Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
A good rooster will watch over your flock, keep the hens out of trouble, and fertilize your eggs so you can
hatch your own chicks. It is common for a rooster who's uncovered a hidden trove of food to immediately
call over his harem and stand proudly watching as the hens take first dibs.
(Photo courtesy of SammyDavisdog)
Meat from Your Chickens
It was quite a mental journey for me to go from harvesting eggs from my chickens to harvesting
meat from the chickens. It helped that my husband knew what he was doing. It also helped to do
some study on the commercial processing of most industrialized chicken houses.
Studies show the meat of pasture-raised poultry is significantly more nutritious. For many backyard
farmers it is less expensive than store-bought meat as well, especially as the prices rise. Never mind
the cruelty-free factor, which is easier to confirm when you raise your own meat. Like my husband
says, “The best way you can know for sure where your meat comes from is to raise it yourself.”
The biggest factor for me was to not name the chicks that were destined to be butchered. In fact,
I called them a collective “The Chicks Who Shall Not be Named,” but then I'm weird like that.
I think mentally preparing yourself for the idea that
these
are chickens destined for the freezer is
helpful. I'll be the first to admit I was a little squeamish the first year, but the feeling of pride that
comes with the knowledge that you've provided a year's worth of the highest-quality poultry for
your family is amazing. It spoke to my self-sufficient and independent streak.
