QUICK!!! What to tell the kids.

[Mahonri]

Tell her what's gonna happen but I think she's still too young to help you process a bird.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

My perspective on our meat birds is similar to that of the produce I grow in my veg garden, and this is the viewpoint I try to share with my children. We often see them sprout/hatch, we provide for their needs, we protect them from harm, we admire their beauty, are impressed with their growth, and appreciate them immensely when they are harvested & consumed. That is their purpose in this world, we don't take them for granted, nor the enormous amount of effort needed to get them to the table, and therefore we are extremely grateful for them and do not waste a morsel.

Still, my youngest is already 7, and he and his brothers won't let me name the meat birds, not even something obvious like "Drumstick", and we don't eat our familiar & named layers. You may not want to connect the dots too clearly for your 3 & 4-year-olds right now, between this named but aggressive rooster and your next chicken dinner. You can just say that this roo's behavior is too rough for the rest of the flock and he will have to "go".

Personally, I wouldn't encourage the idea that only "bad" animals are for food. Animals aren't good or bad, they just follow their instincts. Some are more aggressive, or fearful & wary, and their behavior is dangerous or unpredictable. But many livestock animals are sweet natured and gentle right up to the moment they're processed. Nevertheless, their purpose is to be food, and their nice temperment just makes the job a little easier for the person doing the processing.

Let us know how things go with this roo & your girls!

 

[dancingbear]

Maybe you could point it out to her a couple of times when he's being too rough with a hen, and when he beats up the other roo, and explain that he's hurting them and he'll have to go. You could send her to play at a friend's or something for the day, when you do the deed. Then let her know he's gone, and leave it at that unless she asks. I'd tell her the truth, but not make a big issue of it. I wouldn't point out when he's dinner. Just let that go by un-noted.

BTW, if you're new to this, he's probably old enough that he'll need to be a crock-pot meal. Do the kids like chicken and dumplings?

 

[jaku]

Personally, at 4 years old, I'd lie to her and tell her he got out, eaten by a hawk, or something else. Not saying anyone elses opinion is right or wrong, I just figured that might be a bit young to try to explain why you're eating a pet.

 

[Beekissed]

I don't think naming an animal constitutes it being a pet, exactly. Now, if this child had a close, loving relationship with the rooster, it would be a little different....that was not indicated in the OP.

PET: 1. any domesticated animal kept as a companion. 2. a person or a thing especially cherished. 3. kept or treated as a pet 4. favorite or preferred 5. showing affection 6. to treat as a pet 7. to caress amorously. Webster's Dictionary

Now, if the bird can be included in any of these descriptions, other than just having a name, I would say not to tell the girl that you are eating said animal...but I would still make it disappear.

Apparently the OP does eat chickens on occasion, so the children are aware of their original purpose. If the roo is not actually cherished or a companion, I would definitely explain the situation. Its not mean, its a fact of life. Telling a little one that only "bad" animals die is setting her up for a big heartache...what if the family dog or cat dies? Will she be thinking it was because they were bad? Will she then think she will die if she is bad?

The truth is always best...unvarnished and whole. Hard to swallow that way but it will nourish the mind a lot better than cute stories or misleading information.

 

[dadof4]

My silver leghorn pet roo jumped my four year old son the other day from behind. Luckily he is not fully armed with his spurs. My loving son turned into a mofia boss and has insisted he be "processed immediately." He has also changed Carls name-to Ugly! Oddly enough, my neighbor needs a rooster-otherwish I'd be cleaning my old friend now. My kids have always known that our animals are for the benefit of our family. We love them and take care of them and treat them with respect and they provide a service for the family-eggs, meat, work, etc. They haven't had a problem with it especially when chicken is for dinner.

 

[baldie]

We just had to do this with our 2 NH Red roos. They were brutal to everyone except me.We took them to be processed and We told our 4 yr old it was the vet because he was sick. He never asked after that. He's been too busy with all the new babies.

 

[digginchicks]

I would say something like hmmm mabye a coyote. Well lets go adn have our chicken noodle soup to try to forget about it.

 

[jvls1942]

only bad animals get put on the dinner table?? we all know where that came from, I think.. until the grown-ups in this household learn to call a spade a spade, these kinds of situations are going to keep popping up..

exactly when in the future are you going to begin to talk directly and frankly to the kids??

our kids always had names for many of the chickens and all of the 4 legged animals.. and they were never shielded from butchering day..(we could not afford a baby sitter) and it was common for one of them to ask, "who are we eating today?"

and once they were old enough to hold a sharp knife, they were put on the assembly line on chicken butchering day.. girls and boys.

at the age of 12 all boys and girls were bought hunting licenses and went along with guns in their hands.. afterwards they had the choice whether to go or not..

 

[enola]

When I was a mother of young kids, and farming, we had goats, sheep, pigs, cattle, chickens, guineas, rabbits and all the wild life. The kids were raised to know that the meat on the table was from the animals that we had all taken care of. The dogs and cats were pets, everything else was food on the hoof ! We never discussed "who" we were eating, but, I can remember many good meals made from animals that we fed for a while, and now they were feeding us !

The only exception to this rule was the milk cow. After being personal enough to milk a cow by hand two times a day for ten months of the year for ten or so years, I could not bring myself to cook my milk cow.