Butchering Day

By all means click on the picture if you can and enlarge it! The kids faces are hilarious and totally expressive of how they acted. Yes...poor little chicky had to die a week early. He couldn't stand up anymore because....as the nurse in my mother diagnosed....he had hip displasia or something the matter with his hips. Anyway he couldn't really walk very well without falling down and so he had to die early. Keith wanted to help and although I had an auction and couldn't be there for the blessed event here is what I have been told....and it sounds like it was hilarious. I dropped Gid, Lucy and Ella off early because I had an auction to go to. Before I left Gideon "read the chicken his last rights" by feeding him his last meal and giving him a little pet...Lucy fluffed his feathers a bit just to make him look nice for his "showing". Then, Nani, Gideon and Lucy went downstairs to prepare the "chopping block" and sharpen the ax. I guess Gideon was all about chopping the chickens head off. Keith arrived and they brought the chicken downstairs. Mom put the chickens head between two nails to steady it and it closed its eyes as if preparing for the inevitable. Gideon was ready to use the ax until this point....as soon as the chicken was "in restraints Gideon backed away and turned his head...he couldn't bring himself to do it...although I did learn from him that the chicken died before nani chopped it's head off because it closed it's eyes. Well....off with the head and the body, as usual flapped and fluttered and the head lay still. The kids watched but wouldn't touch or help with the gutting and de-feathering until Nani put the body in the freezer and took them back outside to "clean up". Then.....with the body gone...Gideon and Lucy touched and examined the head of the chicken...looking at its eyes and ears and then examining the chicken feet.....mom had given them an anatomy lesson earlier in the gutting and Keith thought it was pretty cool too. They got to see the gullet and the gizzard and open it up and see the feed the chicken had eaten for it's last meal so Gideon said that was cool. Anyway....Gideon was a little nervous and would only touch the chicken head and feet but Lucy....my child of no fear picked up the head and carried it to the burn bag and then went back for the feet and put them it.....it was a good anatomy and life lesson for the kids and I'm glad they had it but I wish I could've been there because it was probably quite hilarious to see the kids reactions.