Just have to get this off my chest...

[JohnDeereFan]

I was a paramedic for many years and saw all kinds of disgusting things. Decapitations, gunshots, amputations, disemboweling, etc. Never bothered me.

I have six kids and five dogs. None of my kids' dirty diapers or the dead rabbit my dog dragged into our bed while we were asleep bothered me.

I've been a farmer for years and none of the nasty things I've seen or had to do on the farm bothered me. Kill my own chickens? No problem. Slaughter a hog? I'm your man!

I've hunted and fished for years and no amount of cleaning/skinning/butchering/dressing, etc, has ever so much as raised an eyebrow.

But yesterday I had to go to the University of Delaware and while I was waiting, my daughter and I walked around the little farm they have there at their ag center. There, in a tiny pasture, they had about a dozen fistulated cows and they were so grotesque that it was all I could do not to throw up in front of my daughter.

In case you don't know, a fistulated cow is a live cow that's had a hole cut in it's side so that you can reach right into it's stomach and it's the most gruesome, grotesque, disgusting thing you've ever seen in your life.

Don't get me wrong, I understand the scientific merits behind it and all and I understand that the research benefits me and the cows on my farm, but this was just gross.

Fortunately, my daughter asked me what the "circles" on the cows were and then quickly lost interest. I, on the other hand, couldn't shake it. The image was so bad that we had chicken marsala for supper last night and I couldn't even eat it.

I've always laughted at people who get quesy at some things or girls who are afraid to put a worm on a hook and I've always prided myself on not being "grossed out" by anything, but something about this just really hit a nerve in me.

 

[FreeinChrist]

That is pretty gross. Thre is a coldness to doing that as opposed to the accidental nature of other injuries or the need for other things to occur.

 

[JohnDeereFan]

That is pretty gross.

Gross doesn't even begin to cover it. I wasn't kidding when I said that it was all I could do to keep from vomiting in front of my daughter.

 

[Hentenza]

Looks like you met your grossness match.

 

[BigNorsk]

 

[savedandthankful]

Oh I so wish people would let animals be animals and leave them the way God created them. The western food market is packed with greed that produces these mutants.

Some Christians think I'm strange because I only eat free range eggs and hate battery farming. I just think that animals should live the way they were intended to and as humans we don't have a right to manipulate their bodies or treat them as we wish just to satisfy our own greed or personal convenience. Sorry for the rant, but that is my personal opinion and I needed to get it off my chest too.

 

[JohnDeereFan]

Now, see, that doesn't bother me. But just something about seeing the hole, itself, really rubbed me the wrong way.

 

[JohnDeereFan]

Oh I so wish people would let animals be animals and leave them the way God created them. The western food market is packed with greed that produces these mutants.

Some Christians think I'm strange because I only eat free range eggs and hate battery farming. I just think that animals should live the way they were intended to and as humans we don't have a right to manipulate their bodies or treat them as we wish just to satisfy our own greed or personal convenience. Sorry for the rant, but that is my personal opinion and I needed to get it off my chest too.

Like I said, I understand the research benefits (although, at this point, is there really all that much that we don't already know about cows?) and I understand that by studying things this way, it does benefit me as a farmer. It just looks creepy.

Now, that having been said, you're absolutely right. Our chickens are free range, grass fed chickens. They're not as big as factory bred chickens because there are no hormones or chemicals, but I'll guarantee you that once you eat one of ours, you'll never eat another Tyson or Purdue chicken again. Same with our pigs and our beef. All organic. We're trying to be certified as organic now.

 

[Llucid]

You seem to have very strong feelings about this, and you're clueless why. Perhaps God is laying something on your heart, some sort of reason or lesson to be learned from this.

For example, think about all the people walking around in this world with a 'hole' inside of them. Think of all the revolting things they try to fill it with. Perhaps God is revealing His disgust to you. Perhaps there are things that God can see in you that make Him feel this way.

Not trying to accuse you of anything, just trying to offer some insight from a spiritual angle. God bless!

 

[BigNorsk]

Like I said, I understand the research benefits (although, at this point, is there really all that much that we don't already know about cows?) and I understand that by studying things this way, it does benefit me as a farmer. It just looks creepy.

Now, that having been said, you're absolutely right. Our chickens are free range, grass fed chickens. They're not as big as factory bred chickens because there are no hormones or chemicals, but I'll guarantee you that once you eat one of ours, you'll never eat another Tyson or Purdue chicken again. Same with our pigs and our beef. All organic. We're trying to be certified as organic now.

Well, actually there's lots we don't know. Some of the recent work has been on changing the diet for a short time before slaughter to reduce the chances of danger from pathogenic E. coli strains.

And there is ongoing work on improving feed efficiency and reduction of greenhouse gases.

I've stayed away from organic myself. I find the incorporation of all the New Age religion mumbo jumbo about life force and such repellant. Same for the biodynamic which is now catching on more.

Marv

 

[savedandthankful]

I expressed a strong opinion about something that I don't know much about and I'm sorry if I came over as judgemental. I was probably going a bit off topic by having a general vent about animal welfare. I personally find the hole in the stomach a bit gross, but there probably are research benefits to it. I stand by what I said in relation to animal welfare in general because producing mutants and cruelty to animals are signs of human greed. However, I might have jumped to conclusions a bit on this topic. Again, very sorry.

 

[Lemmiwinks]

Animals deserve to be treated with dignity

 

[pgp_protector]

Oh I so wish people would let animals be animals and leave them the way God created them. The western food market is packed with greed that produces these mutants.

Some Christians think I'm strange because I only eat free range eggs and hate battery farming. I just think that animals should live the way they were intended to and as humans we don't have a right to manipulate their bodies or treat them as we wish just to satisfy our own greed or personal convenience. Sorry for the rant, but that is my personal opinion and I needed to get it off my chest too.

Does this go for plants also, should we leave the plants the way God made them at first, or is it OK to modify plants ?

 

[Shribs]

No it's not ok to modify anything. The moment we do then we are the ones playing God. I don't mean modifying the way we modify yeast to make bread. I mean if we were to alter the physical properties of the yeast. Moving to this scientific natural ground leads us to where Man is the measure of all things and not God.

 

[rockytriton]

Think of how we could fight the obesity epidemic by installing these in people. I could eat a whole bucket of fried chicken, then just reach in and take it out of my stomach.

 

[FreeinChrist]

Well, that's a thought.......but I think I will pass on that particular method of weight loss.

 

[rockytriton]

Well, that's a thought.......but I think I will pass on that particular method of weight loss.

Yea me too, but I wouldn't put it past some people.

 

[pgp_protector]

Ok does this remind anyone else of the Heart Plugs in the Movie Dune ?

 

[rockytriton]

Ok does this remind anyone else of the Heart Plugs in the Movie Dune ?

I read the book a few years ago then watched the movie, but I don't remember anything about heart plugs.

 

[pgp_protector]

I read the book a few years ago then watched the movie, but I don't remember anything about heart plugs.

The Original movie, when the young man was bringing in the flowers to the barron, he pulled his Heartplug (That killed the man) while gloating.