This may be hard for some to read and I do apologize because not long ago, this would have been hard for me too but living this life, versus just reading about it changes my perspective.
Life on a farm definitely makes a city girl a bit tougher.
When Vince killed his first deer, a friend came over to help him butcher it. The friend’s wife was out there helping. I was standing back and I can’t tell you how many times I said to myself . . do not throw up in front of these people! Three times I walked away because I couldn’t stand there. I had to mentally will myself to cut the big pieces into smaller pieces, vacuum seal it and put it in the freezer. It wasn’t easy. Most of it, I ended up grinding into ground meat because it was so much easier to eat it mixed with pork or beef and not think about it being venison. Now, 5 years later, I can easily help butcher the deer and don’t mind eating it at all. In fact, I’ll take deer any day over beef – no hormones, no antibiotics, no “weird” feed. If you’ve ever watched cows in a feed lot, I think harvesting the deer is a whole lot more humane.
I find it a bit hypocritical that people will eat beef and pork but they’ll criticize those of us who hunt and eat deer. Buying it from the grocery store doesn’t mean an animal didn’t die so you can eat! I understand that some have real convictions about eating any meat and I understand that. Mostly, my feeling is . . if you have a problem with eating it .. then don’t eat it and if I know you have a problem with it and you’re coming to my house for dinner, I won’t fix it, but please don’t criticize me for what we do.
Having to butcher chickens is where I still struggle, though I’m doing better than I did in the beginning. We don’t raise our chickens to butcher and I don’t have a good feeling about butchering chickens because they were so cute at Tractor Supply and now we have too many. We don’t do that. When we find that we have too many chickens, we will find a home for the hens but, sadly, no one wants roosters. When we hatch chickens, it’s almost always at least 60/40 . . more roosters than hens, and often, it’s more like 70/30.
In the orchard chicken group, we had about 25 hens and two roosters. One of the roosters is our older Dominique guy. He is the best rooster ever. He will walk right up to me; occasionally I can reach down and pet his back. He isn’t asking for attention but I seem to have the need to pet all my chickens. When I throw treats out for the hens, he calls them all over but he never ever partakes. I’ve never seen him eat the treats, even after the hens have had all they want. He keeps a constant watch for predators and danger and alerts the hens when he spots trouble. As far as roosters go, I think he’s one of the best.
The other rooster is a Marans and he’s young so that may account for his pugnacity. Out of 10 baby Marans, we had 3 roosters and that’s because we did several “tests” to try to get all hens. The Marans rooster was not aggressive enough to scare me but I kept my eye on him. He looked at me like he was considering whether he was brave enough to show me he’s the boss. I made sure I always knew his location.
I had told Vince to keep an eye on him . . I’m not sure he’s trustworthy. Vince was out there and he said the rooster was eyeing him too . . and it made Vince uncomfortable.
The worst thing is that the old rooster, Wilbur, got to where he hardly would come out of the coop. The young rooster was really giving him a hard time. Wilbur was missing all his tail feathers so . . the young rooster had to go. I hate doing it but that’s what happens with farm animals.
Now, we had it all worked out. One rooster in the orchard chicken group and one rooster in the garden chicken group.
This morning as I was walking back towards the house from the chicken coop, I heard a screechy crow coming from the orchard coop — a new rooster learning to crow. What the heck? Any roosters in that group should have been crowing months ago. I don’t get it . . really weird. I was too sad to even turn around and try to see who was doing it. It will be obvious in a week or so.
There’s one Marans out there that has a bit of copper coloring and some greenish tints. I think he/she has a bit of Copper Marans genes. I keep saying what a pretty chicken that one is going to be. A few days ago, I noticed the tail feathers were getting a bit longer than the other chickens and I attributed it to having some mixed genes but I’m betting that one is going to be a rooster. I’m hoping that since whichever one is crowing, he’s obviously a late bloomer so maybe he’ll not be aggressive and he can get along with Wilbur and not spend his days figuring out how to prove to me that he’s top dog in the chicken yard.
One thing I’ve learned from living out here and having chickens and hunting and dealing with snakes and critters wanting to kill the chickens .. you cannot criticize someone’s lifestyle until you’ve been there and faced the same circumstances they face. Having to get rid of roosters hurts my heart but I know, for the good of the hens, and the good of the rooster I want to keep . . it has to be done.
Linda in TX says
I grew up in the country and the men hunted and fished and didn’t keep roosters too long either. I never thought anything of it. That’s just the way things were. I’ve been a “city” girl for years and years and years and never thought anything about hunting or meat-eating or roosters. That’s just the way things are. I love your post. I lived your post. Still do.
Sue S says
Chickens, what are you going to do? LOL! There’s a reason it’s called the Pecking Order… poor Wilbur! Every time I watch a nature show and see the competition between the males of any species – I’m amazed. The young ones have to exert their dominance one way or another. I sympathize. But it’s their way! We have a friend whose kids raise goats for 4H. They have a hard time at first with selling the goats for meat, but eventually they get it, and it’s OK. I’m all for human treatment of animals but I do eat meat and like it! All we can do is do our own thing and realize everyone’s entitled to their own opinions. I love your chicken stories!
Sue S says
Obviously I meant HUMANE treatment…
Joyce says
My Dad used to tell me about a rooster they had that was mean. My Dad kept telling my Grandpa that the rooster was mean, and Grandpa didn’t believe him… To get to the barn, you had to go through the chicken yard, and one night Grandpa headed across carrying two buckets of slop for the pigs they had. (Dad told me he was watching all this happen.) The rooster flew up behind Grandpa and flogged him right between the shoulder blades. Dad said Grandpa set the buckets down, turned around and grabbed the rooster and wrung his neck, then he picked up the buckets and went on to the barn lot. He came back in to the house and told my Dad, “you were right. That rooster was mean.” I always thought that rooster was dumb. He should have known better than to mess with Grandpa… (and of course they had a chicken dinner…)
Sherrill Pecere says
I wouldn’t criticize someone for ‘taking care of’ the animals. I couldn’t bring myself to shoot anything or butcher anything..UGH! But someone has to do it. My niece always takes care of injured birds, baby bunnies, etc. and not long ago she was taking care of a bird that she thought would die pretty quickly. Well it didn’t, so she got crickets and stuff and began feeding it. It ate like a pig and was hungry all the time but didn’t seem to be able to move it’s legs and could only flap the wings a tad. She finally saw the light, that this bird would never be able to be let go so she braced the boys and then went and chopped it’s head off!! GAH! I never could’ve done that but it needed to be done.
wanda j says
Your life now is the way of country folks. It is what it is and don’t let anyone get you down. Most country folks kill only what they want or need to eat not for just sport. So you hang in there and don’t let what people think or say worry you.Country folks are good folks and always have been.
Bonnie Tucker says
My dad was a Hunter. I didn’t realize until I was a adult that he did it to put food on the table for his children. I use to hold the legs of the rabbits so he could skin them. We eat some of everything, you didn’t have a choice. Some of the things I don’t eat today because I have a choice. But i was always taught you don’t know know what you would eat if you were hungry enough. Judy you are well rounded keep it up.
Moneik says
I’ve been hunting, fishing, and butchering since I was a young girl. Hunting venison kept our tummies full, especially at the end of the month. My dad made the best chislets from deer meat. We also had elk, pheasant, and antelope. My brother raises chickens and a couple times a year we help butcher them. I love fresh meats. We also butcher our own steer and hogs as he raises both as well. I like knowing what is in my meat. I agree with you, until you’ve done it, most people don’t think they can do it. It’s second nature to me.