Comments on Why? Why Not? Chickens...

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That's quite the backstory behind the ring. Chicken dinner and a ring back.

posted by FormerStudentIntern on August 4, 2025 at 10:43 AM | link to this | reply

Thank goodness that your mom was thrifty. Most people toss the organ meat of the chicken. I bet your red ruby birthstone ring is gorgeous. My maternal great-grandparents had chickens on their small farm in Maryland. Those Banty roosters are feisty. My mother has told me about her childhood fears, and one of them was holding the chickens while my great-grandad chopped off their heads. He also had her do this with other small game, like squirrels. Her other fear was using the outhouse until she was a teenager. She was scared by a baby ground and mice on more than one ocassion. 🐀

posted by Sherri_G on August 4, 2025 at 9:38 AM | link to this | reply

Re: Mike....

.....Nowdays they have machines where they put the chickens in upside down and the heads go one place, the blood runs elsewhere, and the feathers go another place all while the person is holding on to the feet.   You can do one chick after another pretty quickly.  It is supposed to be humane.

posted by TAPS. on August 4, 2025 at 9:36 AM | link to this | reply

What a great childhood story. That is really wild. I bet it was a pretty memorable event. My mother only shared stories about killing the chickens and preparing them for dinner. She told me about how they used to wring their necks. Thanks for sharing.

posted by BearcatMike on August 4, 2025 at 8:16 AM | link to this | reply

We had bantams too, for a while. Never lost a ruby ring to one of them, though. I can just see that happening. The rooster was quite a cocky little scrapper.  

posted by Pat_B on August 4, 2025 at 7:36 AM | link to this | reply

We always had black chickens, and they were such good layers that Mother could always sell some eggs to the local grocer. I loved the baby chickens.

posted by Kabu on August 4, 2025 at 7:03 AM | link to this | reply