# Need advice. Using animal butchering as a learning experience for the kids



## PreparedRifleman73 (Nov 2, 2012)

On Saturday, a family member is going to be butchering the turkeys she raised. She invited us because we want to learn about slaughtering, butchering and canning the meat. We also want to use it as a learning experience for our 5 year old girl...but we want to be smart about it.

She is rather mature for her age. Her grandma died, her best friend of the family died, her house burned down and her dog died in the fire. She has been through a lot and has an appropriate grasp on the concept of death. She is in a very stable and loving situation.

But, she is sad about killing the turkey. She understands that animals are food. She even understands that an animal raised and killed on a homestead lives a much better life than on a factory farm. But she has been around these turkey before and fed them. We didn't know we would be around when they are slaughtered, and we didn't have the foresight to tell her their fate then.

What is the best way to proceed with this? Surely this is a group of people that has been down this road. We also have a 3 year old son. What about him? He seems totally fine with it but we are thinking we won't let him see the actual slaughter.

Thoughts? We will be doing this Saturday afternoon.


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## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

I think maybe she has faced to much death recently. Don't pour salt in a wound. She's 5, she will learn nothing memorable from this, no skill to carry. No reason she should see it.


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## PipLogan (Apr 25, 2011)

Cotton said:


> I think maybe she has faced to much death recently. Don't pour salt in a wound. She's 5, she will learn nothing memorable from this, no skill to carry. No reason she should see it.


I tend to agree with cotton. But only you know your child and what would or would not be appropriate. Sounds like she has been through a lot and maybe doesn't need to add this to the images in her head. Allllllll that being said our 6yr old daughter helped us with the processing of our poultry this year and was fine. Good luck!


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## Dixie (Sep 20, 2010)

Considering all of her life experiences....no. You go so you will learn what she is teaching. 
Under no circumstances take your son. If she has fed these animals, she is too young to take the chance of scaring her emotionally. Children are not little people, while you think they understand, they see things through different eyes than adults and the effects may not show up until she is older.
This is coming from a former teacher and psychology major....but, She is your child and you have to make the final decision, but please don't.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Thin I'd wait a couple years before lettin her in on that parta it. Nothin wrong with her learnin bout the food chain, but 5 be a bit early fer wackin heads offin turkey's in my opinion.


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

I went on hunts with my father(not carrying a gun myself) when I was in grade school. My brothers & I had rabbit boxes when we were in grade school too.
When I was 15 I killed & butchered 25 young rabbits that a friend had raised & she froze them.
But we butchered our own hogs,rabbits,chicken, it was a part of the circle of life long before "The Loin King" told other folks about it.
We took cows in to the slaughter house, but I butchered every deer I killed, the first one with no help from anyone who had done it before that day. I did it just like the rabbits, no scraping hair like the hogs, just skinning the hide, no tanning.


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## jeff47041 (Jan 5, 2013)

My opinion. 5 is still a little young. At 5, my grand daughter was involved in cleaning fish. Not much blood from bluegill. She could ask her little questions and see the guts, along with seeing the head get cut off. Now 6, she wants to see a squirrel getting cleaned. I haven't decided yet.

I cant remember what ages my kids were when they started being around when we butchered.

You may think this is weird, But...When my kids were little and I tell my grand kids the same thing. (I tell squeamish adults this too) I've always told them that God put animals here for us to use and eat and the animals know this. I say things like When a cow has a baby, she knows that the baby will be butchered and eaten when it grows up and wants it to happen to keep Gods plan going. And that's why the horses like us to ride them, and that's why dogs love to do what we want them to. They all know Gods plan.

It has always put kids minds at ease


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## Wellrounded (Sep 25, 2011)

Honestly I've never given having the kids around when we slaughter a second thought. They are there from babies onward. It's just a part of our life. We don't separate it from any other farm chore. We teach them to respect the animals but we see death as a part of life and not something to hide away from the children.


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## hitman3872 (Oct 21, 2013)

I agree I was a little older then she is now and went through a horrible couple of years where loved ones all seemed to die. And after that I didn't want any more death in my life not even to kill a fish after fishing. I would say give her a few years, and then maybe show her the slaughtering part and the processing, but I also think the cooking and canning part could be very educational if done with a little tact.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

Depends on the child, being sad but aware of the food chain does not sound traumatized to me. I can remember going on hunting trips for small game before I was in school and clearly remember keeping track of the chickens after they had their heads removed (runs around like a chicken with it's head cut off isn't just a saying) and that was well before school age. and there isn't much wrong with me :factor10: 
It still bothers me a tiny bit to kill a prey animal, but it has nothing to do with my early experiences, it in my opinion should bother a person a just a little bit to take another life to extend their own.


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## dixiemama (Nov 28, 2012)

With what she's been through, wait.


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## lovetogrow (Jan 25, 2011)

I agree you should give her a few years given her recent losses and the fact that she may have an attachment to the birds. Your seeking advice on this (and that's a good thing) speaks to the uncertainty of the matter, and best to wait it out when you're not certain it won't have an ill effect upon your daughter. Plenty of time to teach her down the road what you learn from the process.


