Processing our feelings about processing...

[SageHill]

Add in --- your feed bill will be less, and you'll have the best meat ever.

 

[secuono]

With the bull that happened with my bull this year, I'd make sure they use heavy artillery and that each animal is 100% contained for the cull.
Do not accept anything less!

In general, do not interact with or even think of meat animals as lawnmowers in the future, just makes it a bit easier until you're used to culling them. And with yearly animals, that may take several years to get there.

Yes, be there. Ensure they are contained and calm for the cull. Make sure butcher has proper riffle to drop them with one shot! You can be facing the other way for this and the bleeding.

Once you're able to separate yourself from culls, you can love them, spoil them and even train them. It just is very difficult to accept it once you start doing that.

 

[Mini Horses]

I've done both...at home & assisted (another made the shot) in skin to carcass on ice. A goat, so similar size. And, I've sent them off, picked it up ready to cut & package (pigs); also picked up as cut, wrapped & frozen (beef). I'll say all were less mess than butchering chickens -- hatchet to freezer, all of that.

There's not been a time I didn't feel a degree of "sorry your good life must end". That's natural. But it was reverence for this being the end of a journey I knew was coming at the appropriate time.

You'll do fine....don't cry over it. If sold, quite often that would be for another freezer fill. It's how meat on your plate gets there.

 

[ConcernedSheep]

I do have a butcher/processor come out. I have the lambs all set and ready to go in a small pen before he gets there.
I'm there for the entire process. It doesn't bother me, and I'm nice to my sheep and all so it's not like I don't "know" them. And yes, we do eat what we get as well as others who come to us buy a lamb, and then can be here or can pick up at the butcher's.

We’ll have the lambs in the catch pen (it’s about 10’ square) and I was gonna pen them up the night before so they have some time to settle. We are looking forward to the opportunity to share with friends and family, which I think will contribute to the good feelings afterward (we do have a chest freezer, but it’s just my husband and I, so it would take us a while to get through it all!) Thank you for your input <3

With the bull that happened with my bull this year, I'd make sure they use heavy artillery and that each animal is 100% contained for the cull.
Do not accept anything less!

In general, do not interact with or even think of meat animals as lawnmowers in the future, just makes it a bit easier until you're used to culling them. And with yearly animals, that may take several years to get there.

Yes, be there. Ensure they are contained and calm for the cull. Make sure butcher has proper riffle to drop them with one shot! You can be facing the other way for this and the bleeding.

We’ll have them penned up, and I am trusting/hoping that the butcher will be experienced/skilled I called around quite a few places before I found a place that was willing to patiently and compassionately answer my questions, and that would shoot them prior to the bleeding. My husband will definitely be present and nearby for the culling, he has hunted and isn’t as easily bothered as I am. I will probably decide in the next few days if I will be able to appropriately compartmentalize the experience...

Add in --- your feed bill will be less, and you'll have the best meat ever.

Yes, I am so looking forward to this!!! We will have delicious meat and we will know it was happy, healthy, and well-loved. I believe that energy is consumed in one way or another… I am what I eat, and what I eat is (was) very happy!

Once you're able to separate yourself from culls, you can love them, spoil them and even train them. It just is very difficult to accept it once you start doing that.

Yeah because there was some uncertainty I think you’re right, that did not help… I need to be more disciplined in the future. I’ve been reading a book, The Chicken Chronicles, and the way she talks about her parents butchering their pigs each year really resonated with me. They loved them, enjoyed them and their personalities, and therefore dreaded the butchering season every time, but they needed to eat and it was a necessity. I am finding the balance, I know it will take practice. Thank you for your insight.

I've done both...at home & assisted (another made the shot) in skin to carcass on ice. A goat, so similar size. And, I've sent them off, picked it up ready to cut & package (pigs); also picked up as cut, wrapped & frozen (beef). I'll say all were less mess than butchering chickens -- hatchet to freezer, all of that.

There's not been a time I didn't feel a degree of "sorry your good life must end". That's natural. But it was reverence for this being the end of a journey I knew was coming at the appropriate time.

You'll do fine....don't cry over it. If sold, quite often that would be for another freezer fill. It's how meat on your plate gets there.

