I Finally Ate Our Cows and Chickens

How do I mentally cope with raising our own cows and chickens for meat? And then, how do I eat them??? Is this possible? Yes. I finally did it.

One thing I know about homesteading – mindset is everything.

Raising our own meat has been a true challenge for me. We have lived on our homestead going on nine years and just this past summer I FINALLY became okay with raising meat birds. I learned to be okay with raising cows/beef about four years before that. Let me explain.

As a long time city girl, I preferred not knowing where my meat came from. It’s just easier that way isn’t it? It comes in a package and that’s that. Ignorance is bliss. But, even as a city girl, stories get told, and you hear about the cattle being held in tight spaces with no grass, you hear about the chickens who can’t move at all, never see the light of day, and the brutal slaughters that occur before processing the meat. I’m not going to belabor this point because you can easily google it and find out for yourself. It’s truly a horrific scene.

 But, this is the sad part – even KNOWING all that, it took me three years to be okay with raising cows and just this summer (going on nine years) to finally  be okay with raising chickens. A huge mind shift occurred for me and I want to break it down here.

Now, I feel guilty about eating the cows from the supermarket knowing that I’m quite able to raise my own cows and be certain that while they lived, they were happy cows. Now I feel a responsibility to grow and raise our own beef.

I am very much an observer of my own mind.

Observing your own mind simply means, stepping back and looking at yourself with no objective in mind. I watched myself eat beef and poultry, from the store, yet my body literally became unhinged at the thought of partaking of any meat from an animal we raised.

When we talk about modeling, conditioning, and developing routines that are  “normal” in life, changing my mindset was the only way I was going to get this new “norm” – eating meat we raised – to take hold.

Raising your own meat is a better life for the animals, but most of you reading this already know that 😊 Our cows  and chickens are spoiled rotten. They have/had shelter, food and space to play and roam with all the other animals in our family. The meat we eat is going to be better for us because we KNOW what our cows and chickens ate.

But the deal is this, getting past the horror of eating an animal you personally raised is the focus.

How did I do it?

Truthfully, my brain began to gather evidence over time. It’s that simple. I watched cows and chickens in neighbors’ farms and fields. I saw how happy they were.  I also saw when they disappeared. As my brain began to filter through this evidence I began to think about the concept of eating animals we raised, and then I developed the ability to actually do it.

So, if you are beginning to consider this endeavor, go visit a cattle farm that is actually nice – where they take care of the animals they plan to process/kill/butcher in the future. Go look at a farm where chickens graze freely. If you are in the city and cannot raise your own animals, but you want to eventually buy from someone who does, by all means go visit their farm or begin to watch videos online to help your brain wrap around this.

Or, become a vegetarian. Yes, this was on my list of options, and honestly it is still in the back of my head. But we already have to eat gluten free – so do I seriously want to add vegetarian to the list?? NO.

The deal is this, the meat you raise will be better for you, the animals will be happier while they are alive, and the earth and the energy surrounding these experiences will all be better for it. The energy inside the meat of an animal packaged in the grocery store, honestly concerns me just as much as the meat.

It took nine years, but we now have a freezer full of beef and chicken. Visually the meat looks better and absolutely tastes better. It is packaged beautifully so there’s nothing gross, bizarre or different about that either. It’s a huge mindset shift and I’m finally there.

Did we name our cows?

Yes. Poppy and Clover.  I did not name the chickens because there were so many.  If you are going to eat meat and you have the ability to raise your own meat, I recommend doing this. If this isn’t your wheelhouse, I absolutely understand and can assure you I’m not casting any stones. We all figure things out for our own lifestyle. But the shift occurs in the mind – your mind must begin to see and accept that raising your own meat is better for everyone (assuming you have the lifestyle and space to do it). If you cannot raise your own meat, and simply want to get your head around eating your neighbor’s freshly butchered cow, that also takes some mental practice. Go visit. Talk to them. The energy will be better for you and for the animals. Keep me posted on how it goes and I’m happy to talk you through this in the comment section if you need support.

Final thought: Is it going to take NINE YEARS (like me) to figure this out?

No.

It all depends on your priorities. And it all depends on your ability to shift and shape your mindset. We shift our brain to impact actions that impact our physical lives. So, if you want to eat beef and poultry raised on your own property or a neighbor’s property, begin to ask your brain to reconsider its preconceived notions about eating meat. Start there. Watch your brain ponder these thoughts and continue to give your brain evidence to shift your thinking to change your action that takes place as a meat consumer.  If you recently moved to a home with land and your first priority is to raise your own meat, but now you’re freaking out – talk yourself through this. Recognize that two things are happening here – the romance of owning land, plus the conditioning you experienced growing up as a meat consumer. You can shift both of these. I believe in you!