Our first slaughter

Note: I am including a few pictures in this post. Nothing too graphic, but I just wanted to be polite and warn you, since the idea of slaughtering a chicken turns some people's stomaches.

We processed our first chicken last Saturday, and we ate him for dinner last night. It was an experience, and I suggest (to all who want to) that someday you process a chicken as well. It was everything you would expect and more- a little bit bloody, very educational, and in the end- quite tasty. I was a little anxious at the beginning of the process, but I took comfort in knowing that the 1 year old rooster I was about to process was raised very humanely, would be hand processed humanely, and would provide quality food for my family.

Why?

Its not pretty- it's kinda messy- and its a little smelly; but it's also quite real. That is why I wanted to do it. I did not like the idea that I was eating meat occasionally with having never processed an animal myself. I want to be more connected to all the food I consume- and not just through backyard gardens and egg production.

I used to work at an organic farm and when school groups would visit, many kids would not pick and eat fresh fruits/vegetables as it did not come from the grocery store "in a plastic bag". Just as this relationship to plant based foods is detrimental to our society and planet, so too is our society's relationship to animal based products. Do we even truly recognize that meat or other animal products actually come from animals? It's easy to be that far removed when you purchase shrink-wrapped meat on a styrofoam plate- but its virtually impossible when you have warm blood running through your fingers.

The process and preparing

The rooster processing class and demonstration was organized by some of our local chicken keepers. We brought in some local experts, who raise/process free-range heritage poultry for a living, and they showed us the entire process from beginning to end. We then worked in pairs to process a rooster, which were supplied to all class participants.

So my husband and I worked as a pair and we: hung our rooster by the legs, slit his throat and drained the blood, scalded the bird to loosen the feathers, de-feathered the bird and burned off the tiny "hair-like" feathers, and cleaned/gutted bird. We then took the chicken home and let it sit on ice for a few days, and then cooked it whole in the slow cooker for 20 hours. I made a soup with the meat and stock which also included zucchini, carrots, and green chiles from our garden. I also made some homemade noodles which I added towards the end. The only thing in the soup which we had not grown/processed ourselves was half an onion, and the flour in the noodles. So all in all the meal was very much ours- and very much the rooster.

My thoughts

I was so surprised how educational this entire experience was, and how it further expanded my thoughts on food production and our relationships to food. Here are some of my thoughts and experiences:

• Anatomy: I learned a lot about chicken anatomy, which is useful as a chicken keeper. Did you know that a rooster testicle is larger than its heart? Have you seen the inside of a gizzard- where the chicken grinds/processes its food? Do you know where the oil gland is on a chicken? I learned all of this and more, and feel very comfortable with chicken anatomy now.
• Kids: Yes, there were children present and they had no issues observing the chicken processing (although they got bored after a while and went and played). Many of them even casually asked their parents if they were going to eat the rooster for dinner that evening. My husband and I do not have kids, so I was not sure how the young ones would react. I was pleasantly surprised however and it seemed like these kids already understood where food actually comes from.
• Myself: I learned that I can do it, that I could do it again, and that it was a very different experience than I thought it would be. I was a vegetarian for 8 years, and since then eat meat/eggs occasionally and I don't eat dairy products. I am already very picky about what meats I purchase and how much of it we eat- and this experience has made me even more conscious about eating meat. I will be eating even less of it, less often, from now on. Also, its kinda weird- but I reached this point during the processing where I thought "Hey- this actually resembles a chicken from the store", but it was not until about 3/4th of the way through the process. I just found that to be rather odd.
• The soup: The rooster soup is pretty much amazing and I am thankful to the rooster for providing us with such a wonderful feast. I've never appreciated a meal like this before. The soup will feed us for a total of 4 meals, and the other half of the meat is in the freezer for a later date.

Any thoughts?

Please share your thoughts, opinions, or similar experiences. Note: I respect your opinion to find this offensive, so please respect my personal choices and thoughts as well. I believe in everyone's right to consciously choose what it is they put into their bodies- whether plant, animal, or both.