Death on the homestead is commonplace. Sometimes it’s planned but many times it is not. And that’s one reason why most kids who grow up on a farm accept death so easily. It’s a hard lesson, but sometimes a tasty one as well…
Shortly after getting our first homestead in Omaha, we decided to get three piglets. We’ve always been vehemently against mega hog farms and wanted to learn to raise our own meat humanely. I bought a book on pigs, scored three from a neighbor farmer, and built the best pen I could in the corner of our pasture. Then, we made our first mistake…
Mistake 1: Don’t Name Your Food
Right off the bat we broke the cardinal rule of farming. We named our three pigs. Not the cliché, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Nor, Bacon, Ham and Chop. We went with Tulip and Petunia for the girls, and Brick for the boy. I was thinking, Straw, Sticks and Brick as in the Three Little Pigs. Anyway, we named them and they soon learned to respond when called.
Mistake 2: Grooming Your Food
Right away, my three daughters were enthralled with their new “pets.” They gave them baths, combed their hair (yes, pigs have hair believe it or not), and even tried to paint their hooves (which never happened but it was fun trying.) I recalled the scene in “Charlotte’s Web” when Wilbur got a milk bath but we never went THAT far.
Mistake 3: Letting Your Food Interact
Honestly, I don’t know if this is a mistake or not, but we let our pigs free-range with our chickens and guinea fowl. They had complete access of our back-yard, except for the garden. This was very beneficial in terms of food costs, as they pigs foraged and fed themselves quite happily. But, we’d also find them eating a dead chicken now and then, and choke on the feathers afterwards. My girls would get dropped off at the bottom of our hill from the school bus, and walk up the pasture petting the pigs every day. And sometimes they’d come up to our sliding glass doors and peek inside to see what the humans were doing. It was comical at the time, but as noted, the emotional repercussions were severe.
Mistake 4: Playing With Your Food
We got the pigs late in the season so we ended up keeping them over winter. I built them a decent A-frame with wind-blocking and plenty of straw. We lived on a hill, perfect for sledding, and let the hogs join us one day. I think they enjoyed it, but my wife was afraid that they were going to rabidly eat one of our children. It was a fear I also shared without ever expressing it.
Mistake 5: Taking them to the Slaughterhouse Yourself
This is yet another iffy rule. When it was time for slaughter, I loaded the pigs up myself and went to the processor. As I watched them walk down the chute to the basement, filled with the screams and the stench, I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. Total shame and self-loathing. We had raised these beautiful, intelligent animals from piglets, and here I was sending them to their premature death. They knew what was coming and the betrayal I saw in their eyes literally haunts me to this day. It made me realize I wasn’t cut-out for pig farming.
The Freezer
A couple days later we picked up nearly two-freezers worth of meat. Bacon, chops, tenderloins. All packaged in plastic wrap and rolled in white butcher paper. I gave some to a friend and took the rest home to the girls. That Sunday, we had bacon and farm fresh eggs for breakfast.
I’ll never forget the look in my middle-child’s eyes, red and brewing a set of tears as she munched on the crispy brown strips of bacon…
“Tulip tastes so good….”
We never raised pigs again.
Ben North lives and writes from a homestead in Iowa.
Debra says
We raised two pigs one year not long ago. We got them home and asked our daughter what we should name them, or if we EVEN should.
Before anyone could say anything, our granddaughter shouted “Sausage and Bacon!” She was eight years old then and had NO problem enjoying their contribution to our table. We also raise goats, chickens and show rabbits.
Larry says
I became a vegetarian 10 years ago for health reasons only, but as I learn more about how meat is produced, the animal welfare reasons for eating vegetarian are just as important to me. Mass meat production, unlike the compassion and respect for animals shown by the posters in this thread, has little regard for the animal. It’s largely unregulated, and all about the bottom line. Animals are tightly confined, pumped full of hormones, and roughly handled. I’m happy not to contribute to it.
