... & relationship issues.
I bought ducklings a couple of months ago, to raise for meat, and today they got the axe (well, the cone and knife, but you know what I mean). The past couple of days have been really hard. I had friends who had offered to help, and bailed, but the worst of it was my family (parents and husband), who have spent the last three days haranguing me about how I shouldn't be doing this/am a bad person for killing animals. They all eat meat, but apparently none of them see the ethical problems of factory-farmed meat, and/or consider that to be less bad than the horror of doing it here on the family property.
Has anyone else here run into family relationship problems because of raising animals for meat? It's really hard to just ignore them, because we're all living in the same house and I have to ask their help with things all the time (like watching my 2-year-old while I work, or occasional help with heavy lifting, especially now that I'm pregnant, etc.). People I know peripherally, socially, are all for raising meat birds, but I'm feeling bogged down by all this opposition at home.
I bought ducklings a couple of months ago, to raise for meat, and today they got the axe (well, the cone and knife, but you know what I mean). The past couple of days have been really hard. I had friends who had offered to help, and bailed, but the worst of it was my family (parents and husband), who have spent the last three days haranguing me about how I shouldn't be doing this/am a bad person for killing animals. They all eat meat, but apparently none of them see the ethical problems of factory-farmed meat, and/or consider that to be less bad than the horror of doing it here on the family property.
Has anyone else here run into family relationship problems because of raising animals for meat? It's really hard to just ignore them, because we're all living in the same house and I have to ask their help with things all the time (like watching my 2-year-old while I work, or occasional help with heavy lifting, especially now that I'm pregnant, etc.). People I know peripherally, socially, are all for raising meat birds, but I'm feeling bogged down by all this opposition at home.
That is so 2 faced and big city thinking, I'll eat meat but I look down on anyone who can actually kill it for me!? WTH!? 
I'd refuse to cook meat for them and don't put it on your grocery list for them either, unless it's for yourself and the kids. We have our own poultry flock and we'll be using some of them for meat. I personally don't have the stomach for killing them myself, but I certainly don't judge anyone else for being able to- more power to you! 
My step mom and sister are both vegans and I know they are likely horrified at the thought that some of our cute animals will end up in our freezer, but they have enough respect that they don't say a word about it and at least they are consistent in their beliefs- they think it's cruel to kill animals and therefore do not eat them. For somebody to think it's cruel to kill animals in a humane fashion but have no qualms about scarfing down a hamburger is absurd. My mom is similar, my goodness she was visiting last week and she always shows more care and feeling for my animals than she does her own grandchildren! 
She would yell at my kids and scold them if they did the slightest thing she perceived as careless or unkind to the animals. She pestered me so badly about my poor rabbits being outside, she actually asked if she could bring them in the house to the guestroom for the night so they wouldn't be cold!!?? WTH woman, it's MAY!! To shut her up I moved the rabbits into a less secure pen in the barn and then she went to check on them sunday morning in her robe (while we were all dressed for church) and when she couldn't find them she flipped and ordered my son to go into the woodpile to look for the rabbits! Imagine my horror seeing my son in his BRAND NEW church outfit- suit, shirt, tie, shoes- all new and worn for the first time at a cost of more than $150- climbing through the off limits woodpile which has sharp branches, burrs, rusted nails, etc on orders of his Nana!!! 
I was pi$$ed!! I yelled at her right in front of my ds I was so mad. Told her the bunnies were safe in their pen, if she had thought to ask ME the OWNER and operator of this place she would have known, and furthermore I care a lot more about my son's new suit, not to mention his safety, than I do a flippin $4 bunny rabbit! I will not have her questioning the way I run things or my treatment of my animals when I have been the one who did countless hours of research into how to care for them, after going out EVERY SINGLE dang day whether sick, tired or pouring cold rain I was there- feeding, watering, cleaning, and interacting with my animals and I might add they are healthy and happy- I'm not going to let her parachute in with absolutely no experience and no knowledge and tell me how to do things or criticize me when I know I am doing a good job and am a very humane person. I was so miffed she made me want to throw a rabbit in the oven for dinner just to horrify her! 
(actually the current 3 bunnies are for pets, but we may let them breed and try our hand at rabbit meat)
