The price of being an omnivore...

Harvest comes in many forms.  For most of us, harvest refers to the picking of the final product of our fruits and vegetables.  Conversely, many enjoy the disconnect between the farm animal and the food upon the plate.  Unfortunately, part of having animals is that occasionally they do not fit into the homestead and become dinner...come read the saga of the Easter Chicks...

Easter was coming and W. started talking about getting chicks.  We thought up the idea that we'd get chicks with the idea that if any were roosters we'd tell the kiddos that the Easter Bunny needed to take them back (good cover story ehh?)  Well, for the last week, the "hens" were doing un-hen like things  (I'll spare you the details, but we don't want to find a baby chick in our breakfast.)  As a current city dweller, I hoped to turn a blind eye to it all, but I knew the two were roosters for quite a while in my heart.  We had decided that we wanted to not waste all the investment that we had put into them (feed, initial cost, brooding, effort etc.) so we'd harvest any roosters.  We cannot have roosters due to noise ordinances, as well as a law against "fighting cocks."  To make sure, Husband took pictures and emailed them to Country Sister, who ascertained that the mean looking ones were roosters. 

Not a Hen

I will spare you the details, for you who have done this, I commend you, and you understand what I went through.  For you who have not done this deed, I wish to preserve your innocence.  Our next door neighbor happened to put her dog out in the middle of the processing.  She said "hi" and then asked what we were doing.  I mearly replied, "Harvesting two roosters."  She told me she grew up on a farm and went back in with her dog.

As Fresh as it Gets

I just present you with one request.  Thank your butcher, slaughterhouse, farmer, etc.  They provide a service that is very difficult to do.