Thinning out the flock: chicken killing with city kids.

From the country...

March break for me means a house full of kids. My kids are here of course, my step son Eli is a March break regular and this year my niece Paige has decided to visit for her spring break. Both Paige and Eli are from the city of Windsor. Both have never tried their hands at chicken killing and upon inspecting their small nimble fingers (perfect for plucking) we decide to "thin out" the last of the roosters in the barn.

I was impressed, I must admit. They took to it like regular farm hands and Eli stayed to the bitter end as the last feather was plucked and the last rooster eviscerated (Paige had long since bailed on the operation but was watching lil' Millie in the house for me...). I think it was a great experience for them, to come to the farm and see first hand the humane process of killing a chicken for the table. To be able to bring food a little closer then the aisles of the grocery store and to get their hands a little dirty in the process. Maybe gain some perspective on farm living. So far we have had them help out with cleaning the turkey pens, "thinning out" the roosters and seeding the bed in the green house. Not bad for a week away from the city.

The list of spring jobs are piling up. We have the chicken coop to clean out, the turkey pens to be set up for breeding, the greenhouses to re-plastic, seeding to be done and on and on...

The warm days and extra daylight have been encouraging and although the task list is daunting I am finding the motivation to start getting things done around here.

Chicken for dinner tonight.