When our chickens get old

[Uzuri]

No names for mine, and I'm hoping that when the time comes I'll be so entranced with the new layers that I'll forget the old ones.

Yeah, right XD

 

[wombat]

Quote:
If I add three layers a year, I figure I'll still have only about 20-25 "pets" ten years out. I don't expect that they'll all make it to 10+ years old. Some of them are heavy drinkers, and I've caught a few smoking behind the coop.

My daughter goes off to college in about 10 years, she can take some of them with her. Might make chosing a school difficult, though.

 

[Keara]

Quote:
very funny. Course if she can't find a school that accepts chickens than you will save a bunch on tuition!

 

[midwestmilkmaiden]

I've been raising chickens for 2 years now.. and ducks for about 3 months..

Now in 2 years of raising chickens... I've wanted to be sufficient with the way I raise my farm.. so butchering the old to make way for the new seemed realistic and it' d be great , clean , well raised and loved meat!.. but easier said than done.. I too love my flock.. and the new addition of ducks I've become pretty smitten with too.. they're sooo darn cute!!

But....

I did it!!

2 days ago.. I butchered 4 drakes and one hen that was on her last leg.
I put the drakes in the freezer for the holidays.. and the hen in the crockpot for dinner that night!.. I have to tell ya .. I was darned proud of myself

It was difficult the first time.. but I was planning on taking the drakes to a sale barn where somebody else would've just butchered them and maybe not treated them so nicely either!.. Mine were well taken cared of and will be great meals to share with my loved ones!

I think it's a great Sacred Circle.. I give these creatures a very well cared for .. free ranging life on 2 acres and in the end they give me sustenance! AMen!

 

[SallyF]

I have a BIL who raised farm animals and butchered them for meat. He and his family would give thanks at dinner for the life of the animal that provided them food... another example of the Sacred Circle theory.

 

[thebigroo]

Well we got a lot of replies on this one. Wish everyone good luck this winter,

 

[RanchGranny]

Being a small farmer, I am totally into the idea of becoming self-sustaining, growing our own vegetables for canning, eating "real" food as opposed to processed, grocery store varieties when I can. I believe if you are going to raise any critter for the table, you should afford them the best, most natural quality life they can have right up until you eat them. Give those chickens the happiest, healthiest chicken life they can possibly have. We owe them that much for expecting them to give their lives for us; that & a fast, non-fear filled end of life.

Having said that ...

There's no way on earth I could butcher my hens! lol! I raised them from 2 day old chicks in a box in our spare room (during the coldest part of winter) until they feathered out; a long time! They are birds; too similar in personality to the kinds of birds one would keep caged in your house (thinking parrots, cockatoos ... ok, not that smart, but smart enuf all the same) to eat. It's not their fault they're so big they can't live in the house! They give us beautiful eggs every day, which we gratefully eat.

We built a huge coop, knowing after a few weeks that we were in for the duration with these chickens. We'll get a few more each spring to keep the egg supply up, but the old gals will live to boss around the younger ones until they pass. As a child, we butchered our own chickens, & frankly, the time it takes to kill, bleed, gut & pluck isn't worth it, in my estimation. Not unless you're doing enough to fill your freezer for the winter. No, actually, not even then, lol. Guess I'd rather pay $5.99 & buy one at the store than go thru that mess!

Still, I completely support those that do; I'm just too much of a wimp to do it myself!

 

[patricium]

As a child, we butchered our own chickens, & frankly, the time it takes to kill, bleed, gut & pluck isn't worth it, in my estimation. Not unless you're doing enough to fill your freezer for the winter. No, actually, not even then, lol. Guess I'd rather pay $5.99 & buy one at the store than go thru that mess!

I agree with this completely - grew up on a farm, been there, happy now to let others deal with the plucking and gutting. Wet feathers smell nasty and stick to everything.

But even if I wasn't, I'm totally in love with my chickens and could not eat them. Even the rooster that was supposed to be a hen. And now I have to buy freerange meat because I love my chickens.

 

[segnenlea]

We have 5 RIR hens that we just got 3 weeks ago. I am only getting 2 eggs a day and honestly? If we figure out who isn't laying, we will probably be having them for the holidays this year. I LOVE chickens but since we are a family of 5, we can't afford to feed what isn't producing. We have 73 acres and once we finish fencing it off, we are going to have cows and probably a few pigs also. We have a big garden also just so we can be as self sustaining as possible. I love my pets but, thankfully, I have a hubby who doesn't mind mercy killings.

 

[midwestmilkmaiden]

I understand the convenience of going to the grocery store to get your meat.. but like a previous poster said ..To give your chickens a happy existence while roaming this earth is important and to end it's life with out all of the fear welling up and tainting it's meat is even more important.

Sometimes in the end Convenience isn't worth it. Raising your own .. atleast you know they were humanely treated and humanely harvested!.. You could be supporting the very thing your heart won't let you do to your chickens .. mistreat or abuse them .. by going and supporting those farms at a grocery store.

I understand both sides.. really I do.. It was extremely hard for me to muster up the courage and will to finally harvest some of my poultry, but I did.. and I'm certainly proud of it. It did feel right and TRUE. It of course is a very emotional experience.. but is worth it.

Just my opinion.