The Rooster Harvest

Either I have the best friend in the world or I am the worst friend ever...maybe a little of both.

I've been talking to Bo for a couple of weeks now about turning a few of those early risers in my backyard to a few meals on my dinner table.  I'm pretty sure he has been putting me off.  How convenient is it that he has, all of a sudden, become so busy with other things?

So, I called my friend and asked her to help me.  She pretty much told me from the beginning that this was not her most favorite thing in the world to do BUT she had done it in the past and, well, I had not, and she agreed to come teach me.  What a friend!

It was a cool Alabama morning, somewhere between 10:30 and 11:00 AM when she arrived.  I had run the day's scheduled events by the dad of the 3 year old I was babysitting to make sure he didn't think I was traumatizing his little boy.  He seemed to have no problem with it.  My daughter insisted on being part of the "harvest" also so I prepared both children by telling them that these were not our sweet little hens that were about to be killed.  They were mean roosters.  CJ had seen them fighting each other in the pen a couple of days earlier.  She had also noticed that 2 of my feathered little ladies no longer had feathers on their necks.  She guessed that was because of the mean roosters.  Um, yeah.  No need to get into the birds and bees discussion at age 3.  I simply told her she was right.  I told the children that God gave us some animals to eat and some animals to keep for pets and these were given for food.  I explained the process, which I'll spare you the details, and made sure both children were alright with it.  They seemed to be.

And so the rooster harvest began.

OK...so maybe I let my friend do the majority of the dirty work.  I didn't intend for it to be that way but it would have taken us a lot longer than the 3 or so hours it took.  Don't give me that look!  I got my hands a little dirty...a little.

She helped me to dispose of the feathers and I offered her as many of the naked birds as she would like to take home to her freezer for her troubles.  Being the good friend that she is, she only took 1.  She then left me to clean up.  Truth be told, I think she looked a little green as she pulled out of the driveway.  It has now become my not so favorite thing in the world to do.

I'm not usually a big fan of bleach but my house smelled like an animal processor.  That was the only thing that would get rid of the smell rather than mask it temporarily so I doused some here and there and wiped everything down.

7 birds in my freezer and fresh chicken and dumplings in my belly.  It's been a long day.  DH was proud (and I'd say a little relieved) that I tackled the project without him.  Maybe I'll teach him a little something next time...

Notes to self:

• Check on sleeping 3 year old before going to bed.  Make sure visions of headless roosters aren't dancing in her head.
• Check on best friend (ex friend???  Hopefully not...) in the morning.  :)