tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812128414310678524.post3306802747889251277..comments2023-09-03T02:18:45.267-07:00Comments on FARM LIFE LESSONS: # 184 - Anonymous FoodLanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14422413007128219320noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812128414310678524.post-42098883423450543392012-10-11T07:45:34.932-07:002012-10-11T07:45:34.932-07:00I remember when I was servicing in Mozambique, Afr...I remember when I was servicing in Mozambique, Africa. We had a local student who lived with us and helped cook and raise some livestock. Ofelio, the student, introduced me to "processing the chickens". The plan was just to have them for laying eggs. But after 4 months of no eggs we decided to eat one for a local the holiday. After we butchered it and began to clean it, we saw that there was a egg beginning to form. The look on Ofelio's face was of utter disappointment and sadness. The feeling of killing that chicken was pretty disturbing to me. Sure, I've killed a few flies, but pulling the life from such an animal put me into quite a shock.<br /><br />Often, here in <a href="http://www.viewrenew.com/" rel="nofollow">Sherwood, OR when cleaning windows (soon to be Racine, WI!)</a>, I get to work and see customer's gardens or livestock and I begin to wish a way out of this apartment living!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812128414310678524.post-83258276222459213622012-01-27T11:24:19.230-08:002012-01-27T11:24:19.230-08:00Stacie --- I bet with homeschooling your children ...Stacie --- I bet with homeschooling your children that those experiences you had while growing up is invaluable for teaching life lessons. I can understand loving the animals, but having land is expensive and the way of life with farming/ranching is not for the light-hearted.<br /><br />Farmland investing --- I think that being a good farmer/rancher probably offers no way around connecting with the animals, it's just a part of the territory.www.FarmLifeLessons.blogspot.comhttp://www.farmlifelessons.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812128414310678524.post-21652983502017290472012-01-27T09:33:10.337-08:002012-01-27T09:33:10.337-08:00Boy, what a horrible situation. I suppose it is r...Boy, what a horrible situation. I suppose it is really hard with animals, especially if you've known them for years and they have almost developed their own personalities with you.farmland investinghttp://www.greenworldbvi.com/alternative-investments-options/agricultural-farmland/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812128414310678524.post-2188149739414014972012-01-27T08:07:59.988-08:002012-01-27T08:07:59.988-08:00I was raised on a ranch and one way I made money w...I was raised on a ranch and one way I made money was to raise bummer calves by bottle feeding them. I LOVED these little guys, but they did grow up and eventually made it to our table. It was hard sometimes when I would think about it. I would lose my appetite. But it was good for me. I knew where food came from. There are so many people, children especially that don't.Stacie, A Firefighter's Wifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14195223939229023945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812128414310678524.post-6688078252551319522012-01-27T06:54:04.204-08:002012-01-27T06:54:04.204-08:00Mike --- Maybe all of us Southerners are required ...Mike --- Maybe all of us Southerners are required to have cracklin in our house at one point or another, some more than othes!! I guess we'll start learning to make this once we raise a few pigs - I know my dad would be doing back-flips to get home-made cracklin again.<br /><br />Paula --- Yes, you described it nicely...nearly choking to death trying to eat a newly processed farm raised animal will also be something that I will have to get past. I am glad that I don't choke on squeamish thoughts when trying to eat my Chicken Tenders from Carl's Jr!<br /><br />Lanawww.FarmLifeLessons.blogspot.comhttp://www.farmlifelessons.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812128414310678524.post-77417299793995849832012-01-26T19:10:15.799-08:002012-01-26T19:10:15.799-08:00I can understand your feelings completely, Lana......I can understand your feelings completely, Lana... I would have a hard time ever killing and eating an animal I had raised and "named"... we tried that once with a ram lamb and I nearly choked to death trying to eat it. *haha*Paulahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02693565002250035794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812128414310678524.post-31297712370411175822012-01-26T16:54:52.668-08:002012-01-26T16:54:52.668-08:00Lana, I'm southern. Of course I know what Pig...Lana, I'm southern. Of course I know what Pig skins, cracklins are. I buy a bag a week of them for the whoa-man, it's a staple for her. ;)Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11878152240514975518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812128414310678524.post-19740084744281603702012-01-26T16:31:19.981-08:002012-01-26T16:31:19.981-08:00Karen --- I can't even imagine having to sell ...Karen --- I can't even imagine having to sell off an animal at such a young age, after raising it. I guess farming does toughen up the kids on a level that is hard to think about doing as a city parent. As for the roosters, I guess that it will be easier to process those once they start multiplying. My hens are definitely sweethearts. I have become so attached to them and it's getting worse every day!! I'm a wimp! As for your visitors who choose the "don't kill your chicken when