Vincent says
I raised pig as a kid on the farm I grew up on. We always butchered our own meat. Beef, chickens, pork, Harvested game in season. Many of the animals we ate were named. We knew every animal by name. Today, while I don’t keep pigs, I do have a couple milk cows and raise our own beef and chicken. Too many feral hogs around this area. Harvest pork with a rifle. My daughter still chokes up a little sometimes, but still eats. And she is in her thirties. My grandson looks at the steer we have on pasture and asks how long before we can eat him.
My horses have the job of being draft animals. The cows are producing milk and calves. The chickens produce eggs and end as food. All are treated humanely and live as good a life as we can provide, They may be just food, or just working animals, but they are also living creatures and as such deserve to be treated with respect. And we have the added benefit that we know how the animals were raised, and what they have been given or not given for medication. No funny stuff I can’t pronounce or strange hormones’.
Rusty Baillie says
There’s a world of difference between having an anthropomorphic, city-type pet, and an animal being raised for food!
First off, right from the start, everyone has to accept and discuss the real fact that this animal will one day be your food……….that fact has to color everything and be fully accepted from the get go……..No Regrets.
None of this means that you cannot respect the animal, be grateful for it’s eventual contribution, and treat it humanely and well……….give it a good (though short) life…….
This basic difference is the essential difference between fantasy and reality, a difference which easily gets lost in city dwelling.
So long as we explained things fully, and were honest from the start, our kids never had any problem accepting this. In many ways they are a lot smarter than us “mature adults”!
Robert says
Grew up on granddaddy’s 400acre farm. Had all kinds of farm pets around. Learned that’s what God put them here for. You just make their life as good as you can while there here.
Once we had an old milk cow that dried up. Granddaddy bred her to his Angus bull he had for his hundred beef cattle. Well the calf came out black like an Angus but he was mean like a Jersey. We raised him to good size , a big mean pet. We were thinking he’d go about 500 lbs. one day granddaddy saw “Old Goober” chasing uUncle Herbert and me out of the pen he was in and decided it was time to take Goober to the freezer locker. He weighed in on the hoof 950 lbs. We weren’t off much ! Anyway, a few days later I came home and grandma said they picked up goober today and she was going to have some for supper. Grandma was pretty old times, didn’t wast anything. We sat down to eat and she sat a big oval speckled roaster pan down . When I raised the lid there was goobers head starting up at me. I just dug in and starting eating and we talked about how much fun we had with him! Think he had some fun too , eating good, chasing us and lots more.
Craig says
I’ve struggled with this as well with our chickens. In the long run I know while they were alive the had the best quality of life I could provide. That makes a difference between commercial processing and home processing. I do my best to quickly and humanely send them on their way. I respect them for the life they had and the life they give. But it isn’t for everyone. I get a little choked up still at times. I hope I never get 100% comfortable with it, it keeps me respecting the cycle.
Ken says
I worked in medical research and had names for all of our animals, I also had names for all of the animals I have raised to eat. My grandpa knew every cow he owned by name. I guess growing up around that and spending a couple of years in Singapore made me immune to that problem. Back in the early ’70’s you went to the market and they killed the chickens right there. My parents never let me get on the side where they were slaughtering the cats, dogs, and monkeys, but you always knew when you stopped a street vender you took the chance of eating almost any of those.
Steven Lemm says
You haven’t really lived life until you raise your own food………and enjoyed consuming it.
Get you a flock of chickens, a guinea hog or two, some goats if you really want a challenge.
Raise rabbits or ducks or cattle. Whatever you can humanely manage. Your life will be transformed into scenarios beyond whatever you can imagine. In your spare time read books or stories about Dr. Herriot, the veterinarian. It’s all about the quality of life.
Jack says
When I was a kid raised on 13 acres we raised practically everything we ate from a green bean to a pig. One thing we never sent to slaughter was our milk cows so we ate a lot of pork, both fresh and cured . I don’t remember our milk cows having names . We had chickens, ducks, guinea, gathered our own eggs from the chicken house.. All 14 of us kids were raised in the country and know how to survive.
joseph gatewood says
Years ago a friend who graduated ABAC had a couple pigs another friend let him keep loose on his rural property. Ones name was Barbara and they were like pet dogs, came when you called and would scratch them behind ears, etc.
