Hello from france

[merlin]

Well if it is any consolation, we have been raising our own broiler chickens in two batches a year for the past six years, and it is my partners mum that has been doing the deed. I have been plucking cleaning ect. This year however, (since she is not getting any younger) I got it together and despatched half the chickens. It was less traumatic than I thought, although not at all enjoyable. I was a paratrooper in a former life and I can assure you I have seen and done some pretty yucky stuff. So no, you are not a crap isher, just a normal person that does not revel in distress of other living things.

[crepesuzette]

I agree - if it was easy there would be something seriously wrong with us! Nobody likes despatching their animals but it is a necessary part of raising animals for meat. There are days when I can't face it and other days when I set my mind to it and get on with it.

[diggernotdreamer]

Thanks for that, don't feel so bad now, I do think that the larger the animal the harder it is to kill it, our local butcher who has his own small abbatoir (very rare these days) will not do pigs because he can't stand the noise they make and it upsets him. My partner has despatched a few chickens when they have got sick with our .22 air rifle, we use the rabbit size pellets that don't come out the other end, I did watch once and checked it was properly dead, (blink reflex) it seemed pretty instant to me but he doesn't like doing it either.

[demi]

Iv seen pigs being slaughtered on youtube and its horriffic! Loads of squeeling and thrashing about. I was traumatized after watching it and its put me off keeping pigs to some extent.
Iv also seen a documentary about how they slaughter animals for meat in america, with kosher meat and all that. Also very traumatizing. The cows have their throtes slit then they are hung upside down by 1 leg still alive and left to bleed to dealth. They moo and kick trying to get free and the blood is spraying everywhere. They take a long time to die. Not at all humane!

[123sologne]

It is because of all these horrific ways of dispatching animals that some people prefer to do it themselves more humanly, not like heartless machines. Saying that there are people out there who enjoy the horrible jobs they do in those enormous abattoirs. I have only killed one old hen myself. The truth is the poor thing was all alone, last one of my mum's hens after she passed away; the other 2 had died of old age. It was having a very sad life, so I thought I was nearly doing it a favour to finally end her life. Still, it was not nice to do.

[demi]

Iv never killed anything myself. Used to be buddhist and vegeterian when i was younger and even though im athiest now i still could never bring myself to kill or intentionally injure any living thing. But my husband can do it so i never have too. And i'd feel better raising my own animals, giving them a good life and having them killed quickly and humanely.

[Millymollymandy]

Hi from neighbouring Brittany, and welcome!

[crepesuzette]

Hello Millymollymandy (loved those books when I was little) Have you been in France for long? I've nipped back to the uk this weekend so am enjoying central heating, what a luxury!

[Millymollymandy]

Yes about 15 years! I'm going to England in a couple of weeks time and I expect to freeze in my mother's house and boil in my brother in law's house.

[Mustardseedmama]

Riff-raff element, nice to know there are other people in france using this site. Any more of us?

Demi - I haven't found rabbit meat to be a strong flavour but cooking it in red wine does add a certain something. Try it in cider instead or just in stock with lots of vegetables. And younger ones will have a less strong taste than older ones. As for getting emotional, if we didn't we would be pretty hard-hearted! I like my animals, I give them the best life I can and the lambs particularly make me laugh but for me they are farm animals not pets. And I NEVER name them! Maybe you could keep a couple of rabbits for meat and see how that goes. If you can't bring yourself to eat them does it really matter? At least you will have tried.

Welcome to Ish Crepesuzette!

As far as cooking rabbit, my DH,s favorite method is grilling them. For the last third of the grill time (they do grill much faster than chicken as the bones are smaller) he mops them liberally with an oil-vinegar based barbeque sauce with lots of herbs in it.

I agree---never name, or PET rabbits or chickens that you will be eating. The first time we got piglets I told DD that if they HAD to have names it was gonna be Chops and Roast. You have to remind yourself that these are livestock---not pets.

[clanpowell]

Bonjour fellow French isher or should that be isher Francais?

[crepesuzette]

Bonjour à vous aussi. I've just learnt where Correze is; the furthest south I've been is Angers!

[niknik]

hi and bienvenue

They eat quite a lot of rabbit here, not surprisingly really, as rabbits originate here apparently, and spain got its name as land of the rabbits, or sometrhing similar lol
I do like it but , dependant on how cooked not, much different form chicken, so very rarely get any, as lots more expensive than chicken!

we did have some a few years back, , so found the babies a " good home " via the neighbour and swopped our 5 or 6 for 2 of hers ready for the pot ( which she gave me first)!! so everyone happy all round!

[cherami]

Hi from my son and I in another part of France. Very small hamlet, would seem that Rabbit eating is on the decline, but once upon a time they all eat Rabbit and all other things that move.