August 12, 2010

"Black Chicken" in Miri - Black is Beautiful

Professor Temple Grandin created designer tracks to help cows feel comfortable and relax when they have to be dipped in pools of antiseptic and other solutions. Before her humane ideas of animal husbandry became popular cattle were under a lot of duress before they were slaughtered.

She herself (being an autist ) realised what it was like to feel safe and comforted. She designed a "hug" machine for herself to use whenever she felt stressed and needed be away from "normal" people at the age of 18.

So the other day when looking at these chickens all bundled up I am wondering too about my own babies who were wrapped up fairly tightly in towels after they were born. Did our Foochow elders know all about the significance of bundling babies to make them feel good and safe?

I am sure these chickens too feel warm and loved before they are taken to the slaughter.These chickens seem to feel at ease and I am wondering if they know what their fate is going to be. But on the other hand what is the best humane practice for chickens? Let's think about this.

Five chickens were all bundled up for sale. These are special "black boned and black fleshed" chickens.

They all look quite sleepy in the hot morning sun.

These bundled up chickens remind me of another thing -- of school students of one year: Five classes of Form Four...


The students are all bound by traditions and strict school rules. The chicken seemed to be saying hello to me. Good Chicken with good PR!! Well done! The other one said "Humbug...humbug.." like Scrooge.

Most students are very subdued and are bundled up every where by their doting parents. So quite often they are droopy like these chickens....But  this particular chicken would be all alert and enthusiastic in life....holding its head high and remaining aware of the environment. I do hope that more students would be like this chicken....upright and alert - forward looking and health conscious.

Poor chickens - they will be slaughtered soon to give nourishment to perhaps an elderly person. That's probably the main function of poultry = food.



P/s By the way Martin Yan of the famous Yan can Cook TV programme writes that his mother's black chicken soup is out of this world.....(Just like to drop a big name here....LOL)

Hope you can find some black chickens to make soup. Cheers.

6 comments:

Naomi said...

when babies are bundled up, they felt like they are in mother's womb, which is the safest place. Perhaps it is same for poultry.

Ensurai said...

Hi Ghosty Nana
Thanks. I am sure it is the same for poultry...See you soon!

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

ehehheehhe,

I would never think of us as chicken.

I saw the chickens bundled up like this on one of my trips back to Sarawak. I thought it was quite funny. It wasn't like this when we were young, and even in Johore small towns. They just picked up a chicken tie the legs and you hold the legs to take home. Now, they will slaughter it for you. My SIL says, never buy a ready feathered chook. Those are dead. You go to the chicken seller, choose a good one, and have him slaughter it there and then and feathered in their concrete mixer thing, Just your own chook.

Ensurai said...

Hehehe Ann
I have seen chickens dangling from bicycles or in baskets...some of the fighting cockerels were tied up in sarong slings by Iban men going for cockfights...these were sights of our youth!!

Sibu still has chickens in cages for you to choose from and slaughter in front of you...a pipe will wash away the blood....and a basin of hot water will enable the "defeatherer" to defeather the chicken.....I can still smell the blood now...

Unknown said...

WOMB???

Anonymous said...

they look very sad , i think this is horrible

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