I helped a friend butcher her rooster today. Well, actually, I butchered the rooster for her...but she helped. The rooster was supposed to be a hen and when he started to crow, the city told her she could not keep him. She has always taught her daughter to understand where food comes from and wanted to share in this experience. One of her friends joined us with her little girl. So, in all, there were three women and two girls (both 6) involved in the process.
I tried to explain the process before I did it. I also tried to explain what each step would entail just before we did it together. This way, nobody was surprised, scared, upset, hurt. It worked pretty well.
We started by saying goodbye to "Fluffy." It was much easier for me since I hadn't known him from a chick. But after everyone had pet him and loved on him, I picked him up by the head and cranked as hard as I could until his neck snapped.
We went through the entire process together, beheading, skinning, gutting, and cleaning. I used the process described in the article "How to Butcher a Chicken in Under 20 Minutes" on backwoodshome.com. The girls were facinated (as were the moms). In the end, both girls left with several feathers, a wing tip and a foot each. They were dancing around with these morbid prizes as if they were the next great barbie. It was awesome to see kids accepting death as part of life and not fearing it.
In the end, the whole group went home with a new understanding of what it takes to butcher a chicken. It was a great experience for all.
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