I don't enjoy it. I have tried wringing their necks with my bare hands but I am too squeamish.
Factory farming is an abomination. For this reason I avoid buying pork, chicken, or battery-farmed eggs.
I keep chickens in my backyard, and adore raising the babies, but the truth is the males have limited uses, only one gets to live the life of the patriarch and I always end up with an excess. It wouldn't be responsible to let them go wild in the bush, exiled to a fightclub, to terrorise people, or more likely be mauled by a dog.
so I kill them- after apologising and saying a prayer of thanks. I pluck, dress and pop them in the slow-cooker. My son calls the broth liquid gold and it makes the best risotto.
the way I see it, we are part of the web of life, part of the food chain. In my experience as a gardener I know that even bringing a food crop throught to harvest and storage requires the 'control' of untold critters.
Even the Dalai Lama eats meat, for health reasons.
this is inspired b @tabbycat. But I am glad she is not around to scream "PSYCHOPATH!!!" at me.
Reminds me of my nana, every Christmas her chickens went missing. One year she painted them in order to try to find out who was taking them, she couldn't prove the feathers in a neighbours bin were her chickens until they has red paint on them. :) cheeky lady my nan.
You got to love it! Web of life is right....We did the same when I was growing up, but on a small scale. My Dad killed with two small 2" x 4" pieces of wood and pulling heads off - messy and forever a memory. I grew up okay...ha!
This is a great and really intense shot. I have a lot of respect for people that grow their own food and farm, it is much more humane than what happens to most animals bred for consumption these days. Awesome!
loveloveLOVE this photo and everything with it, the title, the write-up, the comment at the end, EVERYTHING!! A huge FAV from me, you're awesome lady, keep up the amazing work :)
@kali66 I knew a smallholder who didn't name his stock because once that happened, he knew that he could never slaughter them. So his daughter used to sneakily do it for him "Dad... you aren't going to kill Buttercup are you?" and that would be the end of it. "Buttercup" would have earned itself a reprieve!
@kali66 i like the honesty and that you take a clear position. its real, as you say "part of web of life", no artsy fartsy. i love the picture - i love the write-up - its a fav!
@steampowered I had considered having rabbits - for the table- but my kids were appalled! @mbrunner thankyou Martin @kaesebiscuit there is quite a lot of that in nature. if there be too many males in the hen house they just fight to be top rooster., the winner in our henhouse is kind and considerate to his harem of hens, and not aggressive to us, also has a tolerable crow, many of them are just too raucous.
I love your truth. Most people, like me, are so far removed from what provides them sustenance that they are anesthetized to the real cruelty of the mass production processes. What you do for you and your family is honest.
U know...this is a problem I have...I totally understand everything you are saying and feel for you have to do this this as a better means of life...but all I can think about is asking you if you can put a chicken to sleep ...ya know the head under the wing and swirling in circles
Some days I am *so* happy to be single...