there is chicken for sale at the store" attitude...that is hysterical! It sure is easier to buy it, but I am eager to taste farm-raised chicken for the first time in my life. I'm glad you have confidence in me...we'll see how it goes and how Deputy Dave thinks about my resolve when slaughter day arrives. :-/<br /><br />Anne --- I will be visiting your blog. We can laugh and learn from each other's experiences. As for the "Big Daddy" name...I can't use those for any of my animals because Charade has forbade me to do so months ago!! But, I'll be coming to visit you to see all of your farm friends and farm tales as well. This is the great part about blogging, the sharing! I will check to see if you're on my "favorites" so I can make sure you pull up for my regular reads...if you're not on there by this week, PLEASE remind me. <br /><br />Rae --- You always give me such wonderful advice. Are you still flying everywhere? I hope LJ is okay from the surgery. Your words are so wise about the proper raising of animals on a farm. I think that is what some radical-angle animal rights people have a difficult time understanding...that we can eat meat and not be cruel just because we prefer to eat meat. I enjoyed all of your blogs about your turkeys. As far as animal rights go, it's very disgusting to see someone mistreating their animals, always sickens me. I hope to develop thicker skin in the area of raising farm animals. I guess I'll learn. I grew up in a family that loved liver and gizzards (I'm a duck liver lover myself) but no one in my current household will touch it! However, I might have to learn to cook them for my dad as my mom used to do when she was here with us. I'll be giving details of our processing-party, it'll be interesting, I'm sure. Anyway, glad to see you blogging!!www.FarmLifeLessons.blogspot.comhttp://www.farmlifelessons.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812128414310678524.post-67848352180001558722012-01-26T16:30:24.147-08:002012-01-26T16:30:24.147-08:00Linda --- I know that you will be one of the happi...Linda --- I know that you will be one of the happiest chicken owners around. Your husband having experience with processing will be nice for when the time comes to do such a job. And I do think that I'll do exactly as you suggest and have my chickens be my broody hens once we get moved and onto more chickens. I know it will be so difficult to go thru our 1st processing experience, but I'm also looking forward to raising our own table meat. Stefie has informed us firmly that any animal that is destined for the table...she does NOT want to see in person beforehand. It always reminds me of that movie with Elizabeth Taylor - "TEXAS?" My mom had a similar experience with a pet chicken being killed to impress a dinner guest. Augh. I guess we'll see how long my chickens will last in the country.<br /><br />Mike --- your rabbit growing days brought lots of experience. I'd never have been able to "off" Thumper either. And your Polish girls are too gorgeous and fun for anything other than being two bundles of feathered sweetness. I laughed so hard about your comment with feeling horrible about eating your first egg...that's how I felt when eating the first few eggs our girls laid...they went down with thoughts of knowing a bit too much about my food source, but it's been my first, tender lesson in raising some of my food source...without having to "process." And about pork, my dad always had crackling around, fried pork rind...huge here in Texas, I don't know about elsewhere. My dad always bought home-made rinds from a hunter friend of his. I loved them, until I was a teenager and found out exactly what I was eating. HaHa. And, we wont' be eating rabbit either.<br /><br />Lara --- that is so funny. It's exactly what would've happened in my household. With these chickens, my youngest daughter, Stefie, was naming them as fast as she could think of a word to fit them...as if she were placing a protection spell over each one with the name. Well, I guess it worked. I think we have to ease into this kind of living...it's definitely not easy.www.FarmLifeLessons.blogspot.comhttp://www.farmlifelessons.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812128414310678524.post-8251927009852850022012-01-26T10:33:08.477-08:002012-01-26T10:33:08.477-08:00The thing to remember with food critters is to alw...The thing to remember with food critters is to always remind yourself that they're FOOD. Tasty food that you are raising with love and care. I really really liked my tom turkeys, but from day one they were food. Handsome, but food. Friendly food. Same with the pigs. Food. Just because they're food, though, doesn't mean you can't enjoy having them around, or that they can't be raised with a little love. :)<br /><br />LJ and I had a discussion recently about how easy it was for us to raise our own meat. It was sparked by us driving past a "farm" near us where the poor chickens/ducks/geese are living in muck and rotting vegetables (the person is obviously a gleaner, and just dumps boxes of produce in the pen. Disgusting mess, and right next to a main highway). Anyways, we said at almost the same time something along the lines of, "at least our critters have good lives while we've got them". We make sure our animals have good clean food, water, etc, and we give them attention. We even name a lot of them, though I know most people don't like to do that. Our pigs grew up running around the woods. If we hadn't purchased them, someone else would have... Would that person have raised them in a little concrete stall? Who knows. Yeah, they ended up our food, but had a great life up to that point (which they may or may not have had somewhere else...)