Does anyone keep animals for food?

DawnW

We used to do this for years and years, but only have some chickens for eggs now (that is really worth while, we have 3, they cost hardly anything to feed - £5 sack of layers pellets lasts ages - and they eat all the leftovers and lay lots of eggs!) Even though we are a farming family, I think I would get too attached to the animals now, and would not like to again, though my OH would like a shot!

You can't eat animals that have died of old age, or anything else by the way, as it would not be healthy. They have to be slaughtered humanely and properly while they are healthy if the meat is to be edible.

Hapless_2

If something dies naturally, then no becuase you do not know what killed it. Home killed chickens yes, pig, yes, lamb and beef not yet mainly because the rules now on home slaughter are so ridiculous. you can do it but until recently only you personally could eat it, not any third party and that included family.
There are local slaughter houses that will slaughter for you and some will even butcher them to manageable size pieces.

We unfortunately no longer have the space to keep animals and our council regard chickens as livestock so can't have those either. At least not at the moment.
But then I was brought up around slaughtering chickens and ducks since a child and as soon as we have somewhere with space, we will be teaching our children the same. Our eldest is already aware of what her meat originally was and she knows how to use an airgun in relation to shooting (she is not strong enough for a shotgun) for food.
If nothing else they will know how to survive if need be.

poppet

I wonder if anyone else is doing this? We can't be the only ones up to our elbows in sheep poop :rotfl:

We dont have a smallholding or farm, just a good sized back garden but in it we have got 2 lambs, 2 pigs, 2 hens and a delivery of turkeys coming on Saturday....all destined for the table.

Anyone else trying their hand at "The Good Life" ?

bertiebots

We have a rule in our house deeds that says we cannot keep livestock! I would love to have a few hens but I have a feeling my neighbours wouldnt approve and I would be reported.... Sad when being a bit more self sufficient is a great way of keeping healthy and helping the environment too. We dont have room for anything bigger!
Just dont do what some people my boss knew did. They purchased 2 turkeys for the coming xmas and named them sage and onion....they are now 5!

Magentasue

Vegetarian here so only need a veg patch and a few hens for eggs.

Pink.

Hi poppet,

There's an earlier thread on keeping animals for food so I've added your thread to it to keep the replies together.

Pink

lucielle

Hi all, we reared 17 pet lambs from bottle to table. the children all named them and quite happily ate them. Some were sold to friends and everything was done correctly through DEFRA. Currently have egg laying hens and 2 ducks. If you wanted to eat home grown chickens, you would be better going for a 'meat' breed rather than an 'egg' breed.
L

KellyWelly

My dad used to have a small holding where he reared pigs and sheep, we ate them with no worries other than my mum moaning the pork was too salty! My dad used to cure a lot of it in the cellar at my grandparent's house on old stone flag stones.

We also kept chickens in our garden which we had eggs from, but I don't remember us eating the chickens themselves.

My dad also used to catch rabbits and pheasants and occasionally go shooting deer in west Wales and we used to catch our own fish in the river that flowed through the little Welsh town I grew up in. He also grew fruit and veg as well as did my grandfather and they used to do a swap so we'd all have a bit of everything.

I think it really was the good life, I wish my children had the same upbringing - it's our goal to get there in the next ten years before they're completely grown up and run away from the city living!

I would really love to have a few chickens in my garden now and I certainly have the space for it, I could probably have a couple of sheep on there as well in the space we've got, but my horrible neighbour would kick up such a fuss I dont dare. He complains all the time about my dogs as it is, he quite regularly comes over and moans they kept him up the night before howling at his bedroom window when they were asleep in my kitchen all night. I've lost count of the times I've opened the door to 'I've lived here for 13 years and I've never had to knock anybody else's door before...'

LameWolf

I would happily keep chickens for the eggs, if it was practical where we are, but there is No Way On This Earth I could kill something. I'm vegetarian anyway, but my husband isn't. I don't have a problem with that, as long as he doesn't expect me to cook meat or fish *shudders*; however I'd probably divorce him if he started wanting to kill his own food.

Alexelisey

I've kept chickens for eggs most of the time since 1996. Our next step, when we move, will be to go further and have space for pigs and chickens for meat as well as eggs. I'm not looking forward to sending them off to slaughter, but I accept that I want to know where my food comes from and what it's been fed. Therefore it's a necessary step for me. I have friends who've done it and I've eaten the produce with no problems.

I've killed our own chickens (violent cockerels) without too many tears, but I did shed a few! It wouldn't stop me from doing it again though, I just need a small glass of sherry about half an hour beforehand hehe.