David B

That's a big chicken! Must be a great egg layer =)

Actually, she is a really good egg layer; unfortunately, we're raising her for meat. These birds are bred to grow big and mature fast, which is what they do.

I would have liked to have done a better job at focusing the shot, but I was a little rushed and just trying to finish off the roll of film.

I missed your comment, Marvin. Sorry about that. Actually, we had to dispatch her. Keeping her for too long would have been cruel. These birds grow so fast and big, if you keep them for too long, they become too large to walk and either break their own legs or have respiratory problems. To be quite honest with you, we don't raise these breeds of chickens any more. I found it too distressing to "process" them. And, because of how they've been bred, I think it is cruel to see them grow the way they do.

Rest assured, however, when I did butcher her, it was with calmness and kindness. There was no stress on the birds at all... I was the only one who bared the stress. Each of them was taken away from the rest of the flock and, because I handled them so much when they were younger, they were relaxed. The end came quick and they didn't do any of that thrashing around you hear about.

We don't raise chickens for meat anymore... I just can't bring myself to do it, unless it's to spare a bird from some sort of suffering (like injury or illness). Thankfully, there aren't many times I've even had to do that.