Butchering day.

Butchering an animal, regardless of whether you raised it for that purpose or not, isn't easy!

Even though I had raised this steer for two years, with the full intention of butchering him, it was still difficult on the day of. 

That evening as I went to do chores and only Daisy and the calf was left, it was sad.

This does not mean, I'm not going to do this with the next calf that I am raising for that purpose.

This doesn't mean that I don't feel anything.

 It's walking a balance of knowing that you're raising animals for meat, and still caring for them and making sure they're happy and loved.

 It's not done without feeling, and it's not done without respect!

Now, I have talked about butchering before, when we butchered Yum-Yum the pig, so I'm not going to go into the same Spiel I did last time. 
Instead, I'm going to talk about what happens after.

It's a little bit different between butchering the pig who was getting very mean, or butchering an animal that was just a pain in the butt. 
(He was constantly dumping the 45-gallon water trough.)

I firmly believe, he knew it was coming.

Because he escaped three times in the two weeks leading up to his butchering date, we found him in the garden feeding himself on anything that was left unpicked.

This was Daisy's first time losing one of her offspring, so I was mostly worried about how she would react.

She was penned out of sight of the butchering and with a big pile of hay to keep her occupied, this does not mean she did not know what was going on. 

You can think I'm crazy if you want, but animals are smart, they know long before it happens.  Animals understand a heck of a lot more than most people give them credit for.

The next afternoon I proceeded to let Daisy into a new section of the pasture, where Duffer hadn't been. Also a few days later we moved her into the barn for the first time.

Some change for her, when something like this happens, is perfect.

 It was obvious that she was a little sad at first, but she has perked up since and is enjoying being in the barn, she has her other calf with her for now. 

Bovines are herd animals, as are goats and sheep, having one member of a herd taken away can cause a true emotional upset, if not handled correctly.

 All in all the butchering went well and I'm very proud of how healthy and high-quality my steer was.  Hopefully, he'll bring some delicious meals to our customers, where they can make wonderful memories over the dinner table. 

After all, it is my goal to nourish and bring happiness.

Thank you, Duff.