raeanna74

I've gone deer hunting, fishing, and helped raised many different kinds of animals for the purpose of butchering them. I've helped butcher chickens, sheep, cows, and rabbits. Chickens are probably the most unpleasant to butcher. All were killed as quickly as possible. The problem with butchering with a gunshot to the head or chopping the head off is that the nervous system of the remaining body is still triggered and after it's separated from the 'control center' the rest of the body will flop, flail and as was mentioned with chickens, even get up and run. I remember one large sheep that we shot in the head that flailed for what seemed like forever while blood spurted from it's head. It was upsetting to see and at that time I was only 15. I do not nor have ever ENJOYED killing the animals. We do eat meat and I see no difference in the amount of cruelty to the animal for me to butcher it or for me to buy it off the shelf at the market. I think I appreciate the sacrifice of the animals life more because I have participated in it's demise. I don't even hunt for the sake of sport. I do it because I like venison and because I'm on a limited budget. Venison is a WHOLE lot cheaper than beef when I do the butchering and processing myself.

I think I find it more difficult to castrate sheep or dehorn calves. The calves bellow and the sheep make such a racket. The only way past it is to proceed as quickly as possible. Without dehorning though the cows would harm one another easier.

On the other side of things. If I catch a bug in my house I often will try to catch it and take it outside. The exception is with critters that seem to move too quickly to catch and those ladybugs. There's just too many of those ladybugs to catch and release ALL of them buggers. I have a cat, a bird (parakeet), and two guinea pigs in our house. I care for them and treat them kindly. I would miss any one of them dearly. Especially the cat and bird. I enjoy watching wildlife and photoing them. I had a birdfeeder outside (till it got broken this summer) and plan to put up one this spring. I rescued a rabbit once when I was a kid. Our landlord had mown over a nest and only one survived. We raised it till it was able to forage for itself. We released it near and old burrow in our back yard and left food at it's door daily for a while. He survived and grew quite large. I care for animals but those that are commonly used for food I do not have a problem butchering myself and eating. The important thing is appreciating the 'gift' of food that those animals have given and not wasting any of it.

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"Always learn the rules so that you can break them properly." Dalai Lama
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