One hunting season he brought some really good sausage we had for breakfast and when we finished asked us what we thought of Barbara. Had no taste for sausage for a while after that.
Big Al 45 says
That is a lesson most if not ALL young people learn in the F.F.A. and 4-H when raising and competing with animals.
I have seen young boys and girls cry when their prize is sold off to the highest bidder.
This is the TRUE ‘circle of life’, not that stupid and foolish Disney nonsense with animals bowing to a Lion.
Louis W McClure says
We’ve raised chickens, pigs, and beef all for one end…consumption. Like the author, our kids were younger at the time, but we made it quite clear that the animals were just that, animals. They were taught to treat them kindly, never to tease them, to collect eggs in the morning, feed and water them in the evening, during the winter when I was at work but, they always knew they were going to wind up on their plates. They were permitted to befriend the laying chickens, and gather the eggs. However, being a “hobby farmer” I didn’t have a large enough truck to haul them to the butcher, so I was spared that job! Not one of us had a problem chowing down when a nice steak, some bacon, or chicken and dumplings were on the table.
Crawford says
You will never know how close this was to my childhood. We had a gentleman’s farm with pigs chicken and a cow and a pony. We raised and sold around 30 pigs a year. At one point we bought three sows and a boar and began breeding our own. One of the sows was a beautiful red sow (Duroc) we apply names “Red.” After several years of breeding we had her slaughtered and butchered. At one breakfast one of us asked mom if this was Red, to which she replied, “she made good bacon, didn’t she.”
James says
We butcher chickens every year. To prevent naming then I call them all Rufus. My meaties always come running when they hear me whistle and it is so comical to see them waddle so fast. But her day is never fun but it is necessary. Best part is when you look in your freezers and realize all the meat in it is from your hard work. Better than buying it from a store.
PSWalker says
I grew up with grandparents who owned a ranch although it was more of a hobby for my grandfather who was into antiques for a living. However, he had grown up in Oklahoma on a farm during the depression. That man made sure outside of the dogs and cats we didn’t consider anything a pet. Me and the pigs did not get along, it was probably because of the female HOG, I use capitals because to a 14 year old she was huge. Meaner than all get out and the rest of the pig herd took after her, I can actually say that taking the pigs to slaughter was a highlight of the year because you know that they didn’t like you and it was mutual. Worst thing my grandfather ever did to me was build three commercial chicken houses, you need your ability to smell removed to work those. It was years before I was really interested in eating chickens again and that was because of how nasty I knew they were raised.
Stosh says
When chickens were called foul they couldn’t have come up with a more fitting name!!!
Big Al 45 says
Fowl isn’t all that fitting though.
Joe says
Wow!
My parents have a farm we raised to steers, BeBe and pisser they acted just like pet dogs followi you around even go bird hunting with you!
3 years later Bebe wonderful life was complete and all the love and joy we gave him was honored by not wasting anything during the slaughter we preformed.
Meet doesn’t grow on the shelf and there is nothing wrong with loving and harvesting Gods offerings
Every time I have a hamburger, steak, roast I think of the wonderful life Bebe had the enjoyment he gave our family and how good he taste because of the love he received!
Ed Fickey says
I sell rural farm real estate. After settling in one of the first phone calls I get from my ex-urban buyers is a kind of sheepish “we have been here for 2 months and have not received a water bill?” I explain, yes, you are on a well so don’t expect one. Which then leads to “so what about sewer?” Um, you have a septic tank. Oh. Well can you please explain why no one has picked up our trash since we moved in? I ask – you haven’t taken it to the dump? And then – what is that odor? In this area it is either – you did buy next to a poultry farm…or cattle farm, or something similar…OH, that is what that is….
randy bauer says
It’s never good to become emotionally attached to your food.
Don says
That ending was terrific and horrible and wow, all at the same time. Definitely made me laugh