Today we processed the last of our chickens. I’m very proud and blessed for the opportunity to raise our own food for our family and community. It has taken a lot of dedication to provide wonderful products on our family farm. At times we lose product, but it’s more than that for us, it’s a life and we never take it lightly. Especially when we lose a chicken so close to processing time it’s a life that we often feel was wasted.
However, when we get to processing day we are usually filled with happiness, and excitement that this day has finally arrived, and we think back about the journey from chick to chicken. Very soon it will feed our family and others too. When we finally get to the part where we need to end its life we are very serious, and we review the path we started on and the final moments of its life. When we sit down at our family table and begin to enjoy the work we’ve put into this feast, it’s a sense of humility, satisfaction and gratitude from G-d for His provision. The satisfaction of growing your own food is that we know what it ate and how it was taken care of. Our battles against weather take its toll on the animals at times. We have to make sure we provide extra shelter when needed. They are here on our farm not by their wishes but ours. Many times, I won’t eat until we have fed our livestock. Why should I be comfortable if they depend on me for sustenance? I know why they are here and their time is very short. So we put in extra effort to ensure they are well cared for.
We appreciate our clients that have purchased from us and our loyal customers that are extremely patient waiting until processing day. At times we receive a request from our clients to raise chickens for them and we do! We do this for our loyal customers.
So please support your local farmer(s) as we depend on you to stay in business.
Happy Day!