That's disgusting...I mean, poor birdie

Of all the times we have been to the farm, the kids have never participated in a butchering. The first time I met Kyle's family they butchered a pig and I got to help pack up the meat. Yeah me. It was gross but hey, that's part of life on the farm. So what do the kids need to round out a great trip to the farm? A good ole' fashioned chicken butchering.

First, you have to catch the chickens, who couldn't be bothered to stand still for the two boys who tried their hardest to befriend the chickens and turkeys by shooting them with marshmallows. With friends like that why not just call them enemies? Kyle helps trap the chicken against the tree. The boys standing by as back up.

Reach down, grab the legs and......hoist them up in the air.....

proclaim victory!

This chicken is not a potential runner because Kyle showed the kids how to hypnotize a chicken. Basically you swing the chicken around by it's feet and lay it down on the ground. The idea is to disorient the chicken so it just lays on the ground and then clap your hands right in front of it and watch as it jumps up and runs away. Mostly the chicken just looked sick from being swung around and didn't feel like jumping up to run away. Honestly, it looked like it was going to hurl.

Jacob and Sam took pity on it, trying to soothe it and every now and then clapping loudly in front of it. After all, Dad said it worked so they wanted to see it. Poor chicken never performed for them. After being swung around I think all it wanted to do was die.

Sam is just sweet with animals. He is petting it for the last time of it's life.

Okay, time to get down to business. Come here, little guy.

It's okay. You won't feel a thing. And we'll all enjoy eating you.

The kids were glued to the scene playing out in front of them. Lay out the chicken in just the right position. I never realized you had to actually stretch out the neck and it stays stretched out even when you let go.

One, two, whack.

That's only the beginning of getting a fresh chicken ready to eat.

Roll around for a few minutes like a chicken with it's head cut off. And creep me out.

Dunk it in a vat of hot, boiling water to more easily rip out the feathers.

And..............

ATTACK!!!!

Kind of looks like a feeding frenzy and the smell....Ugh!

All in all, the whole process doesn't really take all that long.

Poor birdie.....but really good eatin'.