Comments on: Shovel and axe

By: Moon Over Martinborough

Moon Over Martinborough — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:45:05 +0000

Thanks Jandi. We love it here. Except for the chicken culling bit.

By: The Mad Scorpion

The Mad Scorpion — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:02:36 +0000

“Ooooh, do the headless chicken,
all together now, fingers clickin’,
you’re not safe in Mothers aaaaaarms, LOOK OUT!”

…That’s a Kiwi song reference by a band called The Headless Chickens. I don’t know why, but this story made me start humming it…

By: Jandi Small

Jandi Small — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:59:46 +0000

Rest in peace, Natasha.

I enjoy your blog very much. How fortunate you are to live in beautiful New Zealand. I was there for three weeks several years ago…and it was difficult to leave.

By: cryscryss

cryscryss — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:39:21 +0000

Sorry to hear you had to cull Natasha, Jared. Knowing it’s coming doesn’t make it any easier, either.

By: merinz

merinz — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:24:21 +0000

Its giving them a name that makes it all the harder.

I grew up on a farm and we regularly culled the chooks and also the geese. As a child I would hold the goose down on the log for my Father to wield the axe.

Its amazing but we were very matter of fact about the whole thing. Animals are raised and killed for food, it was just the way things were.

My Dad would go out to shoot us a wild goat/pheasant/Pukeko (yes we ate them too – slowly cooked in the pressure cooker)and it was all just a fact of life.

However now I don’t think that I could be so quite so detached.

By: gecko

gecko — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 07:30:01 +0000

It really is gut wrenching when you lose one of the family, but to have to actually do it yourself is even worse, my thoughts are with you.
I do feel for Rick having to do the nasty little deed, I fortunately have someone who will save me the job. Now…. does Rick always have to do all those horrid little jobs …… I was just, ummmm …… thinking of him having a nice wee job, ummm, like painting stuff …….. haha

By: Uncle Mike

Uncle Mike — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:23:34 +0000

As always, your writing paints a vivid picture. So sad. You did what you could. I think Rick is stronger than I would be.

By: Aunt Charlie

Aunt Charlie — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:08:15 +0000

Sitting here in Iowa, cold, snow piled up to the mailbox and tearing up a bit while thinking about Natasha. Things I know: under your directive, she enjoyed good stuff: greens, apple cores, strawberries, spaghetti and I was able to know her and thank her for her eggs daily during my stay. I appreciate your helping her “transition” during my absence. Your Eulogy to Natasha is tribute to the good life you gave her. Your writing never ceases to amaze. Thanks for that.

By: Tracey

Tracey — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 10:06:54 +0000

awww I’m so sorry.. in the back of mind I remember you watched a bird die in your fireplace and that was sooooo much harder to read than this was. I dread the day that I have to do this to one of my chooks – This year I will be bringing half a dozen steers and some pregnant ewes to my block and that will be hard as well.. not so much the sheep, I don’t grow fond of those so much and have had no problems eating the meat our neighbour gives us in return for grazing.. but when the steers leave it will get to me a bit, knowing I will be cooking one of them most nights for dinner and the ones I sell will be feeding another couple of families. My dad is like ‘they are just animals’he cannot fathom why anyone would think of them as anything other than food for the belly.. but we moved to town (Masterton) when I was 6 and I have kind of adopted the ‘meat comes in packets’ mentality. I have only recently been able to eat the eggs our chooks lay for us.

By: greenfumb

greenfumb — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 09:48:09 +0000

Oh you poor things.

I feel bad, my broody Wyandotte has had scaly leg mite since she hatched the chicks in December, I just keep washing her legs with dettol, treating her with wormer (Ivermectin I think) and spraying her legs with canola oil. It never occurred to me to cull her.

I might have to have a rethink, although I would have to take her to the vet for an injection, I could never kill one of them, pathetic isn’t it.

Hope you enjoy Sydney, bloody hot here at the moment.