Selfsufficientish.com

We've done it! - sent our first pig to slaughter. I didn't think I'd ever be capable of doing it but 'sausage' has gone. We took him to the local abattoir 24 hours before slaughter - and what a palava that was trying to get him in the trailer. I'm sure he knew, the two girls were in and out of the trailer like there was no tomorrow but he just wouldn't go. My hubby got him in eventually but me, I was bawling my eyes out.

My hubby picked the carcass up yesterday and said that the meat looked so clean and scrummy, he felt very proud. When I got home from work he had cooked a sausage and liver casserole (only the liver was from our pig) the rest he took to a traditional butcher who will cure the bacon and ham, cut us some gammon and make sausages with the rest. We want to do it ourselves eventually but this first time thought it better if we let someone else do it for us.

Despite still crying on and off while tucking into the casserole, I have to say there's certainly nothing like the fresh liver from your own pig.

Well done su,

I'm sure the first time will be the hardest. I couldn't help giggling though when you said 'the two girls were in and out of the trailer like there was no tomorrow'. Well for 'Sausage' there wasn't was there? (sorry)

Matt.

that's true - I must admit once he'd gone I wasn't too bad and I did have a bad day at work but it didn't stop me from eating him! I think it's easy for people to say you shouldn't get attached to the animals you're going to slaughter and you mustn't lose sight of why you got them in the first place but I never realised how enjoyable pigs were to keep. Now we're looking forward to breeding from the other two and we'll do exactly the same next year.

well done. I'm think it probably gets easier over time and agree it's very hard not to get attached to animals your caring for. I'm hoping we will be able to eat our own chickens next year. We aren't allowed to keep a cock so breeding hasn't been possible so far. Am going to buy an incubator a dn now the market near here is back on after the bird flu thing I'll be able to get some hatching eggs or buy some chicks Not looking forward to killing them, mostly as I'm worried I'll get it wrong and hurt or frighten the bird but again I think it will get easier with time. I just need to remember the cute fluffy chicks are dinner

We bought 20 cockerills for christmas but we'll probably keep a couple for looking after the ladies I'm lucky as my hubby is a 'shooting' man and has been brought up with the old country ways so he is happy to neck, pluck and draw them all - he's just admitted though he was quite upset when the pig went but proud that we'd done a good job when he saw how good the carcass was especially when the butcher commented on it.

Well done, you! I'm impressed. I'm still trying to talk my family into eating one of our hens.