🐓 Is Chicken Slaughter Sacred?
Nov 10, 2021
In a way, the most morally troubling thing about killing chickens is that after a while it is no longer morally troubling.
- Michael Pollan
Killing animals really is a tough topic to casually talk about and really it shouldn't be one that is casually talked about. It's a sacred act.
Last week we had the final chicken slaughtering of the year. We invited some people out that wanted to learn how to take control of their food system.
Take a listen to this week's podcast. Ivy & Paul ask us all kinds of questions about raising broilers. (Apple, Spotify, Web)
This time around I was in charge of the slaughter station, I think I get this station because nobody else wants to do it and I don't mind it.
The slaughter station is the station where the chicken is killed. We use an upside down construction cone. The chicken's head comes out the bottom. I make two cuts on its neck and the blood drains out of it.
In order to keep from getting splashed with blood, I usually hold the head of the chicken for a bit while it takes about 30 seconds to move on to the great chicken pasture in the sky. As this happens your hand gets covered in warm blood it's a very surreal experience.
As I helped the new people learn how to do this first step, they both confided to me that it was way easier than they thought it would be.
They also said there was something more to it. Some more than just the physical act of killing the chicken.
I agree! There is something sacred.
We have started now killing our chickens in the pasture that they were raised in. I really like the idea of them returning to the soil that they were raised on. A full circle of the energy flow.
But I have really been sitting with the statement that everyone said to me. Three different people. That it was way easier to kill the chicken than they thought it would be.
The truth is, it's very easy and the longer you do it the easier it gets. But how do you maintain the sacred?
I struggle with the fact that it is just a chicken. But on the other hand, it is a life.
The chickens that fed our soil, grew up on our land, and now will feed our family deserves at the very least some appreciation for their lives.
For our slaughter days, we have started a new tradition of stopping. We Thank the Creator for the chicken's life, for the day, for the opportunity to participate in our food, and for the knowledge of how to raise our food.
To me, this pause before everything gets going is a way to honor the sacred, to connect with our food, and to remember that just because it is easy there is still great importance in the life we are taking. ( it will feed our family and help us live a healthier life)
Here's my challenge for you this week:
Think about how your life would be different if you were connected in this way to all the food you eat.
What if you stopped eating food that you were not connected to? How would that change your life?
I'd love to hear your answer.
Last week we had the final chicken slaughtering of the year. We invited some people out that wanted to learn how to take control of their food system.
Take a listen to this week's podcast. Ivy & Paul ask us all kinds of questions about raising broilers. (Apple, Spotify, Web)
This time around I was in charge of the slaughter station, I think I get this station because nobody else wants to do it and I don't mind it.
The slaughter station is the station where the chicken is killed. We use an upside down construction cone. The chicken's head comes out the bottom. I make two cuts on its neck and the blood drains out of it.
In order to keep from getting splashed with blood, I usually hold the head of the chicken for a bit while it takes about 30 seconds to move on to the great chicken pasture in the sky. As this happens your hand gets covered in warm blood it's a very surreal experience.
As I helped the new people learn how to do this first step, they both confided to me that it was way easier than they thought it would be.
They also said there was something more to it. Some more than just the physical act of killing the chicken.
I agree! There is something sacred.
We have started now killing our chickens in the pasture that they were raised in. I really like the idea of them returning to the soil that they were raised on. A full circle of the energy flow.
But I have really been sitting with the statement that everyone said to me. Three different people. That it was way easier to kill the chicken than they thought it would be.
The truth is, it's very easy and the longer you do it the easier it gets. But how do you maintain the sacred?
I struggle with the fact that it is just a chicken. But on the other hand, it is a life.
The chickens that fed our soil, grew up on our land, and now will feed our family deserves at the very least some appreciation for their lives.
For our slaughter days, we have started a new tradition of stopping. We Thank the Creator for the chicken's life, for the day, for the opportunity to participate in our food, and for the knowledge of how to raise our food.
To me, this pause before everything gets going is a way to honor the sacred, to connect with our food, and to remember that just because it is easy there is still great importance in the life we are taking. ( it will feed our family and help us live a healthier life)
Here's my challenge for you this week:
Think about how your life would be different if you were connected in this way to all the food you eat.
What if you stopped eating food that you were not connected to? How would that change your life?
I'd love to hear your answer.
Peace and Love,
Drew and Lacey
PS: Do you have a question you want to send to our email list send it to me and I'll include it in the next newsletter for everyone to read and answer.? (If you want me to keep it anonymous we can do that too.)
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