Today I learned that you can tell that a hen has reached the point in her life where she will stop laying eggs frequently by the color of her legs. Her fancy, dinosaur-like feet will become a dark yellow, like the color of egg yolk.
I also learned how best (and humanely) to kill and butcher a chicken and which parts to eat and which to avoid. I am just a silly city girl with a small flock of urban chickens (which are more pets than farm creatures) but have dreams of a small farm someday in the future.
I killed my first chicken last year after she became extremely ill and it was clear she would not recover. I have since come to respect this process and found myself pondering how feed animals are thought of in our culture and the lives of the things I eat.
I am learning that perhaps there is a respect and cyclical beauty and better health for all involved when you eat the things you raise yourself.
If you are interested in learning about butchering chickens this video is very well done and informative. (warning: viewer discretion is advised - a chicken is killed in this video.)
On a less morbid note, I also relearned the joy of laying in bed all day with a book. (and a dog or two) It has been far too long.
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