May. 13, 2008 - Animals for meat
I've been learning a lot about meat chickens. Our chickens are primarily around for eggs, but we do plan on processing extra roosters or hens that maybe stop laying or for whatever reason. Next year we may raise some broilers for the freezer. The thought of killing and cleaning our chickens isn't very pleasant but I think it's an important lesson to learn. I think if you aren't willing to at least consider the fact that your McNuggets are meat from a once living creature of God, that you shouldn't be eating meat.
I'm not a vegetarian obviously. I think PETA is nutty. Animals are not our equals. I have been thoroughly disgusted though in my research to find the least painful method of killing our birds when the time comes. I buy my chicken in a nice big bag of large skinless breast pieces. The breed which creates the meat I buy (and probably that you buy) is a cornish cross. This bird is bred to do nothing but sit and eat itself to death. Many backyard chicken owners who raise this breed report that even given the opportunity to free range, most will not stray far from the feeder. Some would sleep there given the choice. It's not a happy life for these birds in the factory. Many of them die of heart attacks from their rapid growth. Many of the rest suffer leg and joint problems because they grow so rapidly and they cannot support the weight from those large breast pieces they are bred to produce. After they are several weeks old, the mortality rate is extremely high. They are meant to have a life span of 5-8 weeks. In the factory they are typically slaughtered at six weeks. By this time many are bald on their bellies for a variety of reasons including suffering ammonia burns from being raised in their own filth - and the cornish cross produces that more rapidly than any other bird because of the volume of food they put away. I don't want to get too graphic, so I won't. I realize these farms need to turn a profit, and that's not easy when the grocery store sells that grown bird back to you for five bucks a pop. They have to automate their system, and unfortunately for the birds, this can mean undue suffering when the machines don't work properly.
I think it's important to understand this and never to be wasteful with meat. The way most of us buy it now removes us from this reality. As I've pondered on this recently, I've realized that taking responsibility for our own food isn't a reality for everyone, but it's a blessing for those of us with the opportunity to do it. I am thankful that my children have the opportunity to witness the process with our own flock of chickens. Not only will they appreciate and have more respect for the life that passed to fill our plates, but they will also understand that animals were given to man for our use. They are not fuzzy people. I hope that the next time we sit down to our meals, we can all remember and be thankful for the blessing of these animals. I know i will be grateful when our first roaster is placed on the table, knowing that at least that one had an enjoyable existence before it's death. I wish I had the opportunity to be more self sufficient and to be able to say that for all of our meat.
