Do you educate or just walk away, shaking your head?

[farmerlor]

A lot of people come to our farm to buy our poultry. They tend to be city dwellers who are just getting into back yard flocks and I LOVE to educate these people though I do tend to laugh at some of the questions. "Can you eat fertilized eggs?" "What do the colored ones taste like?" It's nothin' but fun out here.
I also like to learn from these people. Just because someone has never raised a child or raised a chicken doesn't mean they haven't read something or heard something or seen something that shouldn't be at least considered.

 

[lorihadams]

I try to educate to a point.....when the questions get over the top ridiculous I just stop and walk away.

 

[reinbeau]

I will always answer questions and educate, if the mind is open to it. I don't look down on any of them, I just wonder at the insulation they build up in their heads to not recognize those wrapped packages in the meat section to have once been a living, breathing animal??

 

[Lady Henevere]

<oops>

 

[justusnak]

I have to say...when I ge tthe comment. " How could you raise that pig, chicken or whatever, and then KILL it" Sometimes I get angry...and sometimes I just start yapping. Explaining to them the difference in home grown, and feed lot raised. I usually get a few that still dont understand...and to them I say...Im sorry for your luck, but for me and mine...its home grown, and CLEAN! I have to admit...there are times at butcher, when I get a little bit guilty feeling, but that usually goes away after the "deed" is done. I have no problem cooking or eating it. Killing something is not easy...and there should be a small ammount of sadness....however, I say a prayer to the Lord, and thank him for the ability and know how to raise healthy meat for my family...and thank Him for providing that animal for us.
Educate....educate...educate. This is how our world grows...in learning!

 

[Big Daddy]

I haven't actually butchered any of our animals yet. I have killed a few chickens that were attacked by a fox and needed to be put out of their misery. We had some pigs that we sent out. I had 30 meaties butchered too. For what it cost it just wasn't worth it to spend the whole day. I've never been asked by anybody why I would send the meaties to market. I think most people have some concept of where their meat comes from.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

I will educate if they are willing to listen and learn.

If they are merely wanting to argue their "superiority" for being "civilized" then I'll save my breath for someone who wants to learn. My father remarried a woman from NYC, she finds it absolutely discusting I kill my animals and eat them. The meat she uses every night is chicken. Well, you know what? Screw 'em, and when the grocery store closes they BETTER not come begging to me for food.

If they are willing to learn and listen, I am thrilled to educate. I LOVE to share and teach these skills which were taught to me from other people with the homesteading spirit. I don't have the time to argue to deaf ears, I have animals that need feeding and a garden that needs tending, and both will be plenty happy to listen to what I have to say!

 

[me&thegals]

I will pass along what knowledge I have if asked. I certainly don't look down at people because they don't know something. Chances are that the knowledge they have about other stuff is more valuable than my knowledge about how to feed a chicken. I wouldn't expect someone that was raised in the city to know some of the stuff that I know. I was raised in the city and it is a continuing learning process for me.

Exactly!! I drive on roads, use electricity, cameras and phones and have very, very little understanding of how they are all built or work. I would feel pretty embarrassed if someone who knew better pointed out my extreme ignorance. I figure if someone is interested, I am more than happy to explain to them what I know about animals, bees and plants. Plus, genuinely being happy to educate a person puts them at ease enough to really learn what you are teaching them.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

I try to educate when people ask. I would hope if I was genuinely interested in learning about something and asked someone about it that they'd be willing to educate me and not just walk away shaking their head.

I have chickens, and we've not butchered any because we weren't raising them for meat. That's why I got rabbits. But, I found out that rabbits are cute and cuddly and babies sell for $3-$5 each at auction, which can pay for rabbit and chicken feed if you have babies to sell..........

So, I think butchering cows are easier. I'm scared of them, am happy to eat them, and think they are the best tasting things on four hooves.

In January we plan to get our first two pigs to raise up and butcher. I can't wait.

I'm thinking of getting some meat chickens in spring, raise 'em up...because the pics that FarmFresh posted of her fat meaties right before she offed them made me hungry for homemade fried chicken.... Figure if I practice on meaties first, I might be able to bring myself to butcher someone else later........

My goal for next year is to have a freezer of beef, pork, and chicken that we raised ourselves so I won't have to buy store bought.

 

[sylvie]

If someone asks me questions I will give them the information that I have. I don't educate anyone, or get preachy.

As far as hypocrites that eat supermarket and restaurant meat but don't condone killing an animal they know-I was one of those hypocrites. I've been on both sides of that fence and made a decision.