Should I involve my children in my first slaughter of roosters?

[TimG]

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I'd say: let the kids decide for themselves. Just knowing the chicken they are eating comes from the backyard is a step towards realization.

I'm not sure that hypocrisy is the right word. Hypocrisy would be her being mad at you for killing the chickens or thinking you are a bad person for killing the chickens (while she is an unapologetic chicken eater).

 

[Mortos]

Oh she has already advised me that she won't be too happy with me if and when I do it. My son has made similar comments. When I talk about it, he says, "Daddy if you hurt those chickens I will be so mad at you."

 

[dreamcatcherarabians]

I vote for letting them help when THEY are ready and not pushing them. My husband is a died in the wool city boy and thinks chicken comes from the store in plastic bags, frozen. He knows about the slaughtering and processing, in theory. He can't eat anything that he's on a first name basis with.

So, I cull the roos and chickens when it's time, he's not ever around and somehow they all end up frozen in that plastic bag from Walmart. I go about my dinner chores and he never knows for sure that he's eating one of OUR chickens.

Maybe I'm too much of a softie but, it hurts me to cull one of my soft feathered friends, I don't think I need to involve others in the process. Actually, I think it might make it hard enough for me that I couldn't do it if I had someone crying, moaning and gagging while I cut the poor chicken's throat.

 

[Weewanona]

Well, I'm a 40+ year old woman. My family - Father, Mother, younger Sister & I - raised our own meat, had our own garden and chopped our own wood.

I witnessed and helped in the butchering of (insert species) up until I was a young teen. (We moved to town at that point.) I'm not scarred and traumatized. Nor do I refuse to eat (insert species) because I used to know it.

Call me callused; but I never did understand this 'catering to the young' attitude. I'm not saying throw them in the deep end first time out. But they should most definitely be involved in SOME part of the process.

I would kill the first chicken yourself - just so you become comfortable with the process. But once you are comfortable with how you are going to do it....bring them in to participate IN SOME FORM with the other & the carcass of the first.

*****************

i drive a car that doesn't mean i need to be able to build one to appreciate it. its the same with food, computers, in fact every product you use or wear everyday. like i said you don't need to see and participate in each step of its production to appreciate how it arrived

I have to disagree with part of this statement. Your car, computer and most products you use and wear everyday were never ALIVE. When your food used to have a face - you need to KNOW just how it arrives to your plate so you can fully appreciate and respect that a living creature gave up its life so that you could eat. A child that has no idea that the burger used to moo and throws it away after 2 or 3 bites - is disrespecting that sacrafice.

I would sincerely hope that one aspect of being a parent is teaching children that.​

 

[Baymule]

Quote:
You might explain to them that it is impossible to keep ALL the roosters for the rest of the chickens to be happy. Then, because some of them have to go, your family will be the ones to benefit. If they want to help, ok, if not, then that's ok too. Be clear that this is a natural part of the food process and that the chicken nuggetts from the fast food store have not had the good life that your roosters have.

When my kids were small, I used cleaning deer and squirrels as anatomy lessons. They were facinated with the different internal organs. It helped with the whole eating Bambi thing. My 4 year old daughter collected squirrel tails.......I found them weeks later in her room after tearing up the house trying to find that dead animal smell.

 

[al6517]

Can I ask if any of the chickens you plan to Process have names ??, did your kids help name them or do they relate to the chickens by name. If the answer to any of these is yes then I wouldn't attempt to involve the kids unless they offer or you are sure they are Ok with it. We don't do the name thing at all, except for the horses and that's why.

AL

 

[joebryant]

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LOL, when my two tried that "I'm mad" act, my response was, "Okay, now watch ME do 'mad'."

 

[al6517]

 

[dreamcatcherarabians]

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LOL, when my two tried that "I'm mad" act, my response was, "Okay, now watch ME do 'mad'."

LOL, yep, my dad used to say, "You wanna pout? I'll give you a reason to pout!" or "You better quit that cryin' or I'm gonna give you something to cry for......" He did too.

 

[vfem]

Ummm... I would just say no in case something goes wrong. You know? You want to make sure you are 100% comfortable and able to walk them through it. Give yourself a little rope for a learning curve, you know?