Yes, I love that: “reverence for this being at the end of a journey I knew was coming at the appropriate time.” Everything must die, mine will have a good death and be useful afterwards. This is how meat gets on our plates every time… it’s just that I don’t normally know the animals I am eating, which (for me) isn’t necessarily better! Thank you for your insight.

 

[secuono]

We’ll have them penned up, and I am trusting/hoping that the butcher will be experienced/skilled I called around quite a few places before I found a place that was willing to patiently and compassionately answer my questions, and that would shoot them prior to the bleeding. My husband will definitely be present and nearby for the culling, he has hunted and isn’t as easily bothered as I am. I will probably decide in the next few days if I will be able to appropriately compartmentalize the experience...

Do not expect them to do it right. Mine claimed they did, whole time kept saying things like "omg, he never gets it wrong, they always drop the first time, blahhhhhhh", then he failed to bring the right equipment, tormented my bull, I had to bring out my heavy artillery for him to use and get it done! He chased him all around the farm, through a few fences, a few failed shots hit like BBs, just terrified him.
Had nightmares over it for a month+.
Force them to use "overkill" than claim less can work. "Can" is not good enough.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

It's definitely worth it to use the appropriate caliber to get the job done correctly the first time. We've done quite a few pigs here along with the occasional goat and even a sheep once. Only had one bad experience by a man who bought a hog from me and wanted to dispatch it here and take it home to butcher. I expressed concern before he started but "great hunter" assured me it would be a one bullet experience. It wasn't. He bought several more pigs from me over the years and from that point on brought a larger caliber rifle to do the job.

Done correctly they drop on the spot. There will be muscle twitches which is perfectly normal. With some experience you learn to compartmentalize the feelings and appreciate the animal in another form. Beloved livestock while standing - meat when down.

Good luck. I hope it goes well.

 

[SageHill]

I was gonna pen them up the night before so they have some time to settle.

I don't sort out the culls until the morning of. I set up panels the night before. While I have enough panels to probably make a chute into the small pen ~7x7ft, my dogs are trained so it's the first thing we do in the morning as the butcher gets here between 6-6:30. Less stress all around.

 

[peteyfoozer]

Also consider this…a quick and humane dispatch is far kinder than any critter in the wild may get, dying of disease or extreme suffering in old age or, more commonly, being eaten alive by a predator.

 

[ConcernedSheep]

Do not expect them to do it right. Mine claimed they did, whole time kept saying things like "omg, he never gets it wrong, they always drop the first time, blahhhhhhh", then he failed to bring the right equipment, tormented my bull, I had to bring out my heavy artillery for him to use and get it done! He chased him all around the farm, through a few fences, a few failed shots hit like BBs, just terrified him.
Had nightmares over it for a month+.
Force them to use "overkill" than claim less can work. "Can" is not good enough.

That’s terrible, I am so sorry you had that experience. Hopefully, since they are sheep, it will be slightly easier than a bull. I will definitely be talking with the butcher when he arrives, and I will do everything I can to make sure it’s done correctly.

I don't sort out the culls until the morning of. I set up panels the night before. While I have enough panels to probably make a chute into the small pen ~7x7ft, my dogs are trained so it's the first thing we do in the morning as the butcher gets here between 6-6:30. Less stress all around.

Luckily our “catch pen” stays up all the time, and it’s where they usually get treats/hay, so they’re pretty motivated to go in it without fuss. Getting everyone else out might be tough, though, which is why I thought it might be best to do it the night before (butcher is coming at 7 AM).

Also consider this…a quick and humane dispatch is far kinder than any critter in the wild may get, dying of disease or extreme suffering in old age or, more commonly, being eaten alive by a predator.

Very true… nature can be a cruel mistress and I hope to be even a little kinder.

 

[SageHill]

Luckily our “catch pen” stays up all the time, and it’s where they usually get treats/hay, so they’re pretty motivated to go in it without fuss. Getting everyone else out might be tough, though, which is why I thought it might be best to do it the night before (butcher is coming at 7 AM).

ah, yeah!! Been there done that. I do a gate sort before they get to where I've set up the pen.