Newest farm additions :)

[chadk]

I was reading the blog from the farmer I got my pigs from. It is funny how people like me and these farmers can be painted as heartless monsters. Yet what you find time and again is that is is really quite the opposite. We don't get any kick of out killing any animal. But we know it must be done. And we treat our animals with as much care as we can.

Here are a few examples from my farmer friend Bruce to show you what I mean. Bruce raises many animals for meat. A great source for locally grown, pasture raised, chemical and hormone free, meat.

Saving a baby pig:
http://ebeyfarm.blogspot.com/2010/08/piglet-physical-therapy.html

Saving a full grown pig:
http://ebeyfarm.blogspot.com/2010/07/oink-oink-boomerang-pig.html

Saving a chicken:
http://ebeyfarm.blogspot.com/2010/07/luckiest-chicken-in-world.html

 

[terryo]

Nice post Chad, but to me this makes it even harder to understand. Why is he saving these animals? To keep as pets? To breed for more profit? I can't believe it's because he has a heart of gold. Or is this part of his advertising? We are not in the dark ages where a person has to kill his food. Neither I, nor anyone in my family has ever gotten sick from a piece of meat bought from the butcher. (yes I used to eat meat from the butcher). So then, it's just because you enjoy growing, or raising your own animals for food? I guess it's like I ENJOY growing my own vegitables? I love watching them grow, and every day I go outside and look to see how big the squash is....should I wait for it to get bigger, or should I cut it off the plant now. (thank God they don't have a face) Is that how you look at your little pigs? Just trying to understand....even though it's very, very hard.

 

[Isa]

Chad, I am wondering the same thing as Terry, what will he do with the animals? Keep them as pets?

 

[chadk]

Why is he saving these animals? To keep as pets? To breed for more profit? I can't believe it's because he has a heart of gold. Or is this part of his advertising?

First, I find it sad that you question his motives. But so be it. Maybe in the end, any of those critters will wind up on somebody's dinner plate. But if you read the posts, you'll see that it goes against the principles of farming. When you take time to be compassionate to an animal, it is taking money from the bottom line (which is very thin). Time and money spent to rehab an animal in hopes that it will recover is not what many farmers would do. It would be more cost effective to just put the chicken or piglet down and move on and focus on the others. But I really didn't expect a few of you to get it.

We are not in the dark ages where a person has to kill his food.

Actually most of us eat our food after it has been killed. That dog food or cat food or fish or chicken you consume (or your pets consume) had to come from an animal that had to be killed. And likely it was from a mass produced commercial operation. Do you know where your meat comes from? Maybe you don't care.

I think our society would be better off if more of us used our small backyard to grow a garden, raise some chickens, and if you have a little more space, your own meat and other products for your family and maybe more to share to sell to others who may be stuck in an apartment... We'd spend less time on the computer, watching TV, getting into trouble, eating junk food and fast food, chasing our tails and throwing away money in the empty pursuit of 'personal entertaiment', and more time learning how to enjoy working together as a family and seeing\eating the actual fruits of your labor together.

Here some things to read that may or may not help...
http://www.ethicurean.com/2009/09/26/slaughterschool/
http://www.ethicurean.com/2008/01/30/downer-cow-video/
http://www.ethicurean.com/2009/07/26/food-inc/

 

[DonaTello's-Mom]

Chad....thanks for sharing your pictures with us. I believe in 'to each his own' and I enjoy looking at your pictures and reading the stories behind them. At my barn there are a few pigs and steers being raised by kids (for FFA) and I have no issues with what they and their families choose to do....it's not my business......please keep posting your pictures for us to enjoy!

 

[dmmj]

Right now I don't have room to raise my own animals, in my youth i worked on the family farm back east during the sumer, which is on reason why I grow my on fruits and vegetables as much as I can, when I hand out my home grown grapes or tomatoes, or radishes and people try them they are amazed at the taste. I live in a mobile home park so rasing my own meat animals is out of the question, but if i had a little room I would not object to it.

 

[terryo]

Chad....thanks for sharing your pictures with us. I believe in 'to each his own' and I enjoy looking at your pictures and reading the stories behind them. At my barn there are a few pigs and steers being raised by kids (for FFA) and I have no issues with what they and their families choose to do....it's not my business......please keep posting your pictures for us to enjoy!

I also believe the same...to each his own. I really am a big believer in respecting others opinions, (as long as it doesn't involve cruelty) as I hope people will respect mine. Oh...and BTW...I love seeing pictures of Chad's beautiful family too.

