Kids in livestock

Chixarecute · #21 05/03/12, 05:47 PM

Ever since the boys were little, and would ask what kind of meat we were having for supper, we would always tell them "dead cow", or "dead pig", or "dead chicken." Quite frequently, we just say "roast beast." Have to be a bit more circumspect with friends and girl friends around.

dlskidmore · #22 05/03/12, 05:58 PM

A college friend grew up on a dairy farm. He had a famous quote "Jim, you made a great friend, but a better steak."

I'm hesitant about this aspect of starting my own farm. I intend to name all the animals after an article of food my first year.

Bambitski · #23 05/03/12, 07:12 PM

My kids are fine with it as long as they know ahead of time. My 5 year old son named all 6 of the piglets that we got last year. When we had the first two processed, he asked right off the bat, "Are we eating bacon or pork chop?" LOL They were small when we butchered them and didn't get any bacon back, when we took the others and they were lots bigger, he was totally excited when the bacon and ham came back. LOL Good thing he liked pork so much.

matt_man · #24 05/08/12, 01:23 PM

Mine are all fine with it. They go along in the truck with the mobile butcher who comes out. They have actually cried hysterically if they missed getting to see them killed. They know that they are all destined for food eventually, no matter how cute they are when they are babies.

RoyalValley · #25 05/08/12, 03:36 PM

We just say it like it is. Not harsh, but just that the animal has a purpose and it's to be our dinner.

Now they ask at every meal time, "WHO IS THIS??" We laugh and say, "oh tonight it is Porter, Chupa, (insert animal name)"

ozark_jewels · #26 05/08/12, 03:52 PM

Growing up on a small farm, we children knew all our animals well. But we knew all our Jersey bull calves born were headed to the freezer. We bought our breeding bulls and bottle raised them. We knew after one-two years of breeding, we would be eating them. We named them all foods. We had T-Bone, Rallys(the fast food joint), Cookie, Chuck Roast, and so on. We were ok with eating them when the time came.
Now, I just don't name my freezer animals. Any bull calves, buck kids, ram lambs, etc born destined for the freezer are not named at all.
I still cry when it comes time to retire old milk cows, milk goats, etc to the freezer. But they have had a long happy life and will have a quick painless death. I'm ok with that. The killing part is hard, but after they are dead, its just a job.
All us kids were raised that way and now those of us with kids are raising them that way. Its good to know where ones food comes from.