the kill is on.

tomorrows our first chicken kill.  it’s definitely on my mind.  although I’ve been through several over the past year, and an able crew has been assembled, this being our first kill at the backyard moon feels pointedly different.  and I suppose it should. 

we’ve been through a lot with these birds.  root and i accidentally crushing two birds before we perfected our daily flock move comes in a distant second place to losing thirteen overnight during a nasty storm a few weeks back.  this week, with tornados bombing the region, and farmers hiding in bathtubs, our now full grown, soon to be slaughtered birds, are stout, weathered, and vital—handling the storm in proud stride.    

the knives are sharp.  the water is hot.  the kill cones stand empty in the shade and the chickens stand clucking in the fields—one last time. 

tomorrow I’ll wake early, with a crusty eyed sun still a good ways from it’s morning debut.  we’ll capture and crate the birds, disinfect the processing area, and groove on into the ancient human ritual of a group slaughter.

the kill is on. 

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the photo is of one of dan's lady layers over at darby farms.  much thanks to dan for his guidance on our first kill.  to see a video of dan breaking down exactly what happens to the bird during evisceration, check out last season's footage.  also remember to check out our other processing and purchasing videos on the sidebar of this site -->