When Butchering - will my hens know what's going on?

[PotterWatch]

Of course we can't know what a chicken is thinking or feeling but my birds have never seemed bothered when I am processing within their sight. Considering that they would peck at and eat one of their coop-mates if there were an injury that exposed blood, I can't imagine that they would be bothered that much by seeing processing.

 

[NightCode]

just gotta say they dont mind. i did my first butcher yestaerday and my laying hens werent bothered at all. there still laying the next day and are hanging around me like nothing happened..

 

[lizch]

I'm only 8 weeks into chicken-raising, but my observation so far is that chickens lack all empathy. I find it amusing when one of them gets separated from the rest and starts cheeping loudly because she's scared, and the others do NOTHING to help her find them and have no reaction whatsoever to her distress.

By the way, I laughed out loud at the comment "they think strawberries are bombs". I gave mine strawberries yesterday and the hens scattered away from them. The "bombs" are still sitting there untouched, so I guess they haven't got over it yet!

 

[Bucky182]

Well I never asked mine, LOL but they never said anything either. But when thier laying days are over they go to the stew pot. LOL They are a naturaly renewable resourse.

 

[EweSheep]

No, they don't care if we did it right in front of them. Guts was the jackpot for them!

Same for rabbits, when we butchered them, they were there and I had to shoo them away from us. They are real feathered pigs!

 

[blueskylen]

if it makes you feel more comfortable to not have them watch - move them away. it would stress me out to have mine watch me butcher, so I wouldn't want them to see for my own benefit.

 

[Yardbirds286]

We just processed for the first time a couple days ago, and my girls were having a dust bath-a -thon 20 yards away. They could have cared less.