Do you raise your own meat?

[jlxian]

We are seriously considering raising our own meat and I wonder how many of you do so, and what you raise? We would probably raise chickens, pigs, and calves.

MANY MANY years ago we used to buy feeder pigs, feed them through the summer and fall and then butcher them about Thanksgiving time.

[COUNTRYBUMPKIN]

I don't raise my own, but our neighbors do and thats where we buy all of our pasture fed meat from Jean. They raise chickens, hogs and cattle. I also buy their pasture fed eggs. And I get my raw milk from an Amish farmer every Friday. I bought a share of Jersey cow.

[sunshine]

We raised chickens and rabbits- occasionally a calf.

[DaisyLady]

Not yet, but I would really like to raise chickens for meat and eggs. I spent some time last summer picking the brains of some of the long time farmers at our local farmers market and discovered that we have very few small farmers raising chickens organically/free range and that there is a high demand. Unfortunately we can't do it here because we are now part of the city and lost our "agriculture" zoning.

[jlxian]

Thanks for everyone's input! We are so disgusted with what we have read and heard about the treatment and feeding of slaughter animals. If nothing else would turn you against feedlots, just the knowledge that their feed is chock full of hormones and anitbiotics should do it. I can understand the need to raise healthy animals, but if the system has gotten to the point that the animals have to be medicated to be healthy, something is wrong.

My dd's periods started when she was one month shy of being 11. This just doesn't seem right to me! I've wondered if her love of milk (full of hormones) could be part of the cause.

It seems like we could do a HUGELY better and more humane job and have better meat in the long run.

We will have to do some work to get set up (fences, coops, etc), but this will probably be something we will embark on this summer.

[forestdale]

Jean, I totally agree with you. The poor treatment of animals is the reason I no longer eat meat. I buy organic meat whenever I can for my family.

I've thought for a long time that the reason little girls of sometimes 9, 10 and 11 have breasts and early periods is because of their consumption of hormones in animals. Many butchers here now are advertising "hormone and antibiotic-free meat". I hope it catches on.

I hope you go ahead and raise your own meat. There's a good book I read about living a simple life and raising your own food, meat included. It's called the River Cottage Cookbook. There was a TV series about it too. Although it's English, i'm sure you'd get something from it.

[Kat27]

We are raising chickens for meat and eggs. When we finally are able to buy the farm we want we will be raising pigs and cattle as well.

[jlxian]

Again, thanks for all the input. I hope we are able to do this in the not too distant future.