chickie

While down in Georgia I had the opportunity to hang out with some chickens..
I moved them to fresh patches of grass everyday, fed them, ran after them, and probably just pestered them with my overall interest and intrigue.

But most importantly I learned about humane slaughtering of the birds.
Everyone has an image of a crazy cleaver clenching grandma and a headless bird running around!

But that of course isn't the preferred way of taking a chickens life.
Instead when a chicken is held upside down it gets disoriented and after a few seconds starts to relax.
They are slid into traffic cones, where the tips are cut off enough to allow the head of the chicken to come through.
Then the main vein in their neck is slit and they bleed to death.
Apparently the birds just feel a rush of blood and then they pass out.

I was also fortunate enough to have an amazing farm lunch in the back of a big red pick up truck, parked in the middle of a field within sight of the chickens. I wonder if those birds could see us tearing apart one of their kin with our bare hands.
Cold roasted chicken, dijonaise, baguette. And ice cold Rose passed around, perfect lunch for some farm hands.

Here's a quick clip of Jake telling me how they butcher the birds so its most comfortable for them.