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["Robert Walton" <waltonrp AT gmail.com>]

>I think I could shoot a chicken in the head, they aren't very smart.

Chickens I do differently, I have some traffic cones and suspend them
with a ladder. The small part of the cone gets trimmed a little.
Insert chicken upside down and cut on both sides of the throat so they
bleed out. The other method is to wring the neck. We did some old hens
that way and dressed them with the heads and feet on to sell to the
local latino community. PIA IMO.

We did 25 broilers earlier in the year and have 50 ready to dress next
week. Also a multitude of young roosters of various ages running
around, most of which will go.

I've got a mess of guineas here. They are good on ticks, but eat
chicken feed all winter and cause trouble in the garden. Numbers must
come down. I've been shooting them with the shotgun and would like to
take out 20 before winter. They are old and better for dog food than
anything other than stew.

> Pigs, though, I've always kind of given them human characteristics, much as 
> I do dogs

Agreed. The female pig last year got left here for a few months after
we killed the male. She ran with the goats, became a goat in her mind.
The little kids used to sleep on top of her. She followed me around
like a dog and was very sweet. She was the sausage hog.

>  I know that it is not rational to have that feeling about killing animals 
> myself when I know that all of the meat I eat comes from slaughtered 
> animals.  If someone else dispatches their meat animals in a different way, 
> please advise...

I'm always interested in how people do stuff also. I think it's a good
topic and one you don't need to tip toe around on this list. Much less
ugly than the politics we've been throwing around.

I sure hate to kill animals. I do not like it. I don't trust people
that do. Unless you are going to eat as a vegetarian, taking
responsibility for what you kill to eat is the best way IMO.

Growing your own animals with the right foods, makes much, much better
and healthier food. Healthier fats, too.

Rob - Va