depends on the child.

Kelsy

 

[Cali-Chick58]

We just got our layers in June and want to work with them for awhile, but plan to also get meat chickens in the near future. Thankfully we have good friends who are already processing their own chickens so our boys 5&6 have observed and are fine with it. We have taught them from the beginning where meat, milk, etc.. actually comes from and the benefits of growing our own meat, produce, and fruit. I think it's a really good thing for them. We also will be getting a couple of pigs soon for the table and our boys have already picked out their names.. The Evil Dr Pork Chop (taken from Toy Story) and Ham Hock. They are actually looking forward to having our freezer full of good organic meats.

By the way, these same friends just got a whiz-bang chicken plucker...great invention!

 

[nivtup]

We have been on home grown chicken for 3 years. it is very rare to have chicken in our house that did not come from our land.

The kids did not want anything to do with the processing.

The question "is that from the backyard" was very common when we started. The answer was always truthful. Yes it is.

We went through several stages of I am not hungry, I am a vegitarian, etc.

Now it is just chicken, and they all eat and like it. Eventually they got hungry.