I'm thinking of getting some chickens.

[Twitchin Kitten]

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I'm a sap. I kept the old chickens as pets. I couldn't send to or (slaughter myself) any animal that comes to me by it's name.

[Flamethrower]

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Eggs are around $1.25 a dozen for X large and Jumbo here. True farm fresh eggs from your own or a friend/neighbor's chickens beat the hell out of processed eggs in both cost and quality.

BTW Traz, when are you gonna get some more eggs from yer buddy Ray? Those last ones were great even though I had to wash them before I used them. It's a small annoyance but worth it IMO.

[Pickles]

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my town recently passed a law you can have as many chickens as you want but no roosters. Eggs here are lke 1.79 a dozen for medium .

[LH]

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So are you going to do it?

I am swinging into Dark Marks set-up @ his house this Labor day weekend to check out how he does them. I have enough wood and chicken wire to build a row of houses for them, but wanna see his layout and talk to his girlfriend about them he says she does most the work.

[Jamminitin]

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Keep us updated.

[Rhubarb]

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If you are going to go for the 'small holding' never name the animals unless you know they are not going for slaughter!

Loopy Sue (honest correct diagnosis) kept pigs, sheep and cattle. She only named her two sows Mary and Maisie and her cow Guiness. When the piglets arrived she would mark each one as they were sold. We always had half with someone else so one rump would read Smith and the other rump Hod. There would be all these piglets running around with multi-coloured bottoms

My other 'loopy' friends who want to move to the good life have just bought chickens (to get into the routine Mandy said) she introduced them as Alpha Beta and Charlie- Doomed! I bet her she couldn't kill one for a celebration supper when they move. She didn't reply.

[LH]

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My last experience slaughtering chickens did not go well, my Uncle Phil had about 20, and one time when I was about 14 I went to his house and as we were walking out back he grabbed a chicken and with a quick flip of his wrist he just snapped the neck of a chicken that was near. He let it drop and it bounced around for awhile and lay there. he says "I need two just do what I did" I grabbed one by the neck and flicked it but did not let go for some reason and ended up swinging the freakin thing around as I squeezed the neck. Next thing I knew the neck snapped off and the damn thing went splurting across the road.

I will use an axe next time.

[BarEdul]

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OKKKKKKKKKKKKKAY.... we used an axe on my farm I was extremely small and do remember the details seems they rain about as headless gushing bodies any how just as gruesome and as messy.

[Twitchin Kitten]

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I find it easier to name the critter, keep it as a pet and buy my meat from the market. I do alright for a city girl but some things I just draw the line at because I can't do it.

[BarEdul]

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as a country girl I was trained to name the critter something sensitive like porky pork chops or Hammy. Kept things in perspective. Although I could never bring myself to actually do the slaughtering or butchering. I can eat things I have raised although I can't handle eating the rabbits I have raised for some strange reason... wild is okay though as long as I don't have to skin it.