Off With His Head!!! (Part Two)

When our family went to the couple's farm and we processed the three roosters, we let our children watch as much as they wanted.  We learned more about our children that day and most important for me was to let my children guide their actions and emotions according to what they could handle.  We talked a lot with them about it before hand and even let them watch a few YouTube videos (that were properly done) so that they went into this mentally prepared.  They were as prepared as we were.

My children are very much nature lovers like me.  The apple most certainly didn't fall far from the tree on this one much to my delight.  They played and explored the farm.  They chased after chickens and picked up any that would let them.  And to their joy was a big pile of gravel for them to play in.  The time came though that I think we all were dreading deep down inside.  The roosters were hung up by their feet (as bad as that may sound, they were not uncomfortable at all).  This allowed them to relax, stay calm and let the blood drain down.  My daughter very much wanted to sit with the roosters as they awaited their time to come.  My instinct was to protect her.  If she loved on them, she would attach and it would devastate her.  But making her stand back was what broke her heart.  She NEEDED to love on them.  She stayed by them, petting them and talking to them.  She poured out all the love her little heart could pour.  Not a tear she shed, though her heart was very heavy.  It still leaves me in awe as I think on her during this time.  My second child (oldest son) cried all through the first bird's processing.  After that, he was good to go!  My younger two didn't really care.  They came and went, watched off and on (my third did get a little sad but easily got over it once back to play) and carried on like it was any other day.  We left having learned so much and we all had to process in our own way but all came through it better and stronger.  It helped me overcome my fear and helped me to refine my own plans.

Before the day at the farm: we would be ordering 2-3 day old chicks from an out of state hatchery.  My fear was my children's hearts being broken.  Who can resist loving on a cute fuzzy chick???  I mean, just look at these fuzzy bums!!! (These were our pets from the previous year.)

So, my husband and I agreed to let the kids experience eggs hatching and raise whatever babies hatched as pets; love on these with no fear of them being dinner.  That was such an amazing experience!  I woke up one morning to two wet babies and we got to watch the rest hatch out, each of  us pressing in as close as we could to watch these babies unfold from their shells.

So, happy with TEN (8 hatched and two bought because I doubted my hatching abilities) brand new babies, we ordered our meat birds (nicknamed chicken nuggets).

In total, we had 36 fuzzy and noisy babies in our house as it was too cold for them to be outside.  The meat babies took up residence in our garage and the pet babies stayed in a bucket in the kitchen sharing a heat lamp with my two bearded dragons.  And BTW, bearded dragons do NOT like chicks.  My girls got madder than mad!

This was such a fun process for all of us.  Our police chief even has gotten a kick out of watching us and our birds.

While the babies were growing, I was busy, busy, busy, working on building a new coop and a chicken tractor and after a LOT of time and thanks to my husband,, best friend, the two girls who live behind us and their dad and another neighbor and his dad, I got the projects done and moved into location.  It was time for the babies to go outside.  Who knew those little bodies could produce so much poop!

All of that and about 10 weeks and that brings us to today.  Today began the process of turning our meat birds into food.

Part One
Part Three