Our friends, who raise chickens in their backyard, invited us to invest in fifteen chicks that will be raised for the freezer.
Today was the chick pick-up day. The chicks, which hatched only yesterday, arrived in a cardboard box. Our girls were thrilled to have a box of peeping chicks in between them as we drove to our friends’ place.
Each chick had to be introduced to water. Funnily enough, they didn’t need to be introduced to food: these chicks are bred to eat, and as soon as food was put nearby, they dove in.
If all goes well, in 8.5 weeks we should have a freezer full of chickens. Looking at these cute balls of fluff, their intended fate seems rather horrible. Fortunately they only stay cute for about a week, after which it becomes easier to contemplate their upcoming demise
But for now, they have a rather pampered life of cuddles, lots of food, and a warm bed. Not too bad, really.
We have always wanted to do this. I’ll be interested to know how you find it. Do you have to …do away with them… yourselves, or will someone else do that part?
“We” (as in Hubby and our friend) will take them to a local butcher. Our friends have handled the whole process themselves in the past, but it’s not an experience they talk about with a lot of relish. With the increased quantity of chickens, it just seems easier on everyone (including the chickens) to take them away for the final step. But I will let you know how it all goes. So far, so good …
In terms of eating locally and more naturally, doesn’t it make more sense to get old-fashioned chickens – chickens the way they used to be before they were endlessly genetically modified and bred to fatten up in unnaturally short period of time, to eat excessively, to grow huge breasts, etc? I’d want to raise chickens as they were 100 years ago, both in terms of the ethics for the chickens and my own health.
You’re right in that it does make sense to go with heritage varieties when they’re available and handled well. I’ve just come from eating my second heritage turkey dinner and loved it!