<br /><br />Having a bunch of people out to do your first round of chicken processing is a great idea! We had a couple friends over when we did ours, and had a little slaughter party. It helped to have more hands. The guys did the slaughter, all of us plucked, and our buddy J and I did the butchering/cleaning of the birds. A great time had by all (especially when we fried up all the livers and gizzards afterwards!). :) Nummy num num!Raehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02769150016495656772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812128414310678524.post-72673211842884483362012-01-26T04:10:14.759-08:002012-01-26T04:10:14.759-08:00This post was very timely, as I am going through t...This post was very timely, as I am going through the same thing here. I am on the cusp of getting animals that will give me meat, not just eggs or "brush-cutting". Recently wrote a post aabout it, in fact: http://bringingboryahome.blogspot.com/2012/01/farm-friday-how-far.html<br /><br />I'm going to send the link to your post to my aunt, who I know would also appreciate it.<br /><br />And by the way? I also have a chicken named Big Mama! Named after my own sweet grandmother. And we have a roo named Big Daddy. Of course!Anne Birdsonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02834796541721743227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812128414310678524.post-72293618296228746922012-01-25T23:34:59.169-08:002012-01-25T23:34:59.169-08:00Growing up on a farm it's tough not to get att...Growing up on a farm it's tough not to get attached to the animals, but you have no choice, it's a way of life. I was around ten years old when my cow had to be sold due to low productivity. I had raised her from a calf and cried like a baby when she was sent to market. It was hard, but it made me tough. I could raise a steer or two now on my idle eight acres but I don't. I guess I've gotten soft over the years. We did butcher our roosters this past Thanksgiving, but that was easy, since I'm not fond of the noisy buggers and they can turn mean. Even though they were fuzzy chicks I protected in June, by November it was 'good riddance!' But the Girls, well, they are a different story. Those hens are sweethearts, and yes, they all have names, too, just like yours.<br /><br />I had a visitor here this fall who was upset by the whole notion of butchering the roosters; 'Why don't you get chicken from a grocery store like everyone else, then no chickens would ever have to die!?' <br /><br />Well.....oh, I let it go, what can you say to a person who is all upset and doesn't have a clue? <br /><br />Farming is a challenge in so many ways, but you'll do just fine!Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18368318730124533690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812128414310678524.post-10009247391979663102012-01-25T18:41:57.422-08:002012-01-25T18:41:57.422-08:00When I got my little flock last spring I had plans...When I got my little flock last spring I had plans to eat them when fall came. Within minutes of adding the fuzzy cherping peeps to the broder box my kids started naming them. I still have them all. Each with its own personality. I decided I will have to get others for meat chickens. I read later No names please. So any new flock members will have to be kept separate and no names for them. I will look for your upcoming processing post. Blessings!<br />LaraA Primitive Homesteadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06205375008312950661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812128414310678524.post-14528126720753173172012-01-25T18:09:19.104-08:002012-01-25T18:09:19.104-08:00Growing up we raised animals for food. I only had...Growing up we raised animals for food. I only had issues once, if you remember my rabbit rearing days of old? I still won't eat a rabbit. My Polish girls will never be considered food. For one, their not meaty enought and 2, their too damn cute. I felt funny cracking Goldie's first egg and eating it. Damn cannibal. <br /><br />Anyway, we butchered the chickens ourselves, in the backyard with a boiling tub of water. The pigs and steers went down the street to a small processing plant. The pig carcasses came back and we put them in salt encasements for preservation. I hate country ham to this day. <br /><br />If you know their a food source it tends to place your mind in a different mode. It's accepted as such and doesn't bother you. <br /><br />Unless it's my rabbit, dammit! ;)Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11878152240514975518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7812128414310678524.post-71503989105425979032012-01-25T17:32:20.625-08:002012-01-25T17:32:20.625-08:00I agree with everything you said.
The only small...I agree with everything you said. <br /><br />The only small advantage I have is that hubby grew up on a farm. He has processed chickens and pigs. Ducks and fish. I believe the cows were taken to the processor (the same people who process deer in the fall).<br /><br />His grandmother <i>raised</i> the chickens though, so we'll both be learning there.<br /><br />But as my hubby was quick to inform me, food doesn't get a name.<br />Your first flock has earned the right to be separate from your table food, I think. And when you have your rooster, they can (hopefully) be your broody chickens and raise the chicks for you. :)<br /><br />Have a great Thursday, Lana, and thanks for the link. I'll check that blog out now. :)LindaGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12203719919661519350noreply@blogger.com