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## Quills (Jun 14, 2011)

Like Wellrounded said, this is part of our lives -- and it was part of my life as a child, too. I've never really given much thought to it beyond the practical safety aspects of getting it done (little ones running around while the gun is being used).

My kids learned respect for the process from an early age, and they've been exposed to it as part of our lives. My eldest, who will be 20 in a few weeks, prefers to let others handle the actual slaughter, but is in there with the rest when it comes to dealing with the carcass. My younger son, 17, happily takes on any task needing to be done, including the slaughter. Yesterday he was helping me stuff sausage, and over the past week, while we've been butchering for winter, he's been in it up to his elbows. Eldest would be, too, only he's away at uni.

My point is, we've always taken a casual attitude toward it -- those who wish to stay, stay and help, and those who don't, help in other ways later. I'd tell your daughter what is going to happen, then give her options for other meaningful "chores" outside the line of sight while the deed is being done, if she prefers.

You can't keep farm kids away from this stuff, and it's better (IMHO) to let them make their own choices.


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## jnrdesertrats (Jul 3, 2010)

You could always ask her if she wants to participate. Last year we raised 2 pigs and let the grandkids name them Hammy and Bacon. They had to choose a name that reflected thier fate so to speak "food" so there was no confusion about them being pets. The oldest grandaughter was 7 and is not at all squemish. But too my surprise when asked she said she would pass and maybe whatch next time. Neither seems to have a problem eating the pigs they watched grow up.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

This can be a tough one, first thing I would say is to tell her it is ok to be sad about it, she should not feel bad about that. I have been doing this all my life and it still makes me sad, especially if it is an animal I am particularly attached to Doesn't mean I regret it, I have contemplated it on many occasions and know completely that it is right but that doesn't mean a part of me doesn't want that animal around for awhile longer.

Secondly, IMO the 3yo sounds like they are completely in the right position to be involved, like others I was chasing down chickens as a little kid and it was no big deal. Introducing older children to the process can be much more difficult. If the daughter doesn't want to be involved with the killing that is not a bad thing, I wouldn't push instead I would try to find another way for her to be involved. Pushing a kid into a situation like this is the last thing a parent should do.


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

cowboyhermit said:


> This can be a tough one, first thing I would say is to tell her it is ok to be sad about it, she should not feel bad about that. I have been doing this all my life and it still makes me sad, especially if it is an animal I am particularly attached to Doesn't mean I regret it, I have contemplated it on many occasions and know completely that it is right but that doesn't mean a part of me doesn't want that animal around for awhile longer.
> 
> Secondly, IMO the 3yo sounds like they are completely in the right position to be involved, like others I was chasing down chickens as a little kid and it was no big deal. Introducing older children to the process can be much more difficult. If the daughter doesn't want to be involved with the killing that is not a bad thing, I wouldn't push instead I would try to find another way for her to be involved. Pushing a kid into a situation like this is the last thing a parent should do.


I agree, cowboy hermit.
You have said it best IMHO.


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## Wellrounded (Sep 25, 2011)

cowboyhermit said:


> This can be a tough one, first thing I would say is to tell her it is ok to be sad about it, she should not feel bad about that. I have been doing this all my life and it still makes me sad, especially if it is an animal I am particularly attached to Doesn't mean I regret it, I have contemplated it on many occasions and know completely that it is right but that doesn't mean a part of me doesn't want that animal around for awhile longer.
> 
> Secondly, IMO the 3yo sounds like they are completely in the right position to be involved, like others I was chasing down chickens as a little kid and it was no big deal. Introducing older children to the process can be much more difficult. If the daughter doesn't want to be involved with the killing that is not a bad thing, I wouldn't push instead I would try to find another way for her to be involved. Pushing a kid into a situation like this is the last thing a parent should do.


Yep,spot on. Let the child decide, help her to feel comfortable with what is being done without pushing her. Find her a task to do that will be helpful and involve her so she feels included in the process. Try to keep everything as normal as possible.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

jeff47041 said:


> My opinion. 5 is still a little young. At 5, my grand daughter was involved in cleaning fish. Not much blood from bluegill. She could ask her little questions and see the guts, along with seeing the head get cut off. Now 6, she wants to see a squirrel getting cleaned. I haven't decided yet.
> 
> I cant remember what ages my kids were when they started being around when we butchered.
> 
> ...


I actually like that. It makes understanding the process even if they are not a direct/active part of it easier.


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## dirtgrrl (Jun 5, 2011)

Remember that what she sees cannot be unseen. By the time you know it was too early, it's too late.

Kids mature a lot from year 5 to 6. There's always next year ...


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Quills said:


> Like Wellrounded said, this is part of our lives -- and it was part of my life as a child, too. I've never really given much thought to it beyond the practical safety aspects of getting it done (little ones running around while the gun is being used).
> 
> My kids learned respect for the process from an early age, and they've been exposed to it as part of our lives. My eldest, who will be 20 in a few weeks, prefers to let others handle the actual slaughter, but is in there with the rest when it comes to dealing with the carcass. My younger son, 17, happily takes on any task needing to be done, including the slaughter. Yesterday he was helping me stuff sausage, and over the past week, while we've been butchering for winter, he's been in it up to his elbows. Eldest would be, too, only he's away at uni.
> 
> ...


