Killing your own animals for meat at home

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Killing your own animals for meat at home
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Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Sun Dec 09, 12 4:15 pm Post subject:

I disagree - meat is easier than cultivating the land to produce food, as it largely does the job by itself, the hard bit just comes at the end.

Sometimes I wonder about our welfare standards here in the UK & whether they are overstated. Then the other day we watched a programme on 4od with Sean Lock & Jon Richardson in the USA castrating bull calves at a few months old with nothing but a sharp knife.

It reassured me that we are a better country.

12Bore

Joined: 15 Jun 2008
Posts: 9089
Location: Paddling in the Mersey

Posted: Sun Dec 09, 12 4:45 pm Post subject:

Rob R wrote:

It reassured me that we are a better country.

Yes, that made my eyes water too!

marigold

Joined: 02 Sep 2005
Posts: 12458
Location: West Sussex

Posted: Sun Dec 09, 12 5:04 pm Post subject:

I've never killed my own food creatures. I used to say I would kill my own if the alternative was not eating meat/fish, but I've got soft in my advancing age and know I couldn't do it. I decided against keeping hens for eggs because I'm too wet to administer the coup de grace, should it be necessary.

I still eat meat though, not always from the purest sources, so I'm a hypocrite. And quite happy with my (considered) decision - I feel worse than my usual "not great" on a veggie diet and haven't the energy or funds to be perfectly pure all the time.

Out of interest, when it comes to non-food animal products such as leather goods, do people look for ethical sources? I know I almost completely disassociate the connection between leather shoes and living creatures most of the time.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Sun Dec 09, 12 5:33 pm Post subject:

I don't think you're alone in being a hypocrit, although it is rarer for people to admit it. It's very difficult to eat out of the home and always know where the ingredients come from, I find.

As for the leather industry, I don't think most people even think about which country it comes from, let alone the origin of the animals. It is such a mass production industry that is hard to identify individuals in that it is almost impossible. Most leather comes from China where environmental standards are not so high and British leather is seen as expensive & 'luxury', as such people would rather buy the polluting fibres (be they natural or otherwise) from the other side of the world. You often hear complaints about the rich in this country but without them I don't think we'd have a British tanning industry left at all.

Piggyphile

Joined: 02 Apr 2009
Posts: 891
Location: Galicia

Posted: Sun Dec 09, 12 6:14 pm Post subject:

I have done it, my friend was brilliant, they died quickly and being turkeys (not very bright) didn't realise what was going on. My bronze boy dressed out at 38lbs so a big boy. Two other boys were 30lbs each and the girl was 22lbs. I feel so relieveed it went well and they were a dream to pluck, so much easier than last years geese. I am glad I am not the only one that struggles with this, I feel less alone.

Pilsbury

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 5645
Location: East london/Essex

Posted: Sun Dec 09, 12 6:31 pm Post subject:
I have only killed a couple of rabbits and this year, thanks to bodger, a chicken. It's something I wanted to know how to do and I very grateful to the people who have shown me and trusted me with their animals.

Nicky cigreen

Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9717
Location: Devon, uk

Posted: Sun Dec 09, 12 6:36 pm Post subject:

Piggyphile wrote:

I have done it, my friend was brilliant, they died quickly and being turkeys (not very bright) didn't realise what was going on.

well done and I think that is a major factor of killing at home is the lack of stress leading up the event. Death is death and grim, but the lead up at home is so much better.

The other day I was driving on the motorway and these feathers kept hitting the screen. Eventually I caught up with the lorry that was transporting a lot of chickens - probably to their death - they were in crates and the side of the lorry was uncovered. The chickens must have been terrified of the road noise.. that was after they were crated up and then they face the wait at the other end.

Meanwhile at home a hen might be pecking away doing hen things, then we corner them and catch them (probably about the same experienced as the mass produced, maybe easier cos they know us) and we walk them around the corner out of sight of the other birds and then the deed is done. much better.

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35934
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Sun Dec 09, 12 6:53 pm Post subject:
I used to know someone who had a holiday job in the chicken factory on Deeside. Apparently the chickens were stunned before being plucked; but some of them would lift their heads up above the level of the water and go in to the plucker and the rest of the process fully conscious.

Kenworth

Joined: 04 Apr 2011
Posts: 855
Location: Michigan

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 13 5:29 am Post subject:

I personally dispatch the chickens here. It's not a job I enjoy at all, but it must be done, because it's what they were raised for.

Years ago when I raised a few calves, instead of using an emasculator on the young bulls, I used a bander on them. They shriveled up and fell off after a time. I also banded young male goats the same way.

Hog castration was done with a razor blade and lidocaine spray afterwards. I never gave it a thought of the feeling of the pig. My only thoughts were to make sure they healed properly and were fed well. This was the only practice I knew of, but today I would reconsider castration if I were to raise pigs again.

These practices may raise eyebrows, and feelings, but like I said, it was the only way I knew of to deal with the males.

Mrs Mouse

Joined: 03 Apr 2011
Posts: 189
Location: North Nottinghamshire

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 13 1:00 pm Post subject:

I'm battling with this at the moment too. We kept chickens and pigs at the old place and killed the chickens ourselves for meat and the pigs went to the abbatoir. I also used to work in a butchers and have always been fine with it all. We are just thinking af hatching a few ducks and chucks again and it's made me realise i'm not comfortable with the killing of animals for what seems like our own greed or because they are an inconvenience. I'm not sure where i'll end up with this but i have been giving vegetarianism some serious consideration and i've already cut down on meat consumption.

NorthernMonkeyGirl

Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 4591
Location: Peeping over your shoulder

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 13 1:55 pm Post subject:

It's always good to think hard about these things.
Having played around with diet, I need meat to be healthy. So in my view it is need rather than greed - but that only applies if I use every scrap of the animal - so I eat the offal, boil the bones, soap from fat, etc etc. Rearing my own rabbits is/will be the next logical step, and being able to kill them is the price I must pay.

It's too easy to throw plastic trays of identical meat in the trolley - and yes I still do that on occasion, but I'm trying

It also ties in to food miles and resilience - I would rather aim for maximum balanced diet from my little patch of ground (veg, rabbits, fruit) than perhaps grow loads of sweetcorn and buy in soya foods.

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 13 2:11 pm Post subject:
I'm the opposite. having seen the conditions in which some animals are kept and slaughtererd, I'm intent on keeping even more livestock and turning them into food.

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 13 3:15 pm Post subject:
Don't forget, NMG, that a lot of animal feed has a high percentage of soya in it as well as other imported stuff.

NorthernMonkeyGirl

Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 4591
Location: Peeping over your shoulder

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 13 3:50 pm Post subject:

mochyn wrote:

Don't forget, NMG, that a lot of animal feed has a high percentage of soya in it as well as other imported stuff.

Absolutely, so the grand plan is to use home grown roots and greens as a basis for the bunnies' diet. But yes, there is a point where you have to accept compromise! Like my Orientally made electronics for starters

celestialspore

Joined: 27 Jul 2010
Posts: 26
Location: Aberdeenshire

Posted: Mon Feb 11, 13 9:10 pm Post subject:
Could somebody please post a link to the relevant rules and regulations around the home slaughter of pigs? I have searched, but can't find what I am looking for. Thanks

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