Today my rooster August(us) was not standing well on its legs. Because it’s getting winter and more importantly because my woman is pregnant I decided that this time we wouldn’t try to save the animal ..
Last time one of our chickens (Livia, our white chicken) fell ill we took it inside (somewhere in the basement where the temperature is constant) to save it from the other chickens (who were also picking on her – because that’s what healthy chickens do to a sick one) and give it the yolk of the other chickens’ eggs for extra strength.
It was a mess all the time. Outside the chickens take care of themselves. But petting it inside of the house you kinda have to do all that for the chicken. Chickens shit a lot. The outcome isn’t very hygienic. I was not planning to go through this ordeal with our rooster August.
Anyway. I had already bought a restraining cone for chicken slaughter a few months ago. A sharp knife I had in the kitchen. August was very relax and not very defensive because well, he was feeling sick and all that. It was not hard to put him head first in the cone. I also petted him and calmed him before all this.
That’s all very bad news. But the good news is that this new year’s eve we will be doing Coq au vin!
Afterwards in warm water we plucked the feathers, then opened up the body and took the intestines out (carefully not cutting open the gallblatter and urineblatter to make sure we don’t spoil any meat).
Meanwhile Livia, Julia and the newest of the flock Gwendolyn (that name because she’s a Aarschot’s breed of chicken – I always use political figures for chicken’s names) are still alive and happily laying eggs for us.
It’s ~ decided that Julia must go too. Because our new year’s eve family gathering will count five attendants and we need enough chickenmeat. Plus, the nice people of Hagelandsneerhof organize the Neerhofdieren show every year around the end of Januari at O-Green in Rillaar. I plan to start with a new flock of chickens and buy a new entire group there.
Poor chickens.
They had a good life. I don’t know yet what I’ll do with Gwendolyn and Livia. Especially Livia is very special: she’s always the first to arrive when we bring food. Fiercely fighting for it with Gwendolyn.
Poor August. He was so strong and defensive for his chickens. He cut me several times during one of his attacks (before I learned how to tame him).
But I couldn’t let him be in agony of sickness.