 

[Yourlocalpoet]

Your pigs are gorgeous little things! I'd love to have some pigs, not to eat but as pets. I'm a vegetarian and I completely understand and respect what your doing, If people must eat meat then it's better that they raise and kill their own animals, not only will it be healthier but you also appreciate where your food comes from. It's just a shame there aren't more people like you who raise and treat their animals well before their unfortunate but inevitable fate.

 

[chadk]

Thanks everyone. This it turning into a great big love fest. I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy now. So nobody jump in and ruin this moment, OK?????

(Seriously though, I appreciate the feedback, support, and debate. It is all good!)

 

[ChiKat]

Your pigs are gorgeous little things! I'd love to have some pigs, not to eat but as pets. I'm a vegetarian and I completely understand and respect what your doing, If people must eat meat then it's better that they raise and kill their own animals, not only will it be healthier but you also appreciate where your food comes from. It's just a shame there aren't more people like you who raise and treat their animals well before their unfortunate but inevitable fate.

I agree with this. If you find it necessary to eat meat then I think it’s better that you are raising the animals and giving them a happy life.
More humane than factory farming where they live HORRIBLE lives and are then sent to slaughterhouses where the abuse continues before they are slaughtered…

That has to be hard though. I can’t imagine raising a sweet little piglet and watching it grow...and then eating it for dinner. Not something I could personally do, that's for sure!
My cousins grew up on a farm and we would always play with the baby bunnies. My cousins had favorites that they would name and play with all the time. And then one day my uncle would kill the rabbits and eat the meat I can’t even imagine.

 

[chadk]

I certainly don't look forward to it. It is hard. I won't personally be killing or butchering my pigs though. For those reasons, and also, and primarily, for logistics - i'm just not setup for it. There is a local guy I'll work with on that. But anytime the day comes for one of my own animals to be killed, I get a little sick to my stomach and have to take a deep breath and do what has to be done. Same for the duck I had to put down the other day. I had managed to get out of my fence and the neighbors dog ripped it up pretty good. It was bleeding out and had zero chance of living another 10-20 minutes. So I put it down quickly and humanely. Didn't want to, but it needed to be done. And I never let me kids see me do it. They know it is happening, but they don't watch.

 

[terryo]

I certainly don't look forward to it. It is hard. I won't personally be killing or butchering my pigs though. For those reasons, and also, and primarily, for logistics - i'm just not setup for it. There is a local guy I'll work with on that. But anytime the day comes for one of my own animals to be killed, I get a little sick to my stomach and have to take a deep breath and do what has to be done. Same for the duck I had to put down the other day. I had managed to get out of my fence and the neighbors dog ripped it up pretty good. It was bleeding out and had zero chance of living another 10-20 minutes. So I put it down quickly and humanely. Didn't want to, but it needed to be done. And I never let me kids see me do it. They know it is happening, but they don't watch.

Well there ya go Chad. I wish you said this in the beginning of the thread. I feel a little better about all this now, not much but a little better.

 

[zoogrl]

I personally had show steers in high school and it was not hard at all to turn them over to whoever bought them at the end of the day. I knew from day one though that it would happen and that it was a part of the process & just how things are. I did like the money I received at the end of the day too! We also had chickens that we would have for meat & eggs. I've always had animals and love my actual pets like they are part of the family but you do learn to separate the farm animals that you know will eventually be food, from the pets.

 

[Isa]

I certainly don't look forward to it. It is hard. I won't personally be killing or butchering my pigs though. For those reasons, and also, and primarily, for logistics - i'm just not setup for it. There is a local guy I'll work with on that. But anytime the day comes for one of my own animals to be killed, I get a little sick to my stomach and have to take a deep breath and do what has to be done. Same for the duck I had to put down the other day. I had managed to get out of my fence and the neighbors dog ripped it up pretty good. It was bleeding out and had zero chance of living another 10-20 minutes. So I put it down quickly and humanely. Didn't want to, but it needed to be done. And I never let me kids see me do it. They know it is happening, but they don't watch.

Well there ya go Chad. I wish you said this in the beginning of the thread. I feel a little better about all this now, not much but a little better.

Same here Great post Chad!

 

[Madortoise]

When I traveled around Europe and saw how they display dead animals at market skinned sheep w/eyeballs and all, I actually felt more appreciation and respect for the animals' life than the disgust for the practice of killing and eating them. I think it's good for the big and little people to know where the food comes from and how much sacrifice has gone into it before it showed up as your dinner...whether it's a grain of rice or a certain kind of animal as so long as we remember that we are interdependent...just my opinion. Now, my headache and what keeps me up tonight is what do I do with the raccoon who may want to eat my tortoise.