after reading Sprout N Wings post today...it made me remember a day not too long ago.
I had raised some meat birds with the intent to butcher them. I have grown pretty soft about butchering and I always take my raised beef to a locker plant. Its solely rests on me to decide how to and when to butcher my raised stock and while I wrestle with it for a bit, I always know its raised to feed the family and it has to be done. Plus...if I hesitate too long...(with taking in a critter for processing)...it'll do something to teach me a lesson. Much like the very first beef I raised that was large enough to process, but I just wasn't quite ready. That first steer decided to fracture his hind leg and while he didn't die immediately, the only humane thing to do was to shoot him and try to salvage the meat. It worked fine, and as I've actually helped skin quite a few beef, deer or even a buffalo or two...it was just mater of fact when I had to do it.
Which leads me to my chicken butchering story....
That first year I raised the Giant Cornish Cross. Big birds and they ate continually. I was warned about putting up the feed, as they eat themself to death. I just didn't do it early enough. I had lost a couple chickens as literally they would blow out their behinds. Not pretty!! I thought perhaps they were picking on each other and not getting enough to eat...wrong. So, as I noticed one chicken who was looking pretty tough but still standing at the feed trough..I was determined not to waste another chicken that was going to feed me. I went inside and started boiling a pot of water. Then I got out the sharp knives. I went back out the the pen and thought.."Come on Deb, you just wring that neck!" Nope, that wasn't something I had in me. So I go find the hatchet. I grabbed a couple nails and a stump and hammered a holder for the head. I still wasn't quite prepared. So I go sharpen that hatchet, as - I - was - delaying the inevitable. While I was walking away from the chicken coop. I heard an awful racket and squawking. I rushed in and found the chicken I had intended for the pot had tried to jump from the roost and hung himself between a crack in the roost and wall. Weirdest thing and a freak accident! It was dead as a doornail now and I quickly chopped off the head and dressed it outside by the garbage can. Funniest part was the neighbor was just pulling into my yard to do some fencing for me. He looked pretty bug eyed at me and said...."Ah, so your having chicken tonite?"
"Yup, I said..just testing the size on the meat birds!" He drove away with an entire new thought about me that day, but I never let him in on the real story.
Sometimes things just have a way of working themselves out!
I had raised some meat birds with the intent to butcher them. I have grown pretty soft about butchering and I always take my raised beef to a locker plant. Its solely rests on me to decide how to and when to butcher my raised stock and while I wrestle with it for a bit, I always know its raised to feed the family and it has to be done. Plus...if I hesitate too long...(with taking in a critter for processing)...it'll do something to teach me a lesson. Much like the very first beef I raised that was large enough to process, but I just wasn't quite ready. That first steer decided to fracture his hind leg and while he didn't die immediately, the only humane thing to do was to shoot him and try to salvage the meat. It worked fine, and as I've actually helped skin quite a few beef, deer or even a buffalo or two...it was just mater of fact when I had to do it.
Which leads me to my chicken butchering story....
That first year I raised the Giant Cornish Cross. Big birds and they ate continually. I was warned about putting up the feed, as they eat themself to death. I just didn't do it early enough. I had lost a couple chickens as literally they would blow out their behinds. Not pretty!! I thought perhaps they were picking on each other and not getting enough to eat...wrong. So, as I noticed one chicken who was looking pretty tough but still standing at the feed trough..I was determined not to waste another chicken that was going to feed me. I went inside and started boiling a pot of water. Then I got out the sharp knives. I went back out the the pen and thought.."Come on Deb, you just wring that neck!" Nope, that wasn't something I had in me. So I go find the hatchet. I grabbed a couple nails and a stump and hammered a holder for the head. I still wasn't quite prepared. So I go sharpen that hatchet, as - I - was - delaying the inevitable. While I was walking away from the chicken coop. I heard an awful racket and squawking. I rushed in and found the chicken I had intended for the pot had tried to jump from the roost and hung himself between a crack in the roost and wall. Weirdest thing and a freak accident! It was dead as a doornail now and I quickly chopped off the head and dressed it outside by the garbage can. Funniest part was the neighbor was just pulling into my yard to do some fencing for me. He looked pretty bug eyed at me and said...."Ah, so your having chicken tonite?"
"Yup, I said..just testing the size on the meat birds!" He drove away with an entire new thought about me that day, but I never let him in on the real story.
Sometimes things just have a way of working themselves out!
So THIS is the story. Sounds like you had a little help from above there. Either that or the chicken knew what was coming and decided to off itself and save you the trouble. Either way, great story, and the neighbor is certainly free to think what he wants : )
ReplyDeleteObviously you have someone looking out for you. Be sure to keep 'them' around. :) I like that thought ... 'Sometimes things just have a way of working themselves out'. I think we shall add that to our repertoire around here.
ReplyDelete