Being a farm wife, I usually started the summer cay by picking the fresh garden vegetables for lunch, and killing 2 or 3 chickens to fry. We had a wire snare I used to snatch one of their legs if I could get close enough. Grandma Shute had a dog that would catch and bring her a chicken. I was not that lucky.
Edward’s mom tried to teach me to kill them by holding back the wings and legs, draping their neck over the old stump and giving a big chop with the little axe. Trouble was they would always lift up their head and look at me when it was time to chop! Then sometimes, one chop was not enough to sever the head and you had to have a second chance.
I soon learned to lay a broomstick or iron bar over the neck on the ground, standing on it, one foot on either side of the victim’s head and pull his head off easy as can be. I could even close my eyes and still get the job done. Then I could throw him down in the grass and let him bleed and flop around until he gave up the ghost.
Some people can swing them around in the air and wring their neck. That didn’t sound like a good idea either.
After all that gore, you had to plunge them into a bucket of boiling water to loosen the feathers. Do you know what wet feathers smell like? I like to buy chicken breats at the local grocery store now.
Years later our Scott confessed he thought those bloody flopping chickens were after him for sure. They scared him to death!
It was a wonder anyone would even eat lunch on those days. Me especially!
One day, two year old Karla wandered out in the yard to observe the proceedings. Suddenly I looked up and there was a skunk running around and jumping up on Karla. When a wild animal acts friendly it is usually a sign they have rabies. I screamed for help and 12 year old Steve came to the rescue. He got his 22 rifle and shot the skunk! Karla was ok and unbitten.
We took the dead skunk in to the vet’s office to test for rabies. He said, “Since you shot him dead in the head we can’t examine his brain. Now the next time this happens, put the live skunk in a gunny sack and bring him in.
Right! Okay, we will bring in the live skunk in a sack.
Shall we bring him in the car or the pickup?
Do You want him in your front office or at the back?
Fortunately, there never was a next time and our boys developed very find marksmanship!
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