I agree with Wellrounded & Quills ... It was just life on the farm.

Give them the option.


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## RevWC (Mar 28, 2011)

Rather have my 5 year old learn about turkey prepping than this..

"Some people may think a five-year old is too young for sex education.

Administrators with Chicago Public schools do not.

New to the curriculum this year, mandatory sexual and health education for kindergarten classes.

CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker took at look at the lesson the little ones will be learning.

Like every other kindergartener, Angelina Yang is learning reading, writing, arithmetic-and now sexual health education.

"I want to know what kind of education she is receiving before she gets that education," said Angelia's mom, Stella. 'As a parent, I have a right to know."

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/daniel...d-to-teach-sex-ed-to-kindergarteners-n1687603


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## lovetogrow (Jan 25, 2011)

I agree Rev. 

Kids who are raised in a farming family and/or a hunting family, have a huge jump in this regard. I was not familiar as a kid with farm animals, however was with hunting and butchering, so seeing my first chicken slaughter was no big deal. It's just not a one size fits all I suppose.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> Thin I'd wait a couple years before lettin her in on that parta it. Nothin wrong with her learnin bout the food chain, but 5 be a bit early fer wackin heads offin turkey's in my opinion.


Totally agree with you on this one, the killing of any animal is a very shocking experience for a child, even for some adults, we had to kill a pig a few years back and my wife almost went into shock: laugh: and every time she eats pork she is reminded of it.


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## PreparedRifleman73 (Nov 2, 2012)

Well the day of butchering the turkeys has come to pass. I certainly appreciate all the advice. This group of people here has never steered me wrong. People were both in favor and opposed to her participiation. Trust me, all of your opinions weighed heavier on our decision to let her choose her own level of involvement. Of course, we didn't let her swing an axe or hold a turkey or anything. Just be present throughout the process.



Tirediron said:


> It in my opinion should bother a person a just a little bit to take another life to extend their own.


You know, this really stuck with me. She has an understanding (at the level a 5 year old can) of the foodchain, albeit abstract. But I could see it click when I told her this! I told her that the turkey can be killed by accident, by a predator, by somebody being mean and angry or by somebody that is remorseful about it and doesn't take the decision lightly. Thank you.



Quills said:


> My kids learned respect for the process from an early age, and they've been exposed to it as part of our lives. You can't keep farm kids away from this stuff, and it's better (IMHO) to let them make their own choices.


I think she gained a higher level of respect for food. She has always been one to eat her food and not be picky. She loves peas and broccolli and such... But now, she has said that after knowing the turkeys and seeing all the hard work we all did; well, she has made a more concious choice not to waste food. She understands it is disrespectful to an animal.



cowboyhermit said:


> This can be a tough one, first thing I would say is to tell her it is ok to be sad about it, she should not feel bad about that. I have been doing this all my life and it still makes me sad, especially if it is an animal I am particularly attached to Doesn't mean I regret it, I have contemplated it on many occasions and know completely that it is right but that doesn't mean a part of me doesn't want that animal around for awhile longer.
> 
> Secondly, IMO the 3yo sounds like they are completely in the right position to be involved, like others I was chasing down chickens as a little kid and it was no big deal. Introducing older children to the process can be much more difficult. If the daughter doesn't want to be involved with the killing that is not a bad thing, I wouldn't push instead I would try to find another way for her to be involved. Pushing a kid into a situation like this is the last thing a parent should do.


And you, sir, hit the nail on the head. I couldn't agree more with everything you said! Ultimately, she wasn't forced or coerced. We anticipated that she would not want to be around. But she insisted on seeing each step of the process at least once. I can't imagine the feeling I would have had if she had no emotion about it.

*Thank you all for the input!*


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## Cud579 (Apr 26, 2010)

Our son who is 7 has been around rabbits and the butchering proccess from early on. By the age of 3. He had been exposed to the skinning and butchering procces of deer. We started exposing him to the procces slowly with the final aspect of it being t he killing of the animal. We did not allow him to see the kill but allowed him to see the gutting proccess and then went on with allowing to see the skinning and then to the actual killing of the rabbits. We have raised our son to know where his food comes from. He was never upset about the killing proccess or blood and guts but that is how we raised him. I believe it all in how we raise our children and what they are taught and exposed to.

As a child I remember grandpa killing chickens for us to have later for dinner that day. It never horrified me.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

Hawkmiles thank you for posting the results of your research, feed back is what keeps these forum functional, it is disheartening when someone asks a question and then doesn't bother to say anything after the answers (whether they agree with those answerers or not) You response with really good feedback makes up for 10 without :2thumb:


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## Wellrounded (Sep 25, 2011)

Hawkmiles it sounds like you have a well adjusted clever little girl there. Kids can surprise you with their level thinking and ability to learn from what's happening around them.


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