Tomorrow is supposed to be his last day.....

[techbsmith]

Thankyou for the hugs and no need to be sorry. He was a funny bird and him and my cat Eddie were always helping each other get into trouble. Thankyou for the hugs. I am the biggest wimp of all time, I didn’t even fall asleep until after three or so. And then ran outside to check on my girls. Aside from being pissy about having a flash light put on them(they looked like they go caught with their trousers down) they were both just fine. I was scared to death yesterday, I really thought that I was going to lose Henrietta over her trying to shove a mouse down her greedy maw. Well, she is fine and so is Blanche, though I think they are wondering what happened to Enchilada.

I'm so happy to know that Henrietta is doing well! The flashlight moment reminds me of when I occasionally catch Thelma (Easter Egger) in the nest when I lift the egg access. She always nests facing away from the inside of the coop so she gives me the "stink eye" and then squawks out "Occupied!" so loud that it sounds like a pterodactyl getting ready to make a kill.

Give some extra love to Henrietta and Blanche - and get some rest.

 

[aart]

So will you eat the meat bird you slaughtered?
Make sure you rest the cleaned carcass in the fridge for 48-72 hours so rigor mortise can pass, will make the meat much more tender.

Glad Henrietta survived her gluttony!

 

[CCUK]

Hi. I've followed this thread from the start and didn't really know how best to reply. You have done something that I'm not sure i could. I admire your honesty and having to make the choice was tough. You did the right thing and learned a hard lesson along the way, 'don't let your meat bird become a pet!' I know it's easier said than done and I don't think I'd be any different. You had some very good advice and support through this. I'm glad henrietta is on the mend. That was something you really didn't need to happen when it did!

 

[SueT]

Thankyou for the hugs and no need to be sorry. He was a funny bird and him and my cat Eddie were always helping each other get into trouble. Thankyou for the hugs. I am the biggest wimp of all time, I didn’t even fall asleep until after three or so. And then ran outside to check on my girls. Aside from being pissy about having a flash light put on them(they looked like they go caught with their trousers down) they were both just fine. I was scared to death yesterday, I really thought that I was going to lose Henrietta over her trying to shove a mouse down her greedy maw. Well, she is fine and so is Blanche, though I think they are wondering what happened to Enchilada.

Henrietta is fine??? YAY, you saved her life! How about that!

 

[JDN]

In a week or two or three, take a look back at the process and you won't be so racked by the trauma of it, and now you know what goes into getting your food from the barnyard to the table. And you know that you can do it, and you know that you don't have to, either.

And although this seems crass, I laughed out loud when I read that he ate all the cat food...

 

[Jamie Molihan]

So will you eat the meat bird you slaughtered?
Make sure you rest the cleaned carcass in the fridge for 48-72 hours so rigor mortise can pass, will make the meat much more tender.

Glad Henrietta survived her gluttony!

I will not, but my husband and our roommate are very eager for it. I know I sound like a baby, but doing that was way harder than I thought it would be and the stuff that happened while doing it is still playing on loop in my head.

 

[Jamie Molihan]

In a week or two or three, take a look back at the process and you won't be so racked by the trauma of it, and now you know what goes into getting your food from the barnyard to the table. And you know that you can do it, and you know that you don't have to, either.

And although this seems crass, I laughed out loud when I read that he ate all the cat food...

I laughed too, him and that cat were always up to something...then I had to process him like that and I was cussing my head off about it. It was seriously gross. I don’t know if I will ever by chicken from a store again. I am probably going to have to get my meat from local farms. I know it’s more expensive, but now I know why.

 

[lomine]

I just discovered this thread today so I'm a little late to the party but I wanted to share a few things. I'd also like to say that the kindness, maturity, support, and respect shared in this thread has been wonderful. I've seen these threads go sideways very fast in the past but all of you have created a great thread full of not just great information but also understanding. Kudos to all of you.

I started my fowl journey about 2.5 years ago with ducks. Then I added chickens and quail. I kind of fell in love with the idea of homesteading and raising my own food. The quail were meant mostly for meat. At that time I was in the suburbs and was limited on what I could raise. I had no prior experience with butchering. I didn't really get any support from friends and family. Honestly, not one of them thought I could do it. Butchering day came and even though it was extremely difficult I was actually able to do it. I did feel a sense of pride for having completed the process of raising a bird from a chick to having meat on my table. It did take me a while to get over that first butchering before doing another batch but I have continued to raise quail.

My first chicken butchering was last spring, a 22-week cockerel. He was a butt and the choice to butcher him wasn't hard (though I knew the actual act would be hard). I did tons of research and decided on the killing cone/throat slitting method. I thought I was prepared. It didn't go well at all. I messed up. It took longer than it should have and the bird suffered for it. I felt extremely guilty about the whole thing and swore I'd never use that method again. I now use a large pair of tree loppers. Its much easier for me to do a quick, clean cut and with complete decapitation I know the bird doesn't suffer. Since then I have done some CX, extra cockerels, and even a couple ducks.

Earlier this year I had to do an 8 month cockerel I had planned on keeping. He had a name and was meant to stay but as he matured he changed. He was ruining the harmony of the flock and had to go. I didn't like the idea of passing a problem bird onto someone else so he ended up in the crockpot. His was the hardest because he was beautiful and I really did like him. I actually couldn't bring myself to eat him. I feed my dogs a homemade diet so he was their dinner. I was grateful his death had purpose and he lives on in my flock through a couple daughters.

I have gotten better and faster at the process but it's not easier. I don't think it will ever get easier and I don't think I want it to. I am proud of the things I have learned and done, even when they didn't go well. Especially since I know I did it completely by myself. No one really wants to help me (though they have no problem eating the meat). I thought I would need help with the ducks (those eyes!!) so I asked my older brother if he would. He's a hunter. He agreed to help but didn't seem to keen on it and kept dragging his feet. I eventually just did it myself. I learned then that the idea of butchering is hard even for those that have taken a life for food.

I think this whole thing has taught me a much greater respect for animals that end up on the dinner table. I actually eat less meat now because I have a greater knowledge of what it took. And the meat I have raised taste way better than any of the meat I buy.

@Jamie Molihan I hope that you can take comfort in knowing you did what was best and I think you should be proud of yourself for completing the task.. I don't blame you for not being able to eat the meat yourself and as long as it doesn't go to waste I think it's totally fine. I also hope that you don't completely swear off raising and butchering your own meat until you have had time to really work through all your emotions. I almost didn't do it again after the first time but eventually did and I'm glad I did. If this is something that is really important to you I encourage you to stay open to the idea of trying it again. Maybe just try doing it differently.

 

[aart]

I have gotten better and faster at the process but it's not easier. I don't think it will ever get easier and I don't think I want it to.

Ditto Dat^^^

I found a lot of support and knowledge here and on other forums and videos as I prepared for my first slaughter. Would have been much harder otherwise.

He's a hunter. He agreed to help but didn't seem to keen on it and kept dragging his feet. I eventually just did it myself. I learned then that the idea of butchering is hard even for those that have taken a life for food.

I found it surprising that hunters have a hard time slaughtering, it's the actual up close killing that is the hardest part. The butchering is easy, I've cut up dozens of chickens from the store.

I think this whole thing has taught me a much greater respect for animals that end up on the dinner table.

Absolutely, why I raise chickens, to know first hand 'where does food come from'.....and I have close friends who raise pigs, lamb, and rabbit. Tho I do still buy some grocery meat most comes from local small growers. I just gratefully put the last of the 2017 cockerels on the grill.

 

[bobbi-j]

I found it surprising that hunters have a hard time slaughtering, it's the actual up close killing that is the hardest part. The butchering is easy, I've cut up dozens of chickens from the store.

That's exactly right. I hunt, and it's a lot harder for me to (have DH) kill my chickens, than it is for me to shoot that deer, duck or pheasant. But I didn't feed those deer, ducks or pheasants, either. I didn't know them up close and personal like I do my chickens. That's the thing for me right there. I have raised those chickens. Fed them and cared for them. There is a connection of sorts. (OK, I'll admit - I also won't shoot a doe on our property because every year we have at least one that raises a family in our grove. I don't want to shoot one of "my" deer.)