Pets & the humans who love them

[Liam]

Originally Posted by Jude

Something brought to my attention yesterday. Thought I'd post it here and see if anyone from down on the farm has the authentic scoop on this one....

All of the chicken we buy in the supermarket is from female chickens? Right? When the eggs hatch, do they routinely kill all the new male baby chicks that are going to grow up to be roosters and keep just a couple for fertilization?

Know capons are very fancy male emasculated roosters that are supposed to be extremely succulent and wildly expensive. Trying to envision someone taking the time to do a vasectomy on a young rooster.

Now, what about bulls? Red meat eaters buy hamburger and it's always from a cow, isn't it? Never saw a package of cellophane wrapped bull. So, do all baby male cows become veal at birth, except those kept on hand for their seed?

Anyone with first hand farm knowledge???

No idea about sheep, but now I'm wondering if lamb chops are all little boys and cheaper mutton is the mama.

I grew up on a farm, we didn't castrate any roosters, however when they were of a certain age, and not required for their procreative abilities, we butchered them and ate them. Hens that were poor layers or not needed were also butchered. Old hens were butchered and they were not fryers but stewers. I don't know how the big corporate chicken outfits handle this. Most of the beef sold in stores comes from steers, bulls that were castrated at an early age, and raised specifically for the table. The meat from old bulls and old cows is quite often mixed with into hamburger from younger animals. Cows are usually kept as baby making machines, one bull can easily service 500 cows. The demand for veal is minute compared to the productivity of the beef industry. Sheep is similar to the beef industry; mutton is an older ewe, comparable to a stewing hen.

We didn't name something, we intended to eat.