Too young to process?

[Mrs Gert]

Hi there.

I read your post with interest because it is something that we have done with our son. I think that killing, preparing and eating a chicken together as a family is a fantastic opportunity - not only because of the "where does food come from" lesson for the littlies but also in terms of respect for a life. I am quite sure that our son will grow up to respect that the decision to take an animals life should not be taken lightly and never as "sport" or "fun". I also think that once you've killed an animal every bit should be used and none wasted - another good lesson.

However, a chicken is one thing - this autumn will see the first of our lambs go for slaughter and we wonder how he will deal with this even though we have not named the ram and not cuddled him he is still rather adorable . We'll see.

Mrs G

[Gert]

I would like to add to the post even though Mrs Gert beat me to it

As a boy my Grandfather, a gentle softly spoken man who I adored, kept rabbits in his garden and every so often we would have rabbit for tea. I grew up understanding that athough he cared for his animals as if they were pets, at the end of the day they were to feed his family.

We have made sure that our son completely understands that animals are to be treated with the greatest respect and that it is wrong to neglect or mistreat an animal in any way, but as meat eaters we should understand that in order for us to eat meat an animal must die, if we can't face that fact then we should not eat meat.
When I killed my first chicken it didn't feel very nice and made me question what I had done, but I would have bought a chicken in the shops without thinking about it at all.
As the one in the family that generally has to do the deed, (Mrs Gert would do it but she hasn't got the strength to break the necks) when I kill a chicken I always make sure that I make it as painless and quick as possible and I always make sure that my son knows that it isn't a 'fun' thing to do.

I feel that if you want to eat meat then you should face up to the reality of where it comes from and if you can get this message to young children then it's much easier for them to deal with than if it's hidden away from them until they discover the realities for themselves.

[JulieSherris]

Hi Mrs G!

Well, it's really funny how the chicken stopped being her 'mini-chick' as soon as we begun to pluck.
This was one of our very first chicks that we hatched ourselves last year, so she had cossetted them & has been a very good stepmum to them all in general!

She couldn't quite grasp why her mum was so squeamish & wouldn't stay and she was also surprised that once the chick was dead, it didn't bleed, she was expecting far more blood I think & so was a tad disappointed

It's been a good day, although NOW she wants to know when we are doing one of the ducklings - they are only 3 weeks old, so not just yet!

[JulieSherris]

I feel that if you want to eat meat then you should face up to the reality of where it comes from and if you can get this message to young children then it's much easier for them to deal with than if it's hidden away from them until they discover the realities for themselves.

I couldn't agree with you more!
Last year it was lovely to see her planting seeds & then sending her out for a cucumber that she had sown herself & it's nice to know that she will grow up not relying on packaged foods to cook - she makes the best yorkshire puds already, but we're working on her peeling techniques because she's left handed!

As for the despatch technique, Gert - I don't break the neck, I bleed the bird - it's a lot less stressful for me, and a very quiet way for the bird to go - each to their own though, but I have visions of holding a chook with a spiral neck in my arms & still not dead!

[sortanormalish]

I axe them. The kids love to watch them flop around, not 'ha ha watch it flop' but more of a curiosity about why and how. So then we always have to have a discussion about brainstems and muscle spasms and the 'do people do that?' questions from the newest participants.
This afternoon we planted some new brambles and blueberries and we had a discussion of Japanese research on plant intelligence.

I am perpetually amazed at how much children can learn if we adults are not afraid to expose them to new things, especially the more unpleasant parts of everyday life. I believe that a detachment from our food is mentally unhealthy on a number of levels, not to mention the attitude ignorant people often take toward our planet.

I think you did a wonderful thing for Leah's mind and soul.