we Put down OUR pig

Duckfarmerpa1

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We were forced to put down a pig on our farm, that, was ours. He was planning to stay forever. Things changed when we had an opportunity to get 14 new animals. Something had to give. It was a horrible horrible choice. We are still hating this part of the farm life. This is the second time we’ve butchered something that was a pet. But when we couldn’t keep it or sell it...we had to butcher it. Awful situation. Anyways...this time we are both soooo close to this animal...and, we can’t really eat it. Chris is determinEd, because he feels if he kills an animal he loves he’s sure goin* to eat every bite! It tastes just like or farm. Exactly. I take a bite...and I can smell him...smell me petting him. It really upsets me. Now Chris has made sausage steaks, you name it. Can. Anyone give me help on to getting the smell of your farm out on an animal once you butcher it. It s made it impossible for me to eat it...heck, I almost cry....this guy. W as not. Supposed to gET butchErEd, but. We got mor3. Animals and need3$ room.
 

Baymule

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I understand your anguish. This was your friend, you loved him and if I am right, you may feel like you betrayed him and are feeling terribly guilty.

First of all, no one here is going to make fun of you or say anything ugly. You are a tender hearted lady who loves her animals and we all recognize that. So if you are having a hard time dealing with this, you came to the right place.

Chris has the right attitude, he is honoring the pig by not letting it go to waste. You are very emotionally wrapped up with this pig and With every bite, you are reliving all the care and love you gave him. It is very hard to have one go from pet to dinner.

When I slaughter an animal, we pray over it. I give thanks to the animal and to God for the life of the animal, that we might have good food to eat. I suggest you take a page from Baymule's Book of Crazies and take a walk out to the barn. Pray. Say a prayer of thanks. Then talk to the pig, tell him how bad you feel, pour your heart out and maybe have a good cry. It might make you feel better and it sure can't hurt.
Big hugs. I hope you can deal with this.
 

Duckfarmerpa1

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I understand your anguish. This was your friend, you loved him and if I am right, you may feel like you betrayed him and are feeling terribly guilty.

First of all, no one here is going to make fun of you or say anything ugly. You are a tender hearted lady who loves her animals and we all recognize that. So if you are having a hard time dealing with this, you came to the right place.

Chris has the right attitude, he is honoring the pig by not letting it go to waste. You are very emotionally wrapped up with this pig and With every bite, you are reliving all the care and love you gave him. It is very hard to have one go from pet to dinner.

When I slaughter an animal, we pray over it. I give thanks to the animal and to God for the life of the animal, that we might have good food to eat. I suggest you take a page from Baymule's Book of Crazies and take a walk out to the barn. Pray. Say a prayer of thanks. Then talk to the pig, tell him how bad you feel, pour your heart out and maybe have a good cry. It might make you feel better and it sure can't hurt.
Big hugs. I hope you can deal with this.
Thanks....this is actually the second time it’s happened to us. I thought I could eat a bit of this guy. But this animal, and the other...they taste like our barn! I’m really worried that when we butcher the pig, intended to be butcher...it’ll still have that smell? How does anyone deal with their dinner smelling like a bucket of hay ad such?
 

Baymule

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I never had that problem of meat smelling like hay. I use a lot of garlic and other seasonings. How are you preparing the meat?
 

Duckfarmerpa1

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I never had that problem of meat smelling like hay. I use a lot of garlic and other seasonings. How are you preparing the meat?
He made sausage...steaks...smoked ...basically with tooonnnsss of seasoning to coverup the taste of being a farm animal. But, when you walk in the house...it just stinks...it’s such a distinct smell. And it hurts us...because we love this guy and we are not being respectful.
 

Beekissed

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No meat should ever smell like the barnyard, so it could be what you are feeding and possibly how you are butchering that gives you meat with an off smell or flavor. If you have to put tons of seasoning in the meat in order to eat it or disguise the smell, it's likely how the meat was handled during butchering. You'll hear of that a lot when people kill deer and complain of a "gamey" flavor or smell, which should never happen if the butchering is handled properly.

Could be you could find someone nearby who could instruct you on butchering techniques that would insure you have clean tasting meat? There's really no point in having a farm if all the food produced is repugnant to you.

I applaud you for killing and consuming your own animals...it's the most humane treatment possible if you consume meat in your diet. One thing that may help you is to work on how you think about life and death of your beloved animals. Using the phrasing "put down" has negative connotations associated with it, as if you had to ease its suffering for some reason. It would help you a lot if you could think of it as a harvest, much like any other harvest of food that you grow. To everything there is a season and the meat harvest has a season as well, so it may help you to think of all your animals as creatures that are here for a season in time and when that season is over for whatever reason, you will harvest their energy to fuel your bodies.
 

JHP Homestead

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Are you doing the butchering yourself? Has anyone other than you guys tried the meat and thought it tasted like barnyard?
 

Xerocles

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Are you doing the butchering yourself? Has anyone other than you guys tried the meat and thought it tasted like barnyard?
I agree wholeheartedly with JHP. First find out if the "smell" is actual or emotional. Then you can figure out the best way to deal. Oh, but if you get someone to try it at their house, DON'T tell them the story first. Just say "here are some *****s. Try it. Then, after, tell them the story, so you don't bias their thinking. Good luck with this.
 

Duckfarmerpa1

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Are you doing the butchering yourself? Has anyone other than you guys tried the meat and thought it tasted like barnyard?
Yes, Chris did the butchering. We’re even buying a new saw. He’s butchered many deer and two bear...they were to feed our dogs. So, he can do a descent job. I’ll ask him if he thinks butchering could have to do with the taste?
 

Duckfarmerpa1

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I agree wholeheartedly with JHP. First find out if the "smell" is actual or emotional. Then you can figure out the best way to deal. Oh, but if you get someone to try it at their house, DON'T tell them the story first. Just say "here are some *****s. Try it. Then, after, tell them the story, so you don't bias their thinking. Good luck with this.
No one else has eaten any of it. Perhaps we’ll take some sausage to our weekly dinner. We ate beaver there and it was